Numbers 23
1 And
Balaam said unto
Balak, Build me here
seven altars, and
prepare me here
seven oxen and
seven rams. 2 And
Balak did as
Balaam had
spoken; and
Balak and
Balaam offered on every
altar a
bullock and a
ram. 3 And
Balaam said unto
Balak, Stand by thy burnt
offering, and I will
go: peradventure the
LORD will
come to
meet me: and
whatsoever he
sheweth me I will
tell thee. And he
went to an high
place. 4 And
God met Balaam: and he
said unto him, I have
prepared seven altars, and I have
offered upon every
altar a
bullock and a
ram. 5 And the
LORD put a
word in
Balaam's mouth, and
said,
Return unto
Balak, and thus thou shalt
speak.
6 And he
returned unto him, and, lo, he
stood by his burnt
sacrifice, he, and all the
princes of
Moab. 7 And he took
up his
parable, and
said,
Balak the
king of
Moab hath
brought me from
Aram, out of the
mountains of the
east, saying,
Come,
curse me
Jacob, and
come,
defy Israel. 8 How shall I
curse, whom
God hath not
cursed? or how shall I
defy, whom the
LORD hath not
defied?
9 For from the
top of the
rocks I
see him, and from the
hills I
behold him: lo, the
people shall
dwell alone, and shall not be
reckoned among the
nations. 10 Who can
count the
dust of
Jacob, and the
number of the
fourth part of
Israel? Let me
die the
death of the
righteous, and let my
last end be like his!
11 And
Balak said unto
Balaam, What hast thou
done unto me? I
took thee to
curse mine
enemies, and, behold, thou hast
blessed them
altogether.
12 And he
answered and
said, Must I not take
heed to
speak that which the
LORD hath
put in my
mouth? 13 And
Balak said unto him,
Come, I pray thee, with me unto
another place, from whence thou mayest
see them: thou shalt
see but the
utmost part of them, and shalt not
see them all: and
curse me them from thence.
14 And he
brought him into the
field of
Zophim , to the
top of
Pisgah, and
built seven altars, and
offered a
bullock and a
ram on every
altar. 15 And he
said unto
Balak, Stand here by thy burnt
offering, while I
meet the LORD
yonder. 16 And the
LORD met Balaam, and
put a
word in his
mouth, and
said, Go
again unto
Balak, and
say thus.
17 And when he
came to him, behold, he
stood by his burnt
offering, and the
princes of
Moab with him. And
Balak said unto him, What hath the
LORD spoken?
18 And he took
up his
parable, and
said, Rise
up,
Balak, and
hear;
hearken unto me, thou
son of
Zippor: 19 God is not a
man, that he should
lie; neither the
son of
man, that he should
repent: hath he
said, and shall he not
do it? or hath he
spoken, and shall he not make it
good 20 Behold, I have
received commandment to
bless: and he hath
blessed; and I cannot
reverse it.
21 He hath not
beheld iniquity in
Jacob, neither hath he
seen perverseness in
Israel: the
LORD his
God is with him, and the
shout of a
king is among them
22 God brought them
out of
Egypt; he hath as it were the
strength of an
unicorn. 23 Surely there is no
enchantment against
Jacob, neither is there any
divination against
Israel: according to this
time it shall be
said of
Jacob and of
Israel, What hath
God wrought!
24 Behold, the
people shall rise
up as a great
lion, and lift
up himself as a young
lion: he shall not lie
down until he
eat of the
prey, and
drink the
blood of the
slain. 25 And
Balak said unto
Balaam, Neither
curse them at
all, nor
bless them at
all.
26 But
Balaam answered and
said unto
Balak, Told not I thee,
saying, All that the
LORD speaketh, that I must
do?
27 And
Balak said unto
Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will
bring thee unto
another place; peradventure it will
please God that thou mayest
curse me them from thence.
28 And
Balak brought Balaam unto the
top of
Peor, that
looketh toward Jeshimon. 29 And
Balaam said unto
Balak, Build me here
seven altars, and
prepare me here
seven bullocks and
seven rams. 30 And
Balak did as
Balaam had
said, and
offered a
bullock and a
ram on every
altar.