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Numbers 23:7-24
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
Numbers 23:7-24
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
7 Balaam took up his [figurative] speech and said: Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse Jacob for me; and come, violently denounce Israel.
8 How can I curse those God has not cursed? Or how can I [violently] denounce those the Lord has not denounced?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see Israel, and from the hills I behold him. Behold, the people [of Israel] shall [a]dwell alone and shall not be reckoned and esteemed among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust (the descendants) of Jacob and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God], and let my last end be like theirs!(A)
11 And Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, and here you have [thoroughly] blessed them instead!
12 And Balaam answered, Must I not be obedient and speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?
13 Balak said to him, Come with me, I implore you, to another place from which you can see them, though you will see only the nearest and not all of them; and curse them for me from there.
14 So he took Balaam into the field of Zophim to the top of [Mount] Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, Stand here by your burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord yonder.
16 And the Lord met Balaam and put a speech in his mouth, and said, Go again to Balak and speak thus.
17 And when he returned to Balak, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord said?
18 Balaam took up his [figurative] discourse and said: Rise up, Balak, and hear; listen [closely] to me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?
20 You see, I have received His command to bless Israel. He has blessed, and I cannot reverse or qualify it.
21 [God] has not beheld iniquity in Jacob [for he is forgiven], neither has He seen mischief or perverseness in Israel [for the same reason]. The Lord their God is with Israel, and the shout of praise to their King is among the people.(B)
22 God brought them forth out of Egypt; they have as it were the strength of a wild ox.
23 Surely there is no enchantment with or against Jacob, neither is there any divination with or against Israel. [In due season and even] now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God wrought!
24 Behold, a people! They rise up as a lioness and lift themselves up as a lion; he shall not lie down until he devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 23:9 The literal fulfillment of this prophecy has been obvious during the more than thirty-four centuries since it was spoken. The Jews have always been separate as a nation from other peoples. Though conquered many times, they have never been absorbed by their conquerors or lost their identity. The prophecy had to become true, for “the Lord put [it]... in Balaam’s mouth” (Num. 23:5).
Numbers 23:7-24
New International Version
Numbers 23:7-24
New International Version
7 Then Balaam(A) spoke his message:(B)
“Balak brought me from Aram,(C)
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.(D)
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’(E)
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?(F)
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?(G)
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.(H)
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.(I)
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob(J)
or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,(K)
and may my final end be like theirs!(L)”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies,(M) but you have done nothing but bless them!”(N)
12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”(O)
Balaam’s Second Message
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place(P) where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp.(Q) And from there, curse them for me.(R)” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah,(S) and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(T)
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth(U) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials.(V) Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Then he spoke his message:(W)
“Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.(X)
19 God is not human,(Y) that he should lie,(Z)
not a human being, that he should change his mind.(AA)
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise(AB) and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;(AC)
he has blessed,(AD) and I cannot change it.(AE)
21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob,(AF)
no misery observed[a] in Israel.(AG)
The Lord their God is with them;(AH)
the shout of the King(AI) is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;(AJ)
they have the strength of a wild ox.(AK)
23 There is no divination against[b] Jacob,
no evil omens(AL) against[c] Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24 The people rise like a lioness;(AM)
they rouse themselves like a lion(AN)
that does not rest till it devours its prey
and drinks the blood(AO) of its victims.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:21 Or He has not looked on Jacob’s offenses / or on the wrongs found
- Numbers 23:23 Or in
- Numbers 23:23 Or in
Numbers 24:3-24
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
Numbers 24:3-24
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
3 And he took up his [figurative] discourse and said: Balaam son of Beor, the man whose eye is opened [at last, to see clearly the purposes and will of God],
4 He [Balaam] who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes open and uncovered, he says:
5 How attractive and considerable are your tents, O Jacob, and your tabernacles, O Israel!
6 As valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the riverside, as [rare spice] of lignaloes which the Lord has planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters.(A)
7 [Israel] shall pour water out of his own buckets [have his own sources of rich blessing and plenty], and his offspring shall dwell by many waters, and his king shall be higher than [a]Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.
8 God brought [Israel] forth out of Egypt; [Israel] has strength like the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his enemies, crushing their bones and piercing them through with his arrows.
9 He couched, he lay down as a lion; and as a lioness, who shall rouse him? Blessed [of God] is he who blesses you [who prays for and contributes to your welfare] and cursed [of God] is he who curses you [who in word, thought, or deed would bring harm upon you].(B)
10 Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have done nothing but bless them these three times.
11 Therefore now go back where you belong and do it in a hurry! I had intended to promote you to great honor, but behold, the Lord has held you back from honor.
12 Balaam said to Balak, Did I not say to your messengers whom you sent to me,
13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the command of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own will, but what the Lord says, that will I speak?
14 And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, I will tell you what this people [Israel] will do to your people [Moab] in the latter days.
