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The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
1 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”
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Bil'am said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams here."
2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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Balak did as Bil'am said; then Balak and Bil'am offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.
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Bil'am said to Balak, "Stand by your burnt offering while I go off; maybe ADONAI will come and meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you." He went off to a bare hill.
4 God met with him, and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
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God met Bil'am, who said to him, "I prepared the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
5 The LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
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Then ADONAI put a word in Bil'am's mouth and said, "Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you."
6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials.
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He went back to him, and there, standing by his burnt offering, he with all the princes of Mo'av,
7 Then Balaam spoke his message: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.’
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he made his pronouncement: "Balak, the king of Mo'av, brings me from Aram, from the eastern hills, saying, 'Come, curse Ya'akov for me; come and denounce Isra'el.'
8 How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?
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"How am I to curse those whom God has not cursed? How am I to denounce those whom ADONAI has not denounced?
9 From the rocky peaks I see them, from the heights I view them. I see a people who live apart and do not consider themselves one of the nations.
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"From the top of the rocks I see them, from the hills I behold them yes, a people that will dwell alone and not think itself one of the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and may my final end be like theirs!”
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"Who has counted the dust of Ya'akov or numbered the ashes of Isra'el? May I die as the righteous die! May my end be like theirs!"
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!”
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Balak said to Bil'am, "What have you done to me?! To curse my enemies is why I brought you; and, here, you have totally blessed them!"
12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
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He answered, "Mustn't I take care to say just what ADONAI puts in my mouth?"
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp. And from there, curse them for me.”
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Balak said to him, "All right, come with me to another place where you can see them. You will see only some of them, not all; but you can curse them for me from there."
14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah, and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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He took him through the field of Tzofim to the top of the Pisgah Range, built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”
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Bil'am said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go over there for a meeting."
16 The LORD met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
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ADONAI met Bil'am, put a word in his mouth and said, "Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you."
17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials. Balak asked him, “What did the LORD say?”
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He came to him and stood by his burnt offering, with all the princes of Mo'av. Balak asked him, "What did ADONAI say?"
18 Then he spoke his message: “Arise, Balak, and listen; hear me, son of Zippor.
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Then Bil'am made his pronouncement: "Get up, Balak, and listen! Turn your ears to me, son of Tzippor!
19 God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?
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"God is not a human who lies or a mortal who changes his mind. When he says something, he will do it; when he makes a promise, he will fulfill it
20 I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
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Look, I am ordered to bless; when he blesses, I can't reverse it.
21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The LORD their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them.
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"No one has seen guilt in Ya'akov, or perceived perversity in Isra'el; ADONAI their God is with them and acclaimed as king among them
22 God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox.
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"God, who brought them out of Egypt, gives them the strength of a wild ox;
23 There is no divination against Jacob, no evil omens against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
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thus one can't put a spell on Ya'akov, no magic will work against Isra'el. It can now be said of Ya'akov and Isra'el, 'What is this that God has done?!'
24 The people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion that does not rest till it devours its prey and drinks the blood of its victims.”
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"Here is a people rising up like a lioness; like a lion he rears himself up -he will not lie down till he eats up the prey and drinks the blood of the slain."
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
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Balak said to Bil'am, "Obviously, you won't curse them. But at least don't bless them!"
26 Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the LORD says?”
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However, Bil'am answered Balak, "Didn't I warn you that I must do everything ADONAI says?"
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.”
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Balak said to Bil'am, "Come, I will take you now to another place; maybe it will please God for you to curse them for me from there."
28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.
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Balak took Bil'am to the top of P'or, overlooking the desert.
29 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”
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Bil'am said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams."
30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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Balak did as Bil'am said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.