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18 Then he uttered[a] his oracle, and said,

“Stand up, Balak, and hear;
    listen to me, son of Zippor!
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
    nor a son of humankind,
that he should change his mind.
    Has he said, and will he not do it?
And has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
20     Behold, I have received a command to bless;
when he has blessed, I cannot cause it to return.
21     He has no regard for evil in Jacob,
and he does not see trouble in Israel;
    Yahweh his God is with him,
and a shout[b] of a king is among them.[c]
22     God, who brings them out from Egypt,
is like the strength[d] of a wild ox for them.[e]
23     Because there is no sorcery against Jacob,
and there is no divination against Israel.
    Now[f] it will be said to Jacob and Israel,
    what God has done!
24 Look! the people will rise like the lion;
    he raises himself and will not lie down
until he eats the prey
    and drinks the blood of the slain.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 23:18 Literally “he lifted up”
  2. Numbers 23:21 Or “a blast”
  3. Numbers 23:21 Hebrew “him”
  4. Numbers 23:22 Or “like the horns”
  5. Numbers 23:22 Hebrew “him”
  6. Numbers 23:23 Or “At the right time”

18 Then Balaam[a] uttered his oracle, saying,

“Rise, Balak, and hear;
    listen to me, O son of Zippor:
19 God is not a human being, that he should lie,
    or a mortal, that he should change his mind.
Has he promised, and will he not do it?
    Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?(A)
20 See, I received a command to bless;
    he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.(B)
21 He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,
    nor has he seen trouble in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
    acclaimed as a king among them.(C)
22 God, who brings them out of Egypt,
    is like the horns of a wild ox for them.(D)
23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob,
    no divination against Israel;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
    ‘See what God has done!’
24 Look, a people rising up like a lioness
    and rousing itself like a lion!
It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey
    and drunk the blood of the slain.”(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 23.18 Heb he