| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.” | 1Then Balaam said to King Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.” |
| 2So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. | 2Balak followed his instructions, and the two of them sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar. |
| 3“Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So Balaam went off to a barren height, | 3Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offerings, and I will go to see if the LORD will respond to me. Then I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So Balaam went alone to the top of a bare hill, |
| 4and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.” | 4and God met him there. Balaam said to him, “I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar.” |
| 5Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.” | 5The LORD gave Balaam a message for King Balak. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.” |
| 6So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Moab. | 6So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. |
| 7And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’ | 7This was the message Balaam delivered: “Balak summoned me to come from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me! Come and announce Israel’s doom.’ |
| 8How can I curse what God has not cursed? How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced? | 8But how can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I condemn those whom the LORD has not condemned? |
| 9For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations. | 9I see them from the cliff tops; I watch them from the hills. I see a people who live by themselves, set apart from other nations. |
| 10Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!” | 10Who can count Jacob’s descendants, as numerous as dust? Who can count even a fourth of Israel’s people? Let me die like the righteous; let my life end like theirs.” |
| 11Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!” | 11Then King Balak demanded of Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies. Instead, you have blessed them!” |
| 12But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?” | 12But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the LORD puts in my mouth.” Balaam’s Second Message |
| 13Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.” | 13Then King Balak told him, “Come with me to another place. There you will see another part of the nation of Israel, but not all of them. Curse at least that many!” |
| 14So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. | 14So Balak took Balaam to the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak. He built seven altars there and offered a young bull and a ram on each altar. |
| 15Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.” | 15Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here by your burnt offerings while I go over there to meet the LORD.” |
| 16And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.” | 16And the LORD met Balaam and gave him a message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.” |
| 17So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked. | 17So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked eagerly. |
| 18Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Arise, O Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of Zippor. | 18This was the message Balaam delivered: “Rise up, Balak, and listen! Hear me, son of Zippor. |
| 19God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill? | 19God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? |
| 20I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it. | 20Listen, I received a command to bless; God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it! |
| 21He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them. | 21No misfortune is in his plan for Jacob; no trouble is in store for Israel. For the LORD their God is with them; he has been proclaimed their king. |
| 22God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox. | 22God brought them out of Egypt; for them he is as strong as a wild ox. |
| 23For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’ | 23No curse can touch Jacob; no magic has any power against Israel. For now it will be said of Jacob, ‘What wonders God has done for Israel!’ |
| 24Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.” | 24These people rise up like a lioness, like a majestic lion rousing itself. They refuse to rest until they have feasted on prey, drinking the blood of the slaughtered!” |
| 25Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!” | 25Then Balak said to Balaam, “Fine, but if you won’t curse them, at least don’t bless them!” |
| 26But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?” | 26But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can do only what the LORD tells me?” Balaam’s Third Message |
| 27“Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.” | 27Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come, I will take you to one more place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there.” |
| 28And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland. | 28So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the wasteland. |
| 29Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.” | 29Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.” |
| 30So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. | 30So Balak did as Balaam ordered and offered a young bull and a ram on each altar. |
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