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23 <1> Balaam said, "Build seven altars[209] here. And prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." <2> Balak did what that Balaam asked. Then Balak and Balaam killed a ram and a bull on each of the altars.
<3> Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here near this altar. I will go to another place. Then the Lord will come to me, and he will tell me what I must say." Then Balaam went away to a higher place.
<4> God came to Balaam at that place, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars. And I have killed a bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar."
<5> Then the Lord told Balaam what he should say. Then the Lord said, "Go back to Balak and say the things that I have given you to say."
<6> So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak was still standing near the altar, and all the leaders of Moab were standing there with them. <7> Then Balaam said this:
Balak, the king of Moab, brought me here
from the eastern mountains of Aram.
Balak said to me,
"Come, curse Jacob[210] for me.
Come, speak against the Israelites."
<8> But God is not against them,
so I cannot speak against them either!
The Lord has not asked for bad things to happen to these people.
So I cannot do that either.
<9> I see these people from the mountain.
I see them from the high hills.
They live alone.
They are not part of another nation.
<10> Who can count Jacob's people?
They are as many as the grains of dust.
No one can count even a fourth of the Israelites.
Let me die like a good man.
Let my life end as happy as theirs!
<11> Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them!"
<12> But Balaam answered, "I must say the things that the Lord tells me to say."
<13> Then Balak said to him, "So come with me to another place. At that place you can see more of these people. You cannot see all of them-you can only see part of them. Maybe from that place you can curse them for me." <14> So Balak led Balaam to Watchmen Hills.[211] This was on top of Mount Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars and killed a bull and a ram on each altar as a sacrifice.
<15> Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here by this altar while I will go meet with God over there."
<16> So the Lord came to Balaam and told Balaam what to say. Then he told Balaam to go back to Balak and say these things. <17> So Balaam went to Balak. Balak was still standing near the altar. The leaders of Moab were there with him. Balak saw Balaam coming and said, "What did the Lord say?"
<18> Then Balaam said this:
"Stand up, Balak, and listen to me.
Hear me, Balak son of Zippor.
<19> God is not a man;
he will not lie.
God is not a human being;
his decisions will not change.
If he says he will do something,
then he will do it.
If he makes a promise,
then he will do what he promised.
<20> He told me to bless them.
He blessed them, so I cannot change that.
<21> God saw no wrong in Jacob's people.
He saw no sin in the Israelites.
The Lord is their God,
and he is with them.
The Great King is with them!
<22> God brought them out of Egypt.
They are as strong as a wild ox.
<23> There is no power that can defeat
the people of Jacob.
There is no magic that can stop the Israelites.
People will say this about Jacob and the Israelites:
'Look at the great things God did!'[212]
<24> The people are as strong as lions,
and they fight like lions.
And a lion will not rest until it eats what it has caught,
until it drinks the blood of what it has killed."
<25> Then Balak said to Balaam, "You didn't ask for good things to happen to these people, but you didn't ask for bad things to happen to them either!"
<26> Balaam answered, "I told you before that I can only say what the Lord tells me to say."
<27> Then Balak said to Balaam, "So come with me to another place. Maybe God will be pleased and will allow you to curse them from that place." <28> So Balak led Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks out over the desert.
<29> Balaam said, "Build seven altars[213] here. Then prepare seven bulls and seven rams for the altars." <30> Balak did what Balaam asked. Balak offered the bulls and rams on the altars.
© Copyright 2004 World Bible Translation Center.