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Numbers Chapter 23

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asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM

1 And they journeyed from Oboth, and encamped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is before Moab, toward the sunrising.
2 From thence they journeyed, and encamped in the valley of Zered.
3 From thence they journeyed, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness, that cometh out of the border of the Amorites: for the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.
4 Wherefore it is said in the book of the Wars of Jehovah,
5 Vaheb in Suphah,
6 And the valleys of the Arnon,
7 And the slope of the valleys
8 That inclineth toward the dwelling of Ar,
9 And leaneth upon the border of Moab.
10 And from thence
11 they journeyed to Beer: that is the well whereof Jehovah said unto Moses, Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
12 Then sang Israel this song:
13 Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it:
14 The well, which the princes digged,
15 Which the nobles of the people delved,
16 With the sceptre,
17 and with their staves.
18 And from the wilderness
19 they journeyed to Mattanah;
20 and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;
21 and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the field of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looketh down upon the desert.
22 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,
23 Let me pass through thy land: we will not turn aside into field, or into vineyard; we will not drink of the water of the wells: we will go by the king’s highway, until we have passed thy border.
24 And Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz; and he fought against Israel.
25 And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.
26 And Israel took all these cities: and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all the towns thereof.
27 For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab, and taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon.
28 Wherefore they that speak in proverbs say,
29 Come ye to Heshbon;
30 Let the city of Sihon be built and established:

