Numbers Chapter 24
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
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For a fire is gone out of Heshbon,
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A flame from the city of Sihon:
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It hath devoured Ar of Moab,
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The lords of the high places of the Arnon.
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Woe to thee, Moab!
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Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh:
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He hath given his sons as fugitives,
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And his daughters into captivity,
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Unto Sihon king of the Amorites.
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We have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon,
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And we have laid waste even unto Nophah,
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Which
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reacheth unto Medeba.
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Thus Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.
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And Moses sent to spy out Jazer; and they took the towns thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
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And they turned and went up by the way of Bashan: and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei.
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And Jehovah said unto Moses, Fear him not: for I have delivered him into thy hand, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.
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So they smote him, and his sons and all his people, until there was none left him remaining: and they possessed his land.
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And the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho.
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And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.
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And Moab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.
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And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.
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And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.
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Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.
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And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
And Balaam saw that it was good in the sight of Jehovah to bless Israel, and he went not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
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And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling [in tents] according to his tribes; and the Spirit ofGod came upon him.
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And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, and the man of opened eye saith,
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He saith, who heareth the words ofGod, who seeth the vision of the Almighty, who falleth down, and who hath his eyes open:
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How goodly are thy tents, Jacob, and thy tabernacles, Israel!
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Like valleys are they spread forth, like gardens by the river side, Like aloe-trees which Jehovah hath planted, like cedars beside the waters.
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Water shall flow out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in great waters, And his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
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God brought him out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a buffalo. He shall consume the nations his enemies, and break their bones, and with his arrows shall smite [them] in pieces.
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He stooped, he lay down like a lion, and like a lioness: who will stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee.
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Then Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and behold, thou hast altogether blessed [them] these three times!
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And now flee thou to thy place; I said I would very highly honour thee, and behold, Jehovah has kept thee back from honour.
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And Balaam said to Balak, Did I not also speak to thy messengers whom thou sentest to me, saying,
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If Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the commandment of Jehovah to do good or bad out of my heart: what Jehovah shall say, that will I speak?
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And now behold, I go to my people: come, I will admonish thee what this people will do to thy people at the end of days.
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And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor saith, and the man of opened eye saith,
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He saith, who heareth the words ofGod, who knoweth the knowledge of the Most High, Who seeth the vision of the Almighty, who falleth down, and who hath his eyes open:
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I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh: There cometh a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and he shall cut in pieces the corners of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.
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And Edom shall be a possession, and Seir a possession, — they, his enemies; but Israel will do valiantly.
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And one out of Jacob shall have dominion, and will destroy out of the city what remaineth.
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And he saw Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, Amalek is the first of the nations, but his latter end shall be for destruction.
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And he saw the Kenites, and took up his parable, and said, Firm is thy dwelling-place, and thy nest fixed in the rock;
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But the Kenite shall be consumed, until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.
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And he took up his parable, and said, Alas! Who shall live whenGod doeth this?
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And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and afflict Asshur, and afflict Eber, and he also shall be for destruction.
25
And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
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And when Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he did not go according to his custom to meet the omens, but turned his face toward the wilderness.
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And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and sees Israel encamped by their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
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And he took up his parable and said, Balaam son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,
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he says who hears the oracle of the Mighty One, who saw a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened:
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How goodly [are] thy habitations, Jacob, and thy tents, Israel!
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as shady groves, and as gardens by a river, and as tents which God pitched, and as cedars by the waters.
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There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased.
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God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn: he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy.
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He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up? they that bless thee are blessed, and they that curse thee are cursed.
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And Balac was angry with Balaam, and clapped his hands together; and Balac said to Balaam, I called thee to curse my enemy, and behold thou hast decidedly blessed [him] this third time.
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Now therefore flee to thy place: I said, I will honour thee, but now the Lord has deprived thee of glory.
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And Balaam said to Balac, Did I not speak to thy messengers also whom thou sentest to me, saying,
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If Balac should give me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to transgress the word of the Lord to make it good or bad by myself; whatsoever things God shall say, them will I speak.
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And now, behold, I return to my place; come, I will advise thee of what this people shall do to thy people in the last days.
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And he took up his parable and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,
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hearing the oracles of God, receiving knowledge from the Most High, and having seen a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened.
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I will point to him, but not now; I bless him, but he draws not near: a star shall rise out of Jacob, a man shall spring out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and shall spoil all the sons of Seth.
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And Edom shall be an inheritance, and Esau his enemy shall be an inheritance [of Israel], and Israel wrought valiantly.
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And [one] shall arise out of Jacob, and destroy out of the city him that escapes.
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And having seen Amalec, he took up his parable and said, Amalec [is] the first of the nations; yet his seed shall perish.
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And having seen the Kenite, he took up his parable and said, Thy dwelling-place [is] strong; yet though thou shouldest put thy nest in a rock,
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and though Beor should have a skilfully contrived hiding-place, the Assyrians shall carry thee away captive.
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And he looked upon Og, and took up his parable and said, Oh, oh, who shall live, when God shall do these things?
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And one shall come forth from the hands of the Citians, and shall afflict Assur, and shall afflict the Hebrews, and they shall perish together.
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And Balaam rose up and departed and returned to his place, and Balac went to his own home.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
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Cumque vidisset Balaam quod placeret Domino ut benediceret Israeli, nequaquam abiit ut ante perrexerat, ut augurium quæreret: sed dirigens contra desertum vultum suum,
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et elevans oculos, vidit Israel in tentoriis commorantem per tribus suas: et irruente in se spiritu Dei,
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assumpta parabola ait: Dixit Balaam filius Beor: dixit homo, cuius obturatus est oculus:
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dixit auditor sermonum Dei, qui visionem Omnipotentis intuitus est, qui cadit, et sic aperiuntur oculi eius:
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Quam pulchra tabernacula tua Iacob, et tentoria tua Israel!
