Nombres 24

¹ And Balaam seeth that [it is] good in the eyes of Jehovah to bless Israel, and he hath not gone as time by time to meet enchantments, and he setteth towards the wilderness his face ;

² and Balaam lifteth up his eyes, and seeth Israel tabernacling, by its tribes, and the Spirit of God is upon him,

³ and he taketh up his simile, and saith : 'An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor — And an affirmation of the man whose eyes are shut —

⁴ An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God — Who a vision of the Almighty seeth, Falling — and eyes uncovered :

⁵ How good have been thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel ;

⁶ As valleys they have been stretched out, As gardens by a river ; As aloes Jehovah hath planted, As cedars by waters ;

⁷ He maketh water flow from his buckets, And his seed [is] in many waters ; And higher than Agag [is] his king, And exalted is his kingdom.

⁸ God is bringing him out of Egypt ; As the swiftness of a Reem is to him, He eateth up nations his adversaries, And their bones he breaketh, And [with] his arrows he smiteth,

⁹ He hath bent, he hath lain down as a lion, And as a lioness : who doth raise him up ? He who is blessing thee [is] blessed, And he who is cursing thee [is] cursed.'

¹⁰ And the anger of Balak burneth against Balaam, and he striketh his hands ; and Balak saith unto Balaam, 'To pierce mine enemies I called thee, and lo, thou hast certainly blessed — these three times ;

¹¹ and now, flee for thyself unto thy place ; I have said, I do greatly honour thee, and lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honour.'

¹² And Balaam saith unto Balak, 'Did I not also unto thy messengers whom thou hast sent unto me, speak, saying,

¹³ If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah, to do good or evil of mine own heart — that which Jehovah speaketh — it I speak ?

¹⁴ and, now, lo, I am going to my people ; come, I counsel thee [concerning] that which this people doth to thy people, in the latter end of the days.'

¹⁵ And he taketh up his simile, and saith : 'An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor — And an affirmation of the man whose eyes [are] shut —

¹⁶ An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God — And knowing knowledge of the Most High ; A vision of the Almighty he seeth, Falling — and eyes uncovered :

¹⁷ I see it, but not now ; I behold it, but not near ; A star hath proceeded from Jacob, And a sceptre hath risen from Israel, And hath smitten corners of Moab, And hath destroyed all sons of Sheth.

¹⁸ And Edom hath been a possession, And Seir hath been a possession, [for] its enemies, And Israel is doing valiantly ;

¹⁹ And [one] doth rule out of Jacob, And hath destroyed a remnant from Ar.'

²⁰ And he seeth Amalek, and taketh up his simile, and saith : 'A beginning of the Goyim [is] Amalek ; And his latter end — for ever he perisheth.'

²¹ And he seeth the Kenite, and taketh up his simile, and saith : 'Enduring [is] thy dwelling, And setting in a rock thy nest,

²² But the Kenite is for a burning ; Till when doth Asshur keep thee captive ?'

²³ And he taketh up his simile, and saith : 'Alas ! who doth live when God doth this ?

²⁴ And — ships [are] from the side of Chittim, And they have humbled Asshur, And they have humbled Eber, And it also for ever is perishing.'

²⁵ And Balaam riseth, and goeth, and turneth back to his place, and Balak also hath gone on his way.