Numbers 23–25

1Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”

2So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

3“Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So Balaam went off to a barren height,

4and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”

5Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.”

6So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Moab.

7And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’

8How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?

9For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.

10Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”

11Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”

12But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

13Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”

14So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

15Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”

16And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.”

17So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.

18Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Arise, O Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of Zippor.

19God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

20I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.

21He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them.

22God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox.

23For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’

24Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.”

25Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

26But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”

27“Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.”

28And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.

29Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”

30So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

1And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not seek omens as on previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness.

2When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him,

3and he lifted up an oracle, saying: “This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,

4the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

5How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel!

6They spread out like palm groves, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the LORD has planted, like cedars beside the waters.

7Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will have abundant water. His king will be greater than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.

8God brought him out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox, to devour hostile nations and crush their bones, to pierce them with arrows.

9He crouches, he lies down like a lion, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.”

10Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together and said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times.

11Therefore, flee at once to your home! I said I would reward you richly, but instead the LORD has denied your reward.”

12Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not already tell the messengers you sent me

13that even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD? I must speak whatever the LORD says.

14Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”

15Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying, “This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,

16the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and strike down all the sons of Sheth.

18Edom will become a possession, as will Seir, his enemy; but Israel will perform with valor.

19A ruler will come from Jacob and destroy the survivors of the city.”

20Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Amalek was first among the nations, but his end is destruction.”

21Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle, saying: “Your dwelling place is secure, and your nest is set in a cliff.

22Yet Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.”

23Once more Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Ah, who can live unless God has ordained it?

24Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will perish forever.”

25Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.

1While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab,

2who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods.

3So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.

4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel.”

5So Moses told the judges of Israel, “Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”

6Just then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the whole congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

7On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand,

8followed the Israelite into his tent, and drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and on through the belly of the woman. So the plague against the Israelites was halted,

9but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

10Then the LORD said to Moses,

11“Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites; for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My zeal.

12Declare, therefore, that I am granting him My covenant of peace.

13It will be a covenant of permanent priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”

14The name of the Israelite who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.

15And the name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

16And the LORD said to Moses,

17“Attack the Midianites and strike them dead.

18For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor.”