15 And he took up his [figurative] discourse, and said: Balaam son of Beor speaks, the man whose eye is opened speaks,
16 He speaks, who heard the words of God and knew the knowledge of the Most High, who saw the vision of the Almighty, falling down, but having his eyes open and uncovered:
17 I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but He is not near. A [b]star (Star) shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter (Scepter) shall rise out of Israel and shall crush all the corners of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth [Moab’s sons of tumult].(C)
18 And Edom shall be [taken as] a possession, [Mount] Seir also shall be dispossessed, who were Israel’s enemies, while Israel does valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob shall one (One) come having dominion and shall destroy the remnant from the city.
20 [Balaam] looked at Amalek and took up his [prophetic] utterance, and said: Amalek is the foremost of the [neighboring] nations, but in his latter end he shall [c]come to destruction.
21 And he looked at the Kenites and took up his [prophetic] utterance, and said: Strong is your dwelling place, and you set your nest in the rock.
22 Nevertheless the Kenites shall be wasted. How long shall Asshur (Assyria) take you away captive?
23 And he took up his [prophetic] speech, and said: Alas, who shall live when God does this and establishes [Assyria]?
24 But ships shall come from Kittim [Cyprus and the greater part of the Mediterranean’s east coast] and shall afflict Assyria and Eber [the Hebrews, certain Arabs, and descendants of Nahor], and he [the victor] also shall come to destruction.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 24:7 “Agag” was the title of the Amalekite kings, and it represents here the kingdom of the Gentiles. The Amalekites at that time were the most powerful of all the desert tribes (Num. 24:20).
- Numbers 24:17 “This imagery in the hieroglyphic language of the East denotes some eminent ruler—primarily David, but secondarily and preeminently the Messiah” (Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausett and David Brown, A Commentary). Notice that the principal time for these events is set in the prophecy for “the latter days” (Num. 24:14). “The prophecy [concerning Moab] was partially, or typically, fulfilled in the time of David (II Sam. 8:2). Moab and Edom represented symbolically the enemies of Christ and His church, and as such will eventually be subdued by the King of kings (see Ps. 60:8)” (Charles J. Ellicott, A Bible Commentary). “The star which the wise men from the East saw, and which led them in the way to the newborn ‘King of the Jews,’ refers clearly to the prophecy of Balaam (Matt. 2:1, 2)” (J.P. Lange, A Commentary).
- Numbers 24:20 After the time of David (who was forced to rescue two of his wives from Amalekite bandits, I Sam. 30:18), the Amalekites are mentioned again only in Hezekiah’s time (I Chron. 4:43), before “they disappear from the field of history... So that the word of God here also stood fast; and the first of the surrounding tribes who impiously sought to measure their strength with the cause and people of God were likewise the first to lose their national existence” (Patrick Fairbairn, ed., The Imperial Bible-dictionary).
Numbers 24:3-24
New International Version
Numbers 24:3-24
New International Version
3 and he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,(A)
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,(B)
who sees a vision from the Almighty,[a](C)
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5 “How beautiful are your tents,(D) Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!
6 “Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,(E)
like aloes(F) planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.(G)
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
8 “God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;(J)
with their arrows they pierce them.(K)
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness(L)—who dares to rouse them?
10 Then Balak’s anger burned(O) against Balaam. He struck his hands together(P) and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies,(Q) but you have blessed them(R) these three times.(S) 11 Now leave at once and go home!(T) I said I would reward you handsomely,(U) but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”
12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,(V) 13 ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord(W)—and I must say only what the Lord says’?(X) 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”(Y)
Balaam’s Fourth Message
15 Then he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words(Z) of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,(AA)
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
17 “I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.(AB)
A star will come out of Jacob;(AC)
a scepter will rise out of Israel.(AD)
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,(AE)
the skulls[b](AF) of[c] all the people of Sheth.[d]
18 Edom(AG) will be conquered;
Seir,(AH) his enemy, will be conquered,(AI)
but Israel(AJ) will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob(AK)
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Balaam’s Fifth Message
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek(AL) and spoke his message:
“Amalek was first among the nations,
but their end will be utter destruction.”(AM)
Balaam’s Sixth Message
21 Then he saw the Kenites(AN) and spoke his message:
“Your dwelling place is secure,(AO)
your nest is set in a rock;
22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur(AP) takes you captive.”
Balaam’s Seventh Message
23 Then he spoke his message:
Footnotes
- Numbers 24:4 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 16
- Numbers 24:17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
- Numbers 24:17 Or possibly Moab, / batter
- Numbers 24:17 Or all the noisy boasters
- Numbers 24:23 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew The people from the islands will gather from the north.
Joshua 3:1
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
Joshua 3:1
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
3 Joshua rose early in the morning and they removed from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the Israelites, and lodged there before passing over.
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Joshua 3:1
New International Version
Joshua 3:1
New International Version
Crossing the Jordan
3 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim(A) and went to the Jordan,(B) where they camped before crossing over.
Joshua 4:19
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
Joshua 4:19
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
19 And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month and encamped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.
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Joshua 4:19
New International Version
Joshua 4:19
New International Version
19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal(A) on the eastern border of Jericho.
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