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
2 And Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam offered up a bullock and a ram on [each] altar.
3 And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go; perhaps Jehovah will come to meet me; and whatever he shews me I will tell thee. And he went to a hill.
4 AndGod met Balaam; and [Balaam] said to him, I have disposed seven altars, and have offered up a bullock and a ram upon [each] altar.
5 And Jehovah put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.
6 And he returned to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt-offering, he, and all the princes of Moab.
7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east: Come, curse me Jacob, and come, denounce Israel!
8 How shall I curse whomGod hath not cursed? or how shall I denounce whom Jehovah doth not denounce?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: Lo, [it is] a people that shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!
11 And Balak said to Balaam, What hast thou done to me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which Jehovah puts in my mouth?
13 And Balak said to him, Come, I pray thee, with me to another place, from whence thou wilt see them; thou shalt see only the extremity of them and shalt not see them all, and curse me them from thence.
14 And he took him to the watchmen's field, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on [each] altar.
15 And [Balaam] said to Balak, Stand here by thy burnt-offering, and I will go to meet yonder.
16 And Jehovah met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.
17 And he came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him; and Balak said to him, What has Jehovah spoken?
18 Then he took up his parable and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear! hearken unto me, son of Zippor!
19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither a son of man, that he should repent. Shall he say and not do? and shall he speak and not make it good?
20 Behold, I have received [mission] to bless; and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen wrong in Israel; Jehovah hisGod is with him, and the shout of a king is in his midst.
22 God brought him out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a buffalo.
23 For there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel. At this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hathGod wrought!
24 Lo, the people will rise up as a lioness, and lift himself up as a lion. He shall not lie down until he have eaten the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.
25 And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
26 And Balaam answered and said to Balak, Did I not tell thee, saying, All that Jehovah shall speak, that will I do?
27 And Balak said to Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee to another place; perhaps it will be right in the sight ofGod that thou curse me them from thence.
28 And Balak brought Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks over the surface of the waste.
29 And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on each altar.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 And Balaam said to Balac, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven calves, and seven rams.
2 And Balac did as Balaam told him; and he offered up a calf and a ram on [every] altar.
3 And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will go and see if God will appear to me and meet me, and the word which he shall shew me, I will report to thee. And Balac stood by his sacrifice.
4 And Balaam went to enquire of God; and he went straight forward, and God appeared to Balaam; and Balaam said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and have offered a calf and a ram on [every] altar.
5 And God put a word into the mouth of Balaam, and said, Thou shalt return to Balac, and thus shalt thou speak.
6 And he returned to him, and moreover he stood over his whole-burnt-offerings, and all the princes of Moab with him; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balac king of Moab sent for me out of Mesopotamia, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and Come, call for a curse for me upon Israel.
8 How can I curse whom the Lord curses not? or how can I devote whom God devotes not?
9 For from the top of the mountains I shall see him, and from the hills I shall observe him: behold, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
10 Who has exactly calculated the seed of Jacob, and who shall number the families of Israel? let my soul die with the souls of the righteous, and let my seed be as their seed.
11 And Balac said to Balaam, What hast thou done to me? I called thee to curse my enemies, and behold thou hast greatly blessed [them].
12 And Balaam said to Balac, Whatsoever the Lord shall put into my mouth, shall I not take heed to speak this?
13 And Balac said to him, Come yet with me to another place where thou shalt not see the people, but only thou shalt see a part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.
14 And he took him to a high place of the field to the top of the quarried [rock], and he built there seven altars, and offered a calf and a ram on [every] altar.
15 And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will go to enquire of God.
16 And God met Balaam, and put a word into his mouth, and said, Return to Balac, and thus shalt thou speak.
17 And he returned to him: and he also was standing by his whole-burnt-sacrifice, and all the princes of Moab with him; and Balac said to him, What has the Lord spoken?
18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balac, and hear; hearken as a witness, thou son of Sepphor.
19 God is not as man to waver, nor as the son of man to be threatened; shall he say and not perform? shall he speak and not keep [to his word]?
20 Behold, I have received [commandment] to bless: I will bless, and not turn back.
21 There shall not be trouble in Jacob, neither shall sorrow be seen in Israel: the Lord his God [is] with him, the glories of rulers [are] in him.
22 It was God who brought him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn.
23 For there is no divination in Jacob, nor enchantment in Israel; in season it shall be told to Jacob and Israel what God shall perform.
24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a lion's whelp, and shall exalt himself as a lion; he shall not lie down till he have eaten the prey, and he shall drink the blood of the slain.
25 And Balac said to Balaam, Neither curse the people at all for me, nor bless them at all.
26 And Balaam answered and said to Balac, Spoke I not to thee, saying, Whatsoever thing God shall speak to me, that will I do?
27 And Balac said to Balaam, Come [and] I will remove thee to another place, if it shall please God, and curse me them from thence.
28 And Balac took Balaam to the top of Phogor, which extends to the wilderness.
29 And Balaam said to Balac, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven calves, and seven rams.
30 And Balac did as Balaam told him, and offered a calf and a ram on [every] altar.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Dixitque Balaam ad Balac: Ædifica mihi hic septem aras, et para totidem vitulos, eiusdemque numeri arietes.
2 Cumque fecisset iuxta sermonem Balaam, imposuerunt simul vitulum et arietem super aram.
3 Dixitque Balaam ad Balac: Sta paulisper iuxta holocaustum tuum, donec vadam, si forte occurrat mihi Dominus, et quodcumque imperaverit, loquar tibi.
4 Cumque abiisset velociter, occurrit illi Deus. Locutusque ad eum Balaam: Septem, inquit, aras erexi, et imposui vitulum et arietem desuper.
5 Dominus autem posuit verbum in ore eius, et ait: Revertere ad Balac, et hæc loqueris.
6 Reversus invenit stantem Balac iuxta holocaustum suum, et omnes principes Moabitarum:
7 assumptaque parabola sua, dixit: De Aram adduxit me Balac rex Moabitarum, de montibus Orientis: Veni, inquit, et maledic Iacob: propera, et detestare Israel.
8 Quo modo maledicam, cui non maledixit Deus? Qua ratione detester, quem Dominus non detestatur?
9 De summis silicibus videbo eum, et de collibus considerabo illum. Populus solus habitabit, et inter gentes non reputabitur.
10 Quis dinumerare possit pulverem Iacob, et nosse numerum stirpis Israel? Moriatur anima mea morte iustorum, et fiant novissima mea horum similia.
11 Dixitque Balac ad Balaam: Quid est hoc quod agis? Ut malediceres inimicis meis vocavi te: et tu econtrario benedicis eis.
12 Cui ille respondit: Num aliud possum loqui, nisi quod iusserit Dominus?
13 Dixit ergo Balac: Veni mecum in alterum locum unde partem Israel videas, et totum videre non possis, inde maledicito ei.
14 Cumque duxisset eum in locum sublimem, super verticem montis Phasga, ædificavit Balaam septem aras, et impositis supra vitulo atque ariete,
15 dixit ad Balac: Sta hic iuxta holocaustum tuum, donec ego obvius pergam.
16 Cui cum Dominus occurrisset, posuissetque verbum in ore eius, ait: Revertere ad Balac, et hæc loqueris ei.
17 Reversus invenit eum stantem iuxta holocaustum suum, et principes Moabitarum cum eo. Ad quem Balac: Quid, inquit, locutus est Dominus?
18 At ille assumpta parabola sua, ait: Sta Balac, et ausculta, audi fili Sephor:
19 Non est Deus quasi homo, ut mentiatur: nec ut filius hominis, ut mutetur. Dixit ergo, et non faciet? locutus est, et non implebit?
20 Ad benedicendum adductus sum, benedictionem prohibere non valeo.
21 Non est idolum in Iacob, nec videtur simulacrum in Israel. Dominus Deus eius cum eo est, et clangor victoriæ regis in illo.
22 Deus eduxit illum de Ægypto, cuius fortitudo similis est rhinocerotis.
23 Non est augurium in Iacob, nec divinatio in Israel. Temporibus suis dicetur Iacob et Israeli quid operatus sit Deus.
24 Ecce populus ut leæna consurget, et quasi leo erigetur: non accubabit donec devoret prædam, et occisorum sanguinem bibat.
25 Dixitque Balac ad Balaam: Nec maledicas ei, nec benedicas.
26 Et ille ait: Nonne dixi tibi quod quidquid mihi Deus imperaret, hoc facerem?
27 Et ait Balac ad eum: Veni, et ducam te ad alium locum: si forte placeat Deo ut inde maledicas eis.
28 Cumque duxisset eum super verticem montis Phogor, qui respicit solitudinem,
29 dixit ei Balaam: Ædifica mihi hic septem aras, et para totidem vitulos, eiusdemque numeri arietes.
30 Fecit Balac ut Balaam dixerat: imposuitque vitulos et arietes per singulas aras.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

