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 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 fulfil?
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 offences / 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.
Uthenga Woyamba wa Balaamu
1Balaamu anati kwa Balaki, “Mundimangire maguwa ansembe asanu ndi awiri pano, ndipo mukonzenso ngʼombe zazimuna zisanu ndi ziwiri ndi nkhosa zazimuna zisanu ndi ziwiri.” 2Balaki anachita monga Balaamu ananenera ndipo awiriwo anapereka ngʼombe imodzi ndi nkhosa yayimuna imodzi pa guwa lansembe lililonse.
3Kenaka Balaamu anati kwa Balaki, “Khalani pano pafupi ndi nsembe yanu ineyo ndipite pambali. Mwina Yehova adzabwera kuti akumane nane. Chilichonse chimene akandionetse ndidzakuwuzani” Choncho anapita ku malo okwera a chipululu.
4Mulungu anakumana naye ndipo Balaamu anati, “Ndakonza maguwa asanu ndi awiri ndipo pa guwa lililonse ndaperekapo nsembe ya ngʼombe yayimuna imodzi ndi nkhosa yayimuna imodzinso.”
5Yehova anawuza Balaamu kuti, “Bwerera kwa Balaki ndipo ukamuwuze uthenga uwu.”
6Ndipo anabwerera kwa iye namupeza atayima pafupi ndi nsembe yake pamodzi ndi akuluakulu onse a Mowabu. 7Ndipo Balaamu ananena uthenga wake:
“Balaki ananditenga kuchoka ku Aramu,
mfumu ya ku Mowabu kuchokera ku mapiri a kummawa.
Iye anati, ‘Bwera, temberera Yakobo mʼmalo mwanga,
pita nyoza Israeli.’
8Ndingatemberere bwanji
amene Mulungu sanawatemberere?
Ndinganyoze bwanji
amene Yehova sanawanyoze?
9Kuchokera pamwamba pa mapiri ndikuona anthu,
ndikuwaona kuchokera pa zitunda.
Ndikuona anthu okhala pawokha,
osakhala mʼgulu limodzi ndi mitundu ina.
10Ndani angawerenge zidzukulu za Yakobo zochuluka ngati fumbi,
kapena chimodzi mwa zigawo zinayi za Israeli?
Lekeni ndife imfa ya oyera mtima,
ndi chimaliziro changa chikhale ngati chawo!”
11Balaki anati kwa Balaamu, “Wandichitira chiyani? Ndinakuyitana kuti utemberere adani anga, ndipo taona, sunachite chilichonse koma kuwadalitsa!”
12Iye anayankha kuti, “Kodi sindinayenera kuyankhula zimene Yehova anandiwuza?”
Uthenga Wachiwiri wa Balaamu
13Kenaka Balaki anawuza Balaamu kuti, “Tiye tipite limodzi ku malo ena komwe ungawaone. Udzangoona gulu limodzi osati onsewo. Ndipo pamenepo, ukawatemberere mʼmalo mwanga.” 14Tsono anamutengera ku munda wa Zofimu pamwamba pa phiri la Pisiga ndipo kumeneko anamanga maguwa ansembe asanu ndi awiri ndipo anapereka nsembe ngʼombe yayimuna imodzi ndi nkhosa yayimuna imodzi pa guwa lansembe lililonse.
15Balaamu anawuza Balaki kuti, “Khalani pano pafupi ndi nsembe yanu pamene ine ndikukakumana ndi Mulungu cha uko.”
16Yehova anakumana ndi Balaamu ndipo anamuyankhula kuti, “Bwerera kwa Balaki ndipo ukamuwuze uthenga uwu.”
17Ndipo anapita kwa iye ndipo anamupeza atayimirira pafupi ndi nsembe yake pamodzi ndi akuluakulu a ku Mowabu. Balaki anafunsa Balaamu kuti, “Yehova wayankhula chiyani?”
18Pamenepo Balaamu ananena uthenga wake:
“Nyamuka Balaki ndipo tamvera;
Undimvere iwe mwana wa Zipori.
19Mulungu si munthu kuti aname,
kapena mwana wa munthu kuti asinthe maganizo ake.
Kodi amayankhula koma osachita?
Kodi amalonjeza koma osakwaniritsa?
20Wandilamula kuti ndidalitse,
Iyeyo wadalitsa ndipo sindingasinthe.
21“Palibe kuwukira kulikonse kumene wakuona mwa Yakobo,
sanaone chovuta mu Israeli.
Yehova Mulungu wawo ali nawo:
mfuwu wa mfumu uli pakati pawo.
22Mulungu wowatulutsa mʼdziko la Igupto,
ali ndi mphamvu ngati za njati.
23Palibe matsenga amene angalimbane ndi Yakobo,
palibe mawula amene angalimbane ndi Israeli.
Tsopano za Yakobo ndi Israeli adzanena kuti,
‘Onani zimene Mulungu wachita!’
24Taonani, anthu anyamuka ngati mkango waukazi;
adzuka okha ngati mkango waumuna
umene supuma mpaka utadya nyama imene wagwira
ndi kumwa magazi a nyama yogwidwayo.”
25Ndipo Balaki anati kwa Balaamu, “Usawatemberere ndi pangʼono pomwe kapena kuwadalitsa!
26“Balaamu anayankha Balaki kuti, ‘Kodi sindinakuwuzeni kuti ndiyenera kuchita zimene Yehova wanena?’ ”
Uthenga Wachitatu wa Balaamu
27Kenaka Balaki anati kwa Balaamu, “Bwera ndikutengere ku malo ena. Mwina chidzamukondweretsa Mulungu kuti uwatemberere kumeneko mʼmalo mwanga.” 28Ndipo Balaki anamutengera Balaamu pamwamba pa Peori, poyangʼanana ndi chipululu.
29Balaamu anati kwa Balaki, “Mundimangire maguwa ansembe asanu ndi awiri pano ndipo mundikonzere ngʼombe zazimuna zisanu ndi ziwiri, nkhosa zazimuna zisanu ndi ziwiri.” 30Balaki anachita monga Balaamu ananenera ndipo anapereka nsembe ngʼombe imodzi yayimuna ndi nkhosa imodzi yayimuna pa guwa lililonse.
