Numbers 24

¹ Balaam, however, perceiving that the LORD was pleased to bless Israel, did not go aside as before to seek omens, but turned his gaze toward the desert.

² When he raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him,

³ and he gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true,

⁴ The utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, Of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured, and with eyes unveiled:

⁵ How goodly are your tents, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel!

⁶ They are like gardens beside a stream, like the cedars planted by the LORD.

⁷ His wells shall yield free-flowing waters, he shall have the sea within reach; His king shall rise higher than. . . . and his royalty shall be exalted.

⁸ It is God who brought him out of Egypt, a wild bull of towering might. He shall devour the nations like grass, their bones he shall strip bare.

⁹ He lies crouching like a lion, or like a lioness; who shall arouse him? Blessed is he who blesses you, and cursed is he who curses you!

¹⁰ Balak beat his palms together in a blaze of anger at Balaam and said to him, "It was to curse my foes that I summoned you here; yet three times now you have even blessed them instead!

¹¹ Be off at once, then, to your home. I promised to reward you richly, but the LORD has withheld the reward from you!"

¹² Balaam replied to Balak, "Did I not warn the very messengers whom you sent to me,

¹³ 'Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I could not of my own accord to anything, good or evil, contrary to the command of the LORD'? Whatever the LORD says I must repeat.

¹⁴ "But now that I am about to go to my own people, let me first warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come."

¹⁵ Then Balaam gave voice to his oracle: The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor, the utterance of the man whose eye is true,

¹⁶ The utterance of one who hears what God says, and knows what the Most High knows, Of one who sees what the Almighty sees, enraptured and with eyes unveiled.

¹⁷ I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel, That shall smite the brows of Moab, and the skulls of all the Shuthites,

¹⁸ Till Edom is dispossessed, and no fugitive is left in Seir. Israel shall do valiantly,

¹⁹ and Jacob shall overcome his foes.

²⁰ Upon seeing Amalek, Balaam gave voice to his oracle: First of the peoples was Amalek, but his end is to perish forever.

²¹ Upon seeing the Kenites, he gave voice to his oracle: Your abode is enduring, O smith, and your nest is set on a cliff;

²² Yet destined for burning-- even as I watch--are your inhabitants.

²³ Upon seeing. . . . he gave voice to his oracle: Alas, who shall survive of Ishmael,

²⁴ to deliver his people from the hands of the Kittim? When they have conquered Asshur and conquered Eber, He too shall perish forever.

²⁵ Then Balaam set out on his journey home; and Balak also went his way.