rsv Numbers:23-24 SEEK
Seeker Overlay ON
*
And Balaam said to Balak , "
Build for me here seven altars ,
and provide for me here seven bulls and seven rams ."
*
Balak did as Balaam had said ;
and Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram .
*
And Balaam said to Balak , "
Stand beside your burnt offering ,
and I will go ;
perhaps the LORD will come to meet me ;
and whatever he shows me I will tell you ."
And he went to a bare height .
*
And God met Balaam ;
and Balaam said to him , "
I have prepared the seven altars ,
and I have offered upon each altar a bull and a ram ."
*
And the LORD put a word in Balaam '
s mouth ,
and said , "
Return to Balak ,
and thus you shall speak ."
*
And he returned to him ,
and lo ,
he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering .
*
And Balaam took up his discourse ,
and said , "
From Aram Balak has brought me ,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains : `
Come ,
curse Jacob for me ,
and come ,
denounce Israel !'
*
How can I curse whom God has not cursed ?
How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced ?
*
For from the top of the mountains I see him ,
from the hills I behold him ;
lo ,
a people dwelling alone ,
and not reckoning itself among the nations !
*
Who can count the dust of Jacob ,
or number the fourth part of Israel ?
Let me die the death of the righteous ,
and let my end be like his !"
*
And Balak said to Balaam , "
What have you done to me ?
I took you to curse my enemies ,
and behold ,
you have done nothing but bless them ."
*
And he answered , "
Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth ?"
*
And Balak said to him , "
Come with me to another place ,
from which you may see them ;
you shall see only the nearest of them ,
and shall not see them all ;
then curse them for me from there ."
*
And he took him to the field of Zophim ,
to the top of Pisgah ,
and built seven altars ,
and offered a bull and a ram on each altar .
*
Balaam said to Balak , "
Stand here beside your burnt offering ,
while I meet the LORD yonder ."
*
And the LORD met Balaam ,
and put a word in his mouth ,
and said , "
Return to Balak ,
and thus shall you speak ."
*
And he came to him ,
and ,
lo ,
he was standing beside his burnt offering ,
and the princes of Moab with him .
And Balak said to him , "
What has the LORD spoken ?"
*
And Balaam took up his discourse ,
and said , "
Rise ,
Balak ,
and hear ;
hearken to me ,
O son of Zippor :
*
God is not man ,
that he should lie ,
or a son of man ,
that he should repent .
Has he said ,
and will he not do it ?
Or has he spoken ,
and will he not fulfil it ?
*
Behold ,
I received a command to bless :
he has blessed ,
and I cannot revoke it .
*
He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob ;
nor has he seen trouble in Israel .
The LORD their God is with them ,
and the shout of a king is among them .
*
God brings them out of Egypt ;
they have as it were the horns of the wild ox .
*
For there is no enchantment against Jacob ,
no divination against Israel ;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel , `
What has God wrought !'
*
Behold ,
a people !
As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself ;
it does not lie down till it devours the prey ,
and drinks the blood of the slain ."
*
And Balak said to Balaam , "
Neither curse them at all ,
nor bless them at all ."
*
But Balaam answered Balak , "
Did I not tell you , `
All that the LORD says ,
that I must do '?"
*
And Balak said to Balaam , "
Come now ,
I will take you to another place ;
perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there ."
*
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Pe '
or ,
that overlooks the desert .
*
And Balaam said to Balak , "
Build for me here seven altars ,
and provide for me here seven bulls and seven rams ."
*
And Balak did as Balaam had said ,
and offered a bull and a ram on each altar .
*
When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel ,
he did not go ,
as at other times ,
to look for omens ,
but set his face toward the wilderness .
*
And Balaam lifted up his eyes ,
and saw Israel encamping tribe by tribe .
And the Spirit of God came upon him ,
*
and he took up his discourse ,
and said , "
The oracle of Balaam the son of Be '
or ,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened ,
*
the oracle of him who hears the words of God ,
who sees the vision of the Almighty ,
falling down ,
but having his eyes uncovered :
*
how fair are your tents ,
O Jacob ,
your encampments ,
O Israel !
*
Like valleys that stretch afar ,
like gardens beside a river ,
like aloes that the LORD has planted ,
like cedar trees beside the waters .
*
Water shall flow from his buckets ,
and his seed shall be in many waters ,
his king shall be higher than Agag ,
and his kingdom shall be exalted .
*
God brings him out of Egypt ;
he has as it were the horns of the wild ox ,
he shall eat up the nations his adversaries ,
and shall break their bones in pieces ,
and pierce them through with his arrows .
*
He couched ,
he lay down like a lion ,
and like a lioness ;
who will rouse him up ?
Blessed be every one who blesses you ,
and cursed be every one who curses you ."
*
And Balak '
s anger was kindled against Balaam ,
and he struck his hands together ;
and Balak said to Balaam , "
I called you to curse my enemies ,
and behold ,
you have blessed them these three times .
*
Therefore now flee to your place ;
I said , `
I will certainly honor you ,'
but the LORD has held you back from honor ."
*
And Balaam said to Balak , "
Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me ,
* `
If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold ,
I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD ,
to do either good or bad of my own will ;
what the LORD speaks ,
that will I speak '?
*
And now ,
behold ,
I am going to my people ;
come ,
I will let you know what this people will do to your people in the latter days ."
*
And he took up his discourse ,
and said , "
The oracle of Balaam the son of Be '
or ,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened ,
*
the oracle of him who hears the words of God ,
and knows the knowledge of the Most High ,
who sees the vision of the Almighty ,
falling down ,
but having his eyes uncovered :
*
I see him ,
but not now ;
I behold him ,
but not nigh :
a star shall come forth out of Jacob ,
and a scepter shall rise out of Israel ;
it shall crush the forehead of Moab ,
and break down all the sons of Sheth .
*
Edom shall be dispossessed ,
Se '
ir also ,
his enemies ,
shall be dispossessed ,
while Israel does valiantly .
*
By Jacob shall dominion be exercised ,
and the survivors of cities be destroyed !"
*
Then he looked on Am '
alek ,
and took up his discourse ,
and said , "
Am '
alek was the first of the nations ,
but in the end he shall come to destruction ."
*
And he looked on the Ken '
ite ,
and took up his discourse ,
and said , "
Enduring is your dwelling place ,
and your nest is set in the rock ;
*
nevertheless Kain shall be wasted .
How long shall Asshur take you away captive ?"
*
And he took up his discourse ,
and said , "
Alas ,
who shall live when God does this ?
*
But ships shall come from Kittim and shall afflict Asshur and Eber ;
and he also shall come to destruction ."
*
Then Balaam rose ,
and went back to his place ;
and Balak also went his way .
*
While Israel dwelt in Shittim the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab .