1
And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord that he should bless Israel, he went not as he had gone before, that he should seek false divining by chittering of birds, but he (ad)dressed his face against the desert, (And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord when he blessed Israel, he went not as he had gone before, to seek out false divining by the twittering of birds, but he directed his face towards the wilderness,)
2
and he raised up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling in tents by his lineages (and he raised up his eyes, and he saw the Israelites living in their tents, tribe by tribe). And when the Spirit of God fell upon him,
3
and when the parable was taken (and when he had received his prophecy), he said, Balaam, the son of Beor, said, (yea,) a man, whose eye is stopped, said,
4
the hearer of God's words said, which beheld the revelation of Almighty God, which falleth down, and his eyes be opened so, (yea, the hearer of God's words said, who beheld the revelation of Almighty God, and who falleth down, but his eyes still be open,)
5
How fair be thy tabernacles, Jacob, and thy tents, Israel!
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as valleys full of trees, and moist gardens beside floods, as tabernacles which the Lord hath set (up), as cedar trees beside waters; (like valleys full of trees, and watered gardens beside the river, like aloes planted by the Lord, and cedar trees beside the water;)
7
water shall flow (out) of his bucket, and his seed shall be into many waters, that is, peoples. The king of him shall be taken away for Agag, and the realm of him shall be done away. (water shall flow out of his bucket, and his descendants shall be like many waters, that is, they shall become many people. His king shall be greater than Agag, and his kingdom shall prevail.)
8
God led him out of Egypt, whose strength is like an unicorn; the sons of Israel shall waste, or devour, (the) heathen men, their enemies; and they shall break the bones of them, and pierce (them through) with (their) arrows.
9
He rested, and slept as a lion, and as a lioness, whom no man shall dare raise. He that blesseth thee, shall be blessed; and he that curseth, shall be areckoned into cursing. (He rested, and slept like a lion, and like a lioness, whom no man shall dare raise up. He who blesseth thee, shall be blessed; and he who curseth thee, shall be cursed.)
10
And Balak was wroth against Balaam, and he said, when his hands were wrung together, I called thee to curse mine enemies, whom, on the contrary, thou hast blessed thrice (but who, instead, thou hast now blessed three times!).