1. And the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the
plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho.
2. And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to
the Amorites.
3. And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were
many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of
Israel.
4. And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this
company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox
licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of
Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
5. He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to
Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of
his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people
come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the
earth, and they abide over against me:
6. Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for
they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail,
that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the
land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and
he whom thou cursest is cursed.
7. And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed
with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came
unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
8. And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and I will
bring you word again, as the LORD shall speak unto me: and
the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
9. And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with
thee?
10. And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of
Moab, hath sent unto me, saying,
11. Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth
the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure
I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out.
12. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou
shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.
13. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes
of Balak, Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to
give me leave to go with you.
14. And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak,
and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us.
15. And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable
than they.
16. And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak
the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee
from coming unto me:
17. For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will
do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray
thee, curse me this people.
18. And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If
Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I
cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or
more.
19. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night,
that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more.
20. And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the
men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet
the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.
21. And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and
went with the princes of Moab.
22. And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel
of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him.
Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were
with him.
23. And the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way,
and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside
out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote
the ass, to turn her into the way.
24. But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the vineyards,
a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she thrust
herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the
wall: and he smote her again.
26. And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a
narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right
hand or to the left.
27. And when the ass saw the angel of the LORD, she fell down
under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote
the ass with a staff.
28. And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto
Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten
me these three times?
29. And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I
would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill
thee.
30. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which
thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I
ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
31. Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the
angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn
in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on
his face.
32. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou
smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to
withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
33. And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times:
unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain
thee, and saved her alive.
34. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned;
for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now
therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
35. And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men:
but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou
shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
36. And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to
meet him unto a city of Moab, which is in the border of
Arnon, which is in the utmost coast.
37. And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto
thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I
not able indeed to promote thee to honour?
38. And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I
now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God
putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
39. And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto
Kirjathhuzoth.
40. And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to
the princes that were with him.
41. And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam,
and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that thence
he might see the utmost part of the people.
Chapter 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.
Chapter 24
1. And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless
Israel, he went not, as at other times, to seek for
enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
2. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in
his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God
came upon him.
3. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor
hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
4. He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the
vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having
his eyes open:
5. How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O
Israel!
6. As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the
river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath
planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.
7. He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed
shall be in many waters, and his king shall be higher than
Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
8. God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the
strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his
enemies, and shall break their bones, and pierce them
through with his arrows.
9. He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who
shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and
cursed is he that curseth thee.
10. And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote
his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called
thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast
altogether blessed them these three times.
11. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote
thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee
back from honour.
12. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy
messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,
13. If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I
cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either
good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that
will I speak?
14. And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I
will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people
in the latter days.
15. And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor
hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:
16. He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the
knowledge of the most High, which saw the vision of the
Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:
17. I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not
nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre
shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of
Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
18. And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a
possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
19. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and
shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
20. And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and
said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter
end shall be that he perish for ever.
21. And he looked on the Kenites, and took up his parable, and
said, Strong is thy dwellingplace, and thou puttest thy nest
in a rock.
22. Nevertheless the Kenite shall be wasted, until Asshur shall
carry thee away captive.
23. And he took up his parable, and said, Alas, who shall live
when God doeth this!
24. And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall
afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall
perish for ever.
25. And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place: and
Balak also went his way.
