en_cjb - Num 23 - Ozzuu Bible

¹ Bil‘am said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams here.”

² Balak did as Bil‘am said; then Balak and Bil‘am offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

³ Bil‘am said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering while I go off; maybe ADONAI will come and meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” He went off to a bare hill.

⁴ God met Bil‘am, who said to him, “I prepared the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.”

⁵ Then ADONAI put a word in Bil‘am’s mouth and said, “Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you.”

⁶ He went back to him, and there, standing by his burnt offering, he with all the princes of Mo’av,

⁷ he made his pronouncement: “Balak, the king of Mo’av, brings me from Aram, from the eastern hills, saying, ‘Come, curse Ya‘akov for me; come and denounce Isra’el.’

⁸ “How am I to curse those whom God has not cursed? How am I to denounce those whom ADONAI has not denounced?

⁹ “From the top of the rocks I see them, from the hills I behold them — yes, a people that will dwell alone and not think itself one of the nations.

¹⁰ “Who has counted the dust of Ya‘akov or numbered the ashes of Isra’el? May I die as the righteous die! May my end be like theirs!”

¹¹ Balak said to Bil‘am, “What have you done to me?! To curse my enemies is why I brought you; and, here, you have totally blessed them!”

¹² He answered, “Mustn’t I take care to say just what ADONAI puts in my mouth?”

¹³ [12] (LY: v) Balak said to him, “All right, come with me to another place where you can see them. You will see only some of them, not all; but you can curse them for me from there.”

¹⁴ He took him through the field of Tzofim to the top of the Pisgah Range, built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹⁵ Bil‘am said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go over there for a meeting.”

¹⁶ ADONAI met Bil‘am, put a word in his mouth and said, “Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you.”

¹⁷ He came to him and stood by his burnt offering, with all the princes of Mo’av. Balak asked him, “What did ADONAI say?”

¹⁸ Then Bil‘am made his pronouncement: “Get up, Balak, and listen! Turn your ears to me, son of Tzippor!

¹⁹ “God is not a human who lies or a mortal who changes his mind. When he says something, he will do it; when he makes a promise, he will fulfill it.

²⁰ Look, I am ordered to bless; when he blesses, I can’t reverse it.

²¹ “No one has seen guilt in Ya‘akov, or perceived perversity in Isra’el; ADONAI their God is with them and acclaimed as king among them.

²² “God, who brought them out of Egypt, gives them the strength of a wild ox;

²³ thus one can’t put a spell on Ya‘akov, no magic will work against Isra’el. It can now be said of Ya‘akov and Isra’el, ‘What is this that God has done?!’

²⁴ “Here is a people rising up like a lioness; like a lion he rears himself up — he will not lie down till he eats up the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.”

²⁵ Balak said to Bil‘am, “Obviously, you won’t curse them. But at least don’t bless them!”

²⁶ However, Bil‘am answered Balak, “Didn’t I warn you that I must do everything ADONAI says?”

²⁷ [26] (RY: vii, LY: vi) Balak said to Bil‘am, “Come, I will take you now to another place; maybe it will please God for you to curse them for me from there.”

²⁸ Balak took Bil‘am to the top of P‘or, overlooking the desert.

²⁹ Bil‘am said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams.”

³⁰ Balak did as Bil‘am said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.