Balaam’s First Message
1Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 2Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3Then 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.
4God met with him, and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
6So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials. 7Then 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.’
8How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?
9From 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.
10Who 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!”
11Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!”
12He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”
Balaam’s Second Message
13Then 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.” 14So 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.
15Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”
16The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
17So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18Then he spoke his message:
“Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.
19God 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?
20I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot change it.
21“No misfortune is seen in Jacob,
no misery observed23:21 Or He has not looked on Jacob’s offenses / or on the wrongs found in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
the shout of the King is among them.
22God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
23There is no divination against23:23 Or in Jacob,
no evil omens against23:23 Or in Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24The 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.”
25Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”
Balaam’s Third Message
27Then 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.” 28And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.
29Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Ũrathi wa Mbere wa Balamu
1Nake Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Njakĩra igongona mũgwanja haha, na ũhaarĩrie ndegwa mũgwanja na ndũrũme mũgwanja.” 2Balaki agĩĩka o ũrĩa Balamu oigĩte, na igũrũ rĩa o kĩgongona-inĩ makarutĩra igongona rĩa ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
3Ningĩ Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Wee ikara haha hakuhĩ na iruta rĩaku nyambe thiĩ keheri-inĩ. Hihi Jehova nĩegũũka acemanie na niĩ. Ũndũ ũrĩa wothe ekũnguũrĩria nĩngũkwĩra.” Nake agĩthiĩ handũ hatheri hatũũgĩru.
4Ngai agĩcemania nake hau, nake Balamu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Nĩhaarĩirie igongona mũgwanja, na o kĩgongona-inĩ ngaruta ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.”
5Nake Jehova agĩĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri yake kanua ka Balamu, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Cooka kũrĩ Balaki ũmũhe ndũmĩrĩri ĩno.”
6Tondũ ũcio Balamu agĩcooka kũrĩ Balaki, akĩmũkora arũngiĩ hakuhĩ na igongona rĩake, marĩ hamwe na anene othe a Moabi. 723:7 Ndar 22:5; Josh 24:9; 2Ath 5:1Nake Balamu akĩaria ndũmĩrĩri yake, akiuga atĩrĩ:
“Balaki andehithĩtie kuuma bũrũri wa Aramu,
mũthamaki wa Moabi akanduta kuuma irĩma-inĩ cia mwena wa irathĩro.
Akoiga atĩrĩ, ‘Ũka ũnumĩre Jakubu;
ũka ũthitange Isiraeli.’
823:8 Ndar 22:12Ndaakĩhota atĩa kũruma arĩa Ngai atarumĩte?
Ndaakĩhota atĩa gũthitanga arĩa Jehova atathitangĩte?
9Kuuma tũcũmbĩrĩ twa ndwaro cia mahiga nĩndĩramoona,
kuuma kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru nĩndĩramoona.
Ndĩrona andũ matũũraga meikarĩtie,
nao matiĩtaraga atĩ o nĩ amwe a ndũrĩrĩ.
1023:10 Kĩam 13:16Nũũ ũngĩhota gũtara rũkũngũ rwa Jakubu,
kana atare gĩcunjĩ kĩa inya kĩa Isiraeli?
Rekei ngue gĩkuũ kĩa arĩa athingu,
na marigĩrĩrio makwa-rĩ, marotuĩka ta mao!”
1123:11 Ndar 22:6; Josh 24:10; Neh 13:2Balaki akĩũria Balamu atĩrĩ, “Wanjĩka atĩa? Ngũrehire ũnumĩre thũ ciakwa, no ndũrĩ ũreka ũndũ o tiga kũmarathima!”
12Balamu akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Githĩ ndiagĩrĩirwo njarie o kĩrĩa Jehova ekĩrĩte kanua-inĩ gakwa?”