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ut valles nemorosæ, ut horti iuxta fluvios irrigui, ut tabernacula quæ fixit Dominus, quasi cedri prope aquas.
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Fluet aqua de situla eius, et semen illius erit in aquas multas. Tolletur propter Agag, rex eius, et auferetur regnum illius.
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Deus eduxit illum de Ægypto, cuius fortitudo similis est rhinocerotis. Devorabunt gentes hostes illius, ossaque eorum confringent, et perforabunt sagittis.
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Accubans dormivit ut leo, et quasi leæna, quam suscitare nullus audebit. Qui benedixerit tibi, erit et ipse benedictus: qui maledixerit, in maledictione reputabitur.
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Iratusque Balac contra Balaam, complosis manibus ait: Ad maledicendum inimicis meis vocavi te, quibus econtrario tertio benedixisti:
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revertere ad locum tuum. Decreveram quidem magnifice honorare te, sed Dominus privavit te honore disposito.
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Respondit Balaam ad Balac: Nonne nunciis tuis, quos misisti ad me, dixi:
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Si dederit mihi Balac: plenam domum suam argenti et auri, non potero præterire sermonem Domini Dei mei, ut vel boni quid, vel mali proferam ex corde meo: sed quidquid Dominus dixerit, hoc loquar?
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Verumtamen pergens ad populum meum, dabo consilium, quid populus tuus populo huic faciat extremo tempore.
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Sumpta igitur parabola, rursum ait: Dixit Balaam filius Beor: dixit homo, cuius obturatus est oculus:
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dixit auditor sermonum Dei, qui novit doctrinam Altissimi, et visiones Omnipotentis videt, qui cadens apertos habet oculos.
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Videbo eum, sed non modo: intuebor illum, sed non prope. ORIETUR STELLA ex Iacob, et consurget virga de Israel: et percutiet duces Moab, vastabitque omnes filios Seth.
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Et erit Idumæa possessio eius: hereditas Seir cedet inimicis suis: Israel vero fortiter aget.
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De Iacob erit qui dominetur. et perdat reliquias civitatis.
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Cumque vidisset Amalec, assumens parabolam, ait: Principium Gentium Amalec, cuius extrema perdentur.
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Vidit quoque Cinæum: et assumpta parabola, ait: Robustum quidem est habitaculum tuum: sed si in petra posueris nidum tuum,
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et fueris electus de stirpe Cin, quamdiu poteris permanere? Assur enim capiet te.
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Assumptaque parabola iterum locutus est: Heu, quis victurus est, quando ista faciet Deus?
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Venient in trieribus de Italia, superabunt Assyrios, vastabuntque Hebræos, et ad extremum etiam ipsi peribunt.
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Surrexitque Balaam, et reversus est in locum suum: Balac quoque via, qua venerat, rediit.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
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When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he didn’t go, as at the other times, to use divination, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
2
Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came on him.
3
He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eyes are open says;
4
he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
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How goodly are your tents, Jacob, and your dwellings, Israel!
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As valleys they are spread out, as gardens by the riverside, as aloes which the LORD has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters.
7
Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted.
8
God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall consume the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.
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He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed.”
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Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.
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Therefore, flee to your place, now! I thought to promote you to great honor; but, behold, the LORD has kept you back from honor.”
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Balaam said to Balak, “Didn’t I also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,
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‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can’t go beyond the LORD’s word, to do either good or bad from my own mind. I will say what the LORD says’?
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Now, behold, I go to my people. Come, I will inform you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days.”
15
He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eyes are open says;
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he says, who hears the words of God, knows the knowledge of the Most High, and who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
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I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and crush all the sons of Sheth.
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Edom shall be a possession. Seir, his enemy, also shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly.
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Out of Jacob shall one have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant from the city.”
20
He looked at Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, “Amalek was the first of the nations, but his latter end shall come to destruction.”
21
He looked at the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, “Your dwelling place is strong. Your nest is set in the rock.
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Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur carries you away captive.”
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He took up his parable, and said, “Alas, who shall live when God does this?
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But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim. They shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber. He also shall come to destruction.”
25
Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
And Balaam seeth that <FI>it is<Fi> 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--
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An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God--Who a vision of the Almighty seeth, Falling--and eyes uncovered:
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How good have been thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel;
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As valleys they have been stretched out, As gardens by a river; As aloes Jehovah hath planted, As cedars by waters;
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He maketh water flow from his buckets, And his seed <FI>is<Fi> in many waters; And higher than Agag <FI>is<Fi> 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 <FI>with<Fi> 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 <FI>is<Fi> blessed, And he who is cursing thee <FI>is<Fi> 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;
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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,
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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?
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and, now, lo, I am going to my people; come, I counsel thee <FI>concerning<Fi> 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 <FI>are<Fi> shut--
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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, <FI>for<Fi> its enemies, And Israel is doing valiantly;
19
And <FI>one<Fi> 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 <FI>is<Fi> Amalek; And his latter end--for ever he perisheth.'
21
And he seeth the Kenite, and taketh up his simile, and saith: `Enduring <FI>is<Fi> thy dwelling, And setting in a rock thy nest,
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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 <FI>are<Fi> 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.
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).