1 Balaam said to Balak, "Build here seven altars for me, and prepare here seven bulls and seven rams for me."
2 Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bull and a ram. 3 Balaam said to Balak, "Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you."
He went to a bare height. 4 God met Balaam, and he said to him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar."
5 Yahweh put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, "Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak."
6 He returned to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, he, and all the princes of Moab. 7 He took up his parable, and said,
"From Aram has Balak brought me,
the king of Moab from the mountains of the East.
Come, curse Jacob for me.
Come, defy Israel.
8 How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
How shall I defy whom Yahweh has not defied?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him.
From the hills I see him.
Behold, it is a people that dwells alone,
and shall not be listed among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob,
or count the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous!
Let my last end be like his!"
11 Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them altogether."
12 He answered and said, "Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh puts in my mouth?"
13 Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place, where you may see them. You shall see just part of them, and shall not see them all. Curse them from there for me."
14 He took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar. 15 He said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet God over there."
16 Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, "Return to Balak, and say this."
17 He came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, "What has Yahweh spoken?"
18 He took up his parable, and said,
"Rise up, Balak, and hear!
Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should repent.
Has he said, and he won’t do it?
Or has he spoken, and he won’t make it good?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless.
He has blessed, and I can’t reverse it.
21 He has not seen iniquity in Jacob.
Neither has he seen perverseness in Israel.
Yahweh his God is with him.
The shout of a king is among them.
22 God brings them out of Egypt.
He has as it were the strength of the wild ox.
23 Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob;
Neither is there any divination with Israel.
Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel,
‘What has God done!’
24 Behold, a people rises up as a lioness.
As a lion he lifts himself up.
He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey,
and drinks the blood of the slain."
25 Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all."
26 But Balaam answered Balak, "Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘All that Yahweh speaks, that I must do?’"
27 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."
28 Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks down on the desert. 29 Balaam said to Balak, "Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here."
30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.
1 巴兰对巴勒说： "你要在这里给我筑七座祭坛， 给我预备七头公牛， 七只公绵羊。"
2 巴勒照着巴兰吩咐的行了； 巴勒和巴兰在每座祭坛上献一头公牛和一只公绵羊。
3 巴兰对巴勒说： "你要站在你的燔祭旁边， 我要往前去， 或者耶和华会来迎见我； 他指示我什么， 我必告诉你。"于是巴兰上了一块高地。
4 神迎见巴兰； 巴兰对 神说： "我已经预备了七座祭坛， 在各座祭坛上献了一头公牛和一只公绵羊。"
5 耶和华把话传给巴兰， 又说： "你要回到巴勒那里去， 要这样这样说。"
6 他就回到巴勒那里， 见他和摩押所有的领袖都站在燔祭旁边。
7 巴兰就作歌， 说： "巴勒把我从亚兰领出来， 摩押王引我出东山， 说： ‘来吧， 为我咒骂雅各， 来啊， 咒骂以色列。’
8 神没有咒诅的， 我怎能咒诅呢？耶和华没有咒骂的， 我怎能咒骂呢？
9 我从高峰观看他们， 从山上眺望他们； 这是独居的民族， 不列在万国之中。
10 谁能数算雅各的灰尘？谁能计算以色列的四分之一呢？愿我的死像正直人的死， 愿我之终如正直人之终。"
11 巴勒对巴兰说： "你向我作的是什么事呢？我领你来咒诅我的仇敌， 你反倒给他们祝福。"
12 巴兰回答， 说： "耶和华传给我的话， 我怎能不谨慎说呢？"
13 巴勒对巴兰说： "请你与我到另一个地方去， 从那里你可以看见他们； 不过你不能看见他们全部， 只能看见他们边界的一部分； 在那里你要为我咒诅他们。"
14 于是巴勒带巴兰到了琐腓田， 上了毗斯迦山顶， 筑了七座祭坛， 在每座祭坛上献了一头公牛和一只公绵羊。
15 巴兰对巴勒说： "你要在这里站在你的燔祭旁边， 等我到那边去迎见耶和华。"
16 耶和华见了巴兰， 把话传给他， 说： "你回到巴勒那里去， 要这样这样说。"
17 巴兰回到巴勒那里， 见他站在自己的燔祭旁边， 摩押的领袖也与他在那里。巴勒问巴兰： "耶和华说了什么话呢？"
18 巴兰作歌， 说： "巴勒啊， 要起来听； 西拨的儿子啊， 侧耳听我。
19 神不是人， 必不致说谎， 也不是人子， 必不致后悔。他说话， 怎能不作？他发言， 怎能不作成？
20 我奉命来祝福； 神要赐福， 我不能改变。
21 在雅各中不见罪孽， 在以色列中也不见患难； 耶和华他们的 神与他们同在， 有君王欢呼的声音在他们中间。
22 领他们出埃及的 神， 对他们有如野牛的角。
23 在雅各中没有观兆的， 在以色列中也没有占卜； 到了适当的时候， 必有话对雅各和以色列说： ‘ 神为他们行了何等的大事！ ’
24 这民族起来有如母狮， 挺身好像公狮； 不吃下猎物， 不喝被杀的人的血， 决不卧下。"
25 巴勒对巴兰说： "你一点不要咒诅他们， 也不要祝福他们。"
26 巴兰回答巴勒说： "我不是告诉过你说： ‘耶和华吩咐我的， 我都必要遵行’吗？"
27 巴勒对巴兰说： "你来， 我领你到另一个地方去， 或者 神喜欢你， 你就可以在那里为我咒诅他们。"
28 于是， 巴勒领巴兰到了俯视旷野的毗珥山顶去。
29 巴兰对巴勒说： "你要在这里给我筑七座祭坛， 也要为我预备七头公牛和七只公绵羊。"
30 巴勒就照着巴兰所说的行了， 在每座祭坛上， 献上一头公牛和一只公绵羊。