« | Numbers 24 | » |
1 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he did not go according to his custom, to seek to use sorcery, but turned his face toward the wilderness.
2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and beheld Israel encamped by their tribes. And the Spirit of God came upon him.
3 And he took up his parable and said, The utterance of Balaam son of Beor, the man whose eyes are truly open says,
4 he who hears the oracle of the Mighty One, who saw a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened:
5 How wonderful [are] your tents, O Jacob, and your dwellings, O Israel!
6 As shady groves, and as gardens by a river, and as tents which God pitched, and as cedars by the waters.
7 There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of God shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased.
8 God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn. He shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy.
9 He lies down, he rests as a lion; and as a young lion, who shall rouse him? Those that bless you are blessed, and those that curse you are cursed.
10 And Balak was angry with Balaam, and clapped his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemy, and behold you have decidedly blessed [him] this third time.
11 Now therefore flee to your place. I said, I will honor you, but now the Lord has deprived you of glory.
12 And Balaam said to Balak, Did I not speak to your messengers also whom you sent to me, saying,
13 If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to transgress the word of the Lord to make it good or bad by myself; whatsoever things God shall say, them will I speak.
14 And now, behold, I return to my place; come, I will advise you of what this people shall do to your people in the last days.
15 And he took up his parable and said, The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, the man whose eyes are truly open,
16 hearing the oracles of God, receiving knowledge from the Most High, and having seen a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened.
17 I will point to Him, but not now; I bless Him, but He draws not near: a Star shall arise out of Jacob, a Man shall spring forth out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and shall spoil all the sons of Seth.
18 And Edom shall be an inheritance, and Esau his enemy shall be an inheritance [of Israel], and Israel does valiantly.
19 And [One] shall arise out of Jacob, and destroy out of the city him that escapes.
20 And having seen Amalek, he took up his parable and said, Amalek [is] the first of the nations; yet his seed shall perish.
21 And having seen the Kenite, he took up his parable and said, Your dwelling place [is] strong; yet though you should put your nest in a rock,
22 and though Beor should have a skillfully contrived hiding place, the Assyrians shall carry you away captive.
23 And he looked upon Og, and took up his parable and said, Alas, who shall live, when God shall do these things?
24 And one shall come forth from the hands of the Cyprians, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict the Hebrews, and they shall perish together.
25 And Balaam rose up and departed and returned to his place, and Balak went to his own home.
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