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Numbers 24
New Catholic Bible
Numbers 24
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 24
1 When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go to seek omens as he did before, but rather faced the wilderness. 2 Balaam raised his eyes and he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe. The Spirit of God came upon him[a] 3 and he took up his oracle:
“The oracle of Balaam, the son of Beor,
the oracle of one whose eye is opened.[b]
4 The oracle of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision of the Almighty;
who falls down, with eyes wide open.
5 How pleasant are your tents, O Jacob,
and your dwelling places, O Israel.
6 Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river;
like aloes that the Lord has planted,
like cedars beside the waters;
7 like water that pours forth from buckets,
their seed will be mighty waters.
Their king will be higher than Agag,[c]
their kingdom will be exalted.
8 God has brought them forth from Egypt,
their strength is that of the wild ox.
They will devour nations,
they will break the bones of their enemies,
they will pierce them through with their arrows.
9 He crouches down, he lay down like a lion; who dare rouse him?
Blessed is the one who blesses him,
but cursed is the one who curses him.”
10 Balak became enraged at Balaam. Balak clasped his hands together and said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now then, leave and go home. I told you that I would reward you richly, but the Lord has kept you from being paid.”
12 But Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers who sent for me, 13 ‘If Balak were to give me a house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord on my own either for good or for bad. Whatever the Lord proclaims, that I must speak!’ 14 Now I am going back to my own people; come, allow me to let you know what this people will do to your people in the future.”
15 Balaam’s Fourth Oracle. So he took up the oracle and said,
“Balaam, the son of Beor,
the man whose eyes are open says,
16 The oracle of he
who has heard the words of God,
who has knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
who falls down with his eyes open:
17 [d]I see him, but not now.
I behold him, but not near.
A star comes forth from Jacob,
and a scepter rises out of Israel.
He will crush the brow of Moab,
he will destroy the children of Seth.
18 Edom[e] will become a possession,
and Seir also will become a possession of its enemies,
but Israel will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob,
he will destroy the remnant of the city.”
20 He then looked toward Amalek and said,
“Amalek was the first of the nations,
but he will be the last until he perishes.”
21 He looked upon the Kenites[f] and took up his oracle and said,
“Strong is your dwelling place,
and your nest is in the rock;
22 but Kain will be consumed.
How long until Asshur[g] carries you away as a captive?”
23 He continued his oracle saying,
“Alas, who can live when God does this?
24 Ships will come from Kittim,
and will humble Asshur and Eber.
They, too, will face destruction.”
25 Then Balaam got up and went home, and Balak also went his way.
Footnotes
- Numbers 24:2 The Spirit of God came upon him: the unusual wording here suggests that God has intervened and will use Balaam for his purposes.
- Numbers 24:3 One whose eye is opened: one who scrutinizes the secrets of God.
- Numbers 24:7 Agag: the king of the Amalekites, whom Saul will conquer (1 Sam 15:8).
- Numbers 24:17 This star, the sign of a hero sent by God, heralds King David, in keeping with the ancient promises made to Judah (Gen 49:10); this hero was expected to make subjects of the peoples who were Israel’s neighbors. But behind this conqueror can be seen the glorious Messiah, Jesus Son of David (Mt 2:2; Rev 22:16).
- Numbers 24:18 Edom: in the Negeb, the desert in southern Palestine.
- Numbers 24:21 Kenites: nomads of southern Palestine.
- Numbers 24:22 Asshur: the tribe of the Asshurites (Gen 25:3), rather than the Assyrians.
Numbers 24
New International Version
Numbers 24
New International Version
24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,(A) he did not resort to divination(B) as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.(C) 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him(D) 3 and he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,(E)
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,(F)
who sees a vision from the Almighty,[a](G)
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5 “How beautiful are your tents,(H) Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!
6 “Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,(I)
like aloes(J) planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.(K)
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;(N)
with their arrows they pierce them.(O)
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness(P)—who dares to rouse them?
10 Then Balak’s anger burned(S) against Balaam. He struck his hands together(T) and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies,(U) but you have blessed them(V) these three times.(W) 11 Now leave at once and go home!(X) I said I would reward you handsomely,(Y) but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”
12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,(Z) 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(AA)—and I must say only what the Lord says’?(AB) 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.”(AC)
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(AD) of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,(AE)
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.(AF)
A star will come out of Jacob;(AG)
a scepter will rise out of Israel.(AH)
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,(AI)
the skulls[b](AJ) of[c] all the people of Sheth.[d]
18 Edom(AK) will be conquered;
Seir,(AL) his enemy, will be conquered,(AM)
but Israel(AN) will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob(AO)
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Balaam’s Fifth Message
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek(AP) and spoke his message:
“Amalek was first among the nations,
but their end will be utter destruction.”(AQ)
Balaam’s Sixth Message
21 Then he saw the Kenites(AR) and spoke his message:
“Your dwelling place is secure,(AS)
your nest is set in a rock;
22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur(AT) takes you captive.”
Balaam’s Seventh Message
23 Then he spoke his message:
“Alas! Who can live when God does this?[e]
24 Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;(AU)
they will subdue Ashur(AV) and Eber,(AW)
but they too will come to ruin.(AX)”
25 Then Balaam(AY) got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.
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.
New International Version (NIV) 
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