Ũrathi wa Keerĩ wa Balamu
13Ningĩ Balaki akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ũka tũthiĩ nawe handũ hangĩ harĩa ũkũmoona; ũkũmoona o gĩcunjĩ kĩmwe kĩao, no ti othe hamwe. Na ũrĩ hau ũnumĩre andũ acio.” 14Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩmũtwara gĩthaka-inĩ gĩa Zofimu, gacũmbĩrĩ ga Kĩrĩma kĩa Pisiga, naho hau agĩaka igongona mũgwanja, na o kĩgongona-inĩ agĩthĩnjĩra ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
15Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Wee ikara haha hakuhĩ na iruta rĩaku nyambe thiĩ ngacemanie nake haarĩa.”
16Jehova agĩcemania na Balamu, agĩĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri kanua gake, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Cooka kũrĩ Balaki ũmũhe ndũmĩrĩri ĩno.”
17Tondũ ũcio Balamu agĩcooka kũrĩ Balaki na akĩmũkora arũngiĩ hakuhĩ na iruta rĩake, marĩ hamwe na anene a Moabi. Balaki akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Jehova oiga atĩa?”
18Balamu agĩcooka akĩaria ndũmĩrĩri yake, akiuga atĩrĩ:
“Arahũka, wee Balaki na ũigue;
Thikĩrĩria, wee mũrũ wa Ziporu.
1923:19 Ayub 9:32; Isa 55:9; Ahib 6:18Ngai ti mũndũ, atĩ nĩguo aheenanie,
o na ti mũrũ wa mũndũ, atĩ nĩguo ericũkwo.
No oige ũndũ na ndawĩĩke?
No eranĩre ũndũ na ndaũhingie?
20Niĩ njathĩtwo ndathimane;
nake arathimanĩte-rĩ, ndingĩhota kũgarũra ũndũ ũcio.
2123:21 Thab 32:2, 5; Arom 4:7-8; Gũcook 4:7“Gũtirĩ mũtino wonekete harĩ Jakubu,
gũtirĩ ihooru rĩonetwo thĩinĩ wa Isiraeli.
Jehova Ngai wao arĩ hamwe nao;
kayũ ka mũthamaki karĩ thĩinĩ wao.
2223:22 Ndar 24:8; Gũcook 33:17; Ayub 39:9Ngai nĩamarutire bũrũri wa Misiri;
marĩ na hinya o ta ndegwa ya gĩthaka.
2323:23 Kĩam 30:27Gũtirĩ ũrogi ũngĩũraga Jakubu,
gũtirĩ ũragũri ũngĩthũkia Isiraeli.
Rĩu ha ũhoro wa Jakubu na wa Isiraeli kũrĩĩranagwo atĩrĩ,
‘Ta kĩonei ũrĩa Ngai ekĩte!’
24Andũ acio maarahũkaga ta mũrũũthi wa nga;
mookagĩra ta mũrũũthi wa njamba,
ũrĩa ũtangĩhurũka ũtarĩĩte kĩrĩa ũnyiitĩte,
na ũkanyua thakame ya kĩrĩa ũragĩte.”
25Ningĩ Balaki akĩĩra Balamu atĩrĩ, “Ndũkamarume o na atĩa, na ndũkamarathime o na atĩa!”
26Balamu akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Githĩ ndiakwĩrire no nginya njĩke ũrĩa wothe Jehova oigĩte?”
Ũrathi wa Gatatũ wa Balamu
27Ningĩ Balaki akĩĩra Balamu atĩrĩ, “Ũka tũthiĩ ngũtware handũ hangĩ. Hihi Ngai no agwĩtĩkĩrie ũnumĩre andũ aya ũrĩ hau.” 28Balaki akĩoya Balamu akĩmũtwara kĩrĩma igũrũ kĩa Peoru, kũngʼethera Werũ ũrĩa ũtarĩ kĩndũ.
29Nake Balamu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Njakĩra igongona mũgwanja haha, na ũhaarĩrie ndegwa mũgwanja na ndũrũme mũgwanja.” 30Balaki agĩĩka o ta ũrĩa Balamu oigĩte, na o kĩgongona-inĩ agĩthĩnjĩra ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
