Numbers 23  Legacy Standard Bible

Yahweh Speaks Through Balaam

23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” ² So Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. ³ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.

⁴ Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.” ⁵ Then Yahweh ^(A)put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.” ⁶ So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. ⁷ Then he took up his ^[a]discourse and said,

¹¹ Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^(I)I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have blessed them repeatedly!” ¹² And he replied, “Must I not be careful to speak ^(J)what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Discourse

¹³ Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, but you will only see the end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴ So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵ And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet Yahweh over there.” ¹⁶ Then Yahweh met Balaam and ^(K)put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” ¹⁷ So he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” ¹⁸ Then he took up his ^[c]discourse and said,

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” ²⁶ But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘^(X)Whatever Yahweh speaks, that I must do’?”

²⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be right in the eyes of God that you curse them for me from there.” ²⁸ So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the ^[e]wasteland. ²⁹ And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” ³⁰ And Balak did just as Balaam had said and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.