Joshua 24:10
New International Version
But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.

New Living Translation
but I would not listen to him. Instead, I made Balaam bless you, and so I rescued you from Balak.

English Standard Version
but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand.

Berean Standard Bible
but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.

King James Bible
But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

New King James Version
But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he continued to bless you. So I delivered you out of his hand.

New American Standard Bible
But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I saved you from his hand.

NASB 1995
‘But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand.

NASB 1977
‘But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand.

Legacy Standard Bible
But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he blessed you repeatedly, and I delivered you from his hand.

Amplified Bible
But I would not listen to Balaam. Therefore he had to bless you, so I saved you from Balak’s hand.

Christian Standard Bible
but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I rescued you from him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I delivered you from his hand.”

American Standard Version
but I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

Contemporary English Version
But I wouldn't listen to Balaam, and I rescued you by making him bless you instead of curse you.

English Revised Version
but I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But I refused to listen to Balaam. All he could do was bless you. So I saved you from his power.

Good News Translation
But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you, and in this way I rescued you from Balak.

International Standard Version
But I wasn't willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his control.

Majority Standard Bible
but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand.

NET Bible
I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept prophesying good things about you, and I rescued you from his power.

New Heart English Bible
but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you still. So I delivered you out of his hand.

Webster's Bible Translation
But I would not hearken to Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

World English Bible
but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you still. So I delivered you out of his hand.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and I have not been willing to listen to Balaam, and he greatly blesses you, and I deliver you out of his hand.

Young's Literal Translation
and I have not been willing to hearken to Balaam, and he doth greatly bless you, and I deliver you out of his hand.

Smith's Literal Translation
And I was not disposed to hear to Balaam and blessing, he will bless you; and I will deliver you from his hand.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And I would not hear him, but on the contrary I blessed you by him, and I delivered you out of his hand.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And I was not willing to listen to him, but on the contrary, I blessed you through him, and I freed you from his hand.

New American Bible
but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his power.

New Revised Standard Version
but I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you; so I rescued you out of his hand.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But I would not hearken to Balaam; therefore he blessed you still; so I delivered you from his hands.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And I was not willing to listen to Belaam, and blessing I blessed you, and I saved you from his hands
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he even blessed you; so I delivered you out of his hand.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But the Lord thy God would not destroy thee; and he greatly blessed us, and rescued us out of their hands, and delivered them to us.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Joshua Reviews Israel's History
9Then Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you, 10but I would not listen to Balaam. So he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you from his hand. 11After this, you crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The people of Jericho fought against you, as did the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I delivered them into your hand.…

Cross References
Numbers 22:12
But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”

Numbers 23:8
How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?

Numbers 23:20
I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.

Numbers 24:9
He crouches, he lies down like a lion, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.”

Deuteronomy 23:5
Yet the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam, and the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loves you.

Nehemiah 13:2
because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).

Psalm 109:28
Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.

Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

Micah 6:5
My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”

Romans 8:31
What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Romans 8:33-34
Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. / Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

2 Corinthians 12:9
But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

Galatians 3:13
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”

Ephesians 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.


Treasury of Scripture

But I would not listen to Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

Numbers 22:11,12,18-20,35
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…

Numbers 23:3-12,15-26
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…

Numbers 24:5-10
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! …

Jump to Previous
Balaam Bless Blessed Blessing Deliver Delivered Ear Expressly Hand Hearken Kept Safe Willing
Jump to Next
Balaam Bless Blessed Blessing Deliver Delivered Ear Expressly Hand Hearken Kept Safe Willing
Joshua 24
1. Joshua assembles the tribes at Shechem
2. A brief history of God's benefits from Terah
14. He renews the covenant between them and God
26. A stone the witness of the covenant
29. Joshua's age, death, and burial
32. Joseph's bones are buried
33. Eleazar dies














but I would not listen to Balaam
In this phrase, the emphasis is on God's sovereignty and His protective nature over Israel. The Hebrew root for "listen" is "שָׁמַע" (shama), which means to hear or obey. God is asserting His authority by choosing not to heed Balaam's intentions. Historically, Balaam was a prophet hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to curse Israel (Numbers 22-24). However, God intervened, demonstrating His control over the situation. This highlights the theme of divine intervention and protection, reminding believers that God’s plans cannot be thwarted by human schemes.

so he blessed you again and again
The repetition of blessings underscores the abundance and persistence of God's favor towards Israel. The Hebrew word for "bless" is "בָּרַךְ" (barak), which conveys the idea of bestowing favor or prosperity. Despite Balaam's original intent to curse, God transformed the situation into one of repeated blessings. This serves as a powerful reminder of Romans 8:28, where God works all things for the good of those who love Him. It inspires believers to trust in God's ability to turn adversities into blessings.

and I delivered you from his hand
The phrase "I delivered" is rooted in the Hebrew "נָצַל" (natsal), meaning to snatch away or rescue. This reflects God's active role in the salvation and preservation of His people. The historical context here is crucial; Israel was vulnerable to the curses of Balaam, yet God intervened decisively. This deliverance is a foreshadowing of the ultimate deliverance through Christ, emphasizing God's faithfulness and power to save. It encourages believers to rely on God's deliverance in times of trouble, reinforcing the assurance of His protection and care.

Verse 10. - But I would not. The Hebrew shows that this is not simply the conditional form of the verb, but that it means I willed not. It was God's "determinate purpose" that Israel should not be accursed. Blessed yon still. Rather, perhaps, blessed you emphatically. And I delivered you out of his hand. Both here and in the narrative in Numbers 22-30, it is implied that Balaam's curse had power if he were permitted by God to pronounce it. Wicked as be was, he was regarded as a prophet of the Lord. There is not the slightest shadow of difference between the view of Balaam presented to us in this short paragraph and that in which he appears to us in the more expanded narrative of Moses.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
but I would
אָבִ֖יתִי (’ā·ḇî·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 14: To breathe after, to be acquiescent

not
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

listen
לִשְׁמֹ֣עַ (liš·mō·a‘)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

to Balaam.
לְבִלְעָ֑ם (lə·ḇil·‘ām)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1109: Balaam -- a prophet

So he blessed you
וַיְבָ֤רֶךְ (way·ḇā·reḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse

again and again,
בָּרוֹךְ֙ (bā·rō·wḵ)
Verb - Piel - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 1288: To kneel, to bless God, man, to curse

and I delivered
וָאַצִּ֥ל (wā·’aṣ·ṣil)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5337: To strip, plunder, deliver oneself, be delivered, snatch away, deliver

you
אֶתְכֶ֖ם (’eṯ·ḵem)
Direct object marker | second person masculine plural
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

from his hand.
מִיָּדֽוֹ׃ (mî·yā·ḏōw)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3027: A hand


Links
Joshua 24:10 NIV
Joshua 24:10 NLT
Joshua 24:10 ESV
Joshua 24:10 NASB
Joshua 24:10 KJV

Joshua 24:10 BibleApps.com
Joshua 24:10 Biblia Paralela
Joshua 24:10 Chinese Bible
Joshua 24:10 French Bible
Joshua 24:10 Catholic Bible

OT History: Joshua 24:10 But I would not listen to Balaam (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 24:9
Top of Page
Top of Page