24:1 When Balaam saw that it ①pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to ②seek omens, rather he turned his ③attention toward the wilderness.
▷ ①Lit was good in the eyes of ②Lit encounter ③Lit face
24:2 And Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel ①camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
▷ ①Lit dwelling
24:3 Then he took up his discourse and said,
“The declaration of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the declaration of the man whose eye is opened;
24:4 The declaration of him who hears the ①words of God,
Who sees the vision of ②the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,
▷ ①Lit sayings ②Heb Shaddai
24:5 How pleasant are your tents, Jacob,
Your dwelling places, Israel!
24:6 Like ①valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens beside a river,
Like aloes planted by the LORD,
Like cedars beside the waters.
▷ ①Or possibly palm trees
24:7 Water will flow from his buckets,
And his seed will be by many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.
24:8 God brings him out of Egypt,
He is for him like the horns of the wild ox.
He will devour the nations who are his adversaries,
And will crush their bones,
And smash them with his arrows.
24:9 He ①crouches, he lies down like a lion,
And like a lioness, who ②dares to rouse him?
Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you.”
▷ ①Lit bows down ②Lit will
24:10 Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his ①hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times!
▷ ①Lit palms
24:11 So ①flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the LORD has held you back from honor.”
▷ ①Lit flee for yourself
24:12 And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not in fact tell your messengers whom you had sent to me, saying,
24:13 ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the ①command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own ②accord. What the LORD speaks, I will ③speak’?
▷ ①Lit mouth ②Lit heart ③Lit speak it
24:14 So now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you of what this people will do to your people in the ①days to come.”
▷ ①Lit end of the days
24:15 Then he took up his discourse and said,
“The declaration of Balaam the son of Beor,
And the declaration of the man whose eye is opened,
24:16 The declaration of him who hears the ①words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the ②Most High,
Who sees the vision of ③the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered:
▷ ①Lit sayings ②Heb Elyon ③Heb Shaddai
24:17 I see him, but not now;
I look at him, but not near;
A star shall appear from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall smash the ①forehead of Moab,
And overcome all the sons of Sheth.
▷ ①Lit corners
24:18 And Edom shall be a possession,
Seir, its enemies, also will be a possession,
While Israel performs valiantly.
24:19 One from Jacob shall rule,
And will eliminate the survivors from the city.”
24:20 And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said,
“Amalek was the first of the nations,
But his end shall be ①destruction.”
▷ ①Lit to destruction
24:21 And he looked at the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,
“Your dwelling place is enduring,
And your nest is set in the cliff.
24:22 Nevertheless Kain will suffer devastation;
How long will Asshur ①keep you captive?”
▷ ①Lit take
24:23 Then he took up his discourse and said,
“Oh, who can live unless God has ordained it?
24:24 But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim,
And they shall oppress Asshur and oppress Eber;
So they also will come to destruction.”
24:25 Then Balaam arose, and he departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.