Numbers 23:1-30 ERV

[1] Balaam said, "Build seven altars here. And prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." [2] Balak did what Balaam asked. Then Balak and Balaam killed a ram and a bull on each of the altars. [3] Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here near this altar. I will go to another place. Then the LORD will come to me, and he will tell me what I must say." Then Balaam went away to a higher place. [4] God came to Balaam at that place, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars. And I have killed a bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar." [5] Then the LORD gave Balaam a message for Balak and said, "Go back to Balak and say the things that I have given you to say." [6] So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak was still standing near the altar, and all the leaders of Moab were standing there with them. [7] Then Balaam spoke, and this was his message: "Balak, the king of Moab, brought me here from the eastern mountains of Aram. Balak said to me, 'Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, speak against the Israelites.' [8] But God is not against them, so I cannot speak against them either! The LORD has not asked for bad things to happen to these people. So I cannot do that either. [9] I see these people from the mountain. I see them from the high hills. They live alone. They are not part of another nation. [10] Who can count Jacob's people? They are as many as the grains of dust. No one can count even a fourth of the Israelites. Let me die like a good man. Let my life end as happy as theirs!" [11] Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them!" [12] But Balaam answered, "I must say the things that the LORD tells me to say." [13] Then Balak said to him, "So come with me to another place. At that place you can see more of these people. You cannot see all of them-you can only see part of them. Maybe from that place you can curse them for me." [14] So Balak led Balaam to Watchmen Hills. This was on top of Mount Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars and killed a bull and a ram on each altar as a sacrifice. [15] Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here by this altar while I go meet with God over there." [16] So the LORD came to Balaam and told Balaam what to say. Then he told Balaam to go back to Balak and say these things. [17] So Balaam went to Balak. Balak was still standing near the altar. The leaders of Moab were there with him. Balak saw Balaam coming and said, "What did the LORD say?" [18] Then Balaam said this: "Stand up, Balak, and listen to me. Hear me, Balak son of Zippor. [19] God is not a man; he will not lie. God is not a human being; his decisions will not change. If he says he will do something, then he will do it. If he makes a promise, then he will do what he promised. [20] He told me to bless them. He blessed them, so I cannot change that. [21] God saw no wrong in Jacob's people. He saw no sin in the Israelites. The LORD is their God, and he is with them. The Great King is with them! [22] God brought them out of Egypt. They are as strong as a wild ox. [23] There is no power that can defeat the people of Jacob. There is no magic that can stop the Israelites. People will say this about Jacob and the Israelites: 'Look at the great things God did!' [24] The people are as strong as lions, and they fight like lions. And a lion will not rest until it eats what it has caught, until it drinks the blood of what it has killed." [25] Then Balak said to Balaam, "You didn't ask for good things to happen to these people, but you didn't ask for bad things to happen to them either!" [26] Balaam answered, "I told you before that I can only say what the LORD tells me to say." [27] Then Balak said to Balaam, "So come with me to another place. Maybe God will be pleased and will allow you to curse them from that place." [28] So Balak led Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks out over the desert. [29] Balaam said, "Build seven altars here. Then prepare seven bulls and seven rams for the altars." [30] Balak did what Balaam asked. Balak offered the bulls and rams on the altars.