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 the LORD 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 The LORD 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 the LORD 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 the LORD 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 The LORD 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 the LORD 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. The LORD 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 the LORD 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.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 And Balaam saith unto Balak, `Build for me in this <FI>place<Fi> seven altars, and make ready for me in this <FI>place<Fi> seven bullocks and seven rams.'
2 And Balak doth as Balaam hath spoken, and Balak--Balaam also--offereth a bullock and a ram on the altar,
3 and Balaam saith to Balak, `Station thyself by thy burnt-offering and I go on, it may be Jehovah doth come to meet me, and the thing which He sheweth me--I have declared to thee;' and he goeth <FI>to<Fi> a high place.
4 And God cometh unto Balaam, and he saith unto Him, `The seven altars I have arranged, and I offer a bullock and a ram on the altar;'
5 and Jehovah putteth a word in the mouth of Balaam, and saith, `Turn back unto Balak, and thus thou dost speak.'
6 And he turneth back unto him, and lo, he is standing by his burnt-offering, he and all the princes of Moab.
7 And he taketh up his simile, and saith: `From Aram he doth lead me--Balak king of Moab; From mountains of the east: Come--curse for me Jacob, And come--be indignant <FI>with<Fi> Israel.
8 What--do I pierce? --God hath not pierced! And what--am I indignant? --Jehovah hath not been indignant!
9 For from the top of rocks I see it, And from heights I behold it; Lo a people! alone it doth tabernacle, And among nations doth not reckon itself.
10 Who hath counted the dust of Jacob, And the number of the fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of upright ones, And let my last end be like his!'
11 And Balak saith unto Balaam, `What hast thou done to me? to pierce mine enemies I have taken thee--and lo, thou hast certainly blessed;'
12 and he answereth and saith, `That which Jehovah doth put in my mouth--it do I not take heed to speak?'
13 And Balak saith unto him, `Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, whence thou dost see it, only its extremity thou dost see, and all of it thou dost not see, and pierce it for me thence;'
14 and he taketh him <FI>to<Fi> the field of Zophim, unto the top of Pisgah, and buildeth seven altars, and offereth a bullock and a ram on the altar.
15 And he saith unto Balak, `Station thyself here by thy burnt-offering, and I--I meet <FI>Him<Fi> there;'
16 and Jehovah cometh unto Balaam, and setteth a word in his mouth, and saith, `Turn back unto Balak, and thus thou dost speak.'
17 And he cometh unto him, and lo, he is standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him, and Balak saith to him: `What hath Jehovah spoken?'
18 And he taketh up his simile, and saith: `Rise, Balak, and hear; Give ear unto me, son of Zippor!
19 God <FI>is<Fi> not a man--and lieth, And a son of man--and repenteth! Hath He said--and doth He not do <FI>it<Fi> ? And spoken--and doth He not confirm it?
20 Lo, to bless I have received: Yea, He blesseth, and I <FI>can<Fi> not reverse it.
21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, Nor hath He seen perverseness in Israel; Jehovah his God <FI>is<Fi> with him, And a shout of a king <FI>is<Fi> in him.
22 God is bringing them out from Egypt, As the swiftness of a Reem is to him;
23 For no enchantment <FI>is<Fi> against Jacob, Nor divination against Israel, At the time it is said of Jacob and Israel, What hath God wrought!
24 Lo, the people as a lioness riseth, And as a lion he lifteth himself up, He lieth not down till he eateth prey, And blood of pierced ones doth drink.'
25 And Balak saith unto Balaam, `Neither pierce it at all, nor bless it at all;'
26 and Balaam answereth and saith unto Balak, `Have I not spoken unto thee, saying, All that Jehovah speaketh--it I do?'
27 And Balak saith unto Balaam, `Come, I pray thee, I take thee unto another place; it may be it is right in the eyes of God--to pierce it for me from thence.'
28 And Balak taketh Balaam to the top of Peor, which is looking on the front of the wilderness,
29 and Balaam saith unto Balak, `Build for me in this <FI>place<Fi> seven altars, and make ready for me in this <FI>place<Fi> seven bullocks and seven rams;'
30 and Balak doth as Balaam said, and he offereth a bullock and a ram on an altar.

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).