--- title: "Balaam Blesses Israel" description: "Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me..." image: "" book: "Numbers" bookId: "NUM" testament: "old" startChapter: 23 startVerse: 1 endChapter: 24 endVerse: 25 coversChapters: [23,24] aiTitle: "Balaam Blesses Israel" aiDescription: "Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me..." hasAiStory: true location: "Moab" persons: ["Balaam","Balak","God","Princes of Moab","Jacob","Israel","Zippor","Agag","Beor","Amalek","Kenites","Kain","Asshur","Eber"] hashtags: ["prophetic","judgment","deliverance","righteousness"] genre: "law" readingTime: 6 type: "adaptive" slug: "NUM/balaam-blesses-israel" canonicalId: "NUM.23.1-24.25" chronologicalOrder: 274 relatedSlugs: ["1SA/saul-vs-the-amalekites","JAS/genuine-faith","MAL/robbing-god","HEB/a-priest-in-the-order-of-melchizedek","TIT/pauls-greeting-to-titus-appointing-elders-on-crete-correcting-false-teachers","NUM/balak-king-of-moab-hires-balaam","ROM/israel-in-the-future","LUK/temple-destruction-foretold","HAB/habakkuks-second-complaint","MIC/third-cycle-of-judgment-and-restoration","PSA/psalm-89-i-will-sing-of-his-love-forever","HOS/gods-love-for-israel","1CH/the-davidic-covenant","LUK/preparing-the-way-of-the-lord","PSA/psalm-23-the-lord-is-my-shepherd","GEN/abraham","MAT/the-birth-of-jesus","DEU/moses-blesses-the-twelve-tribes","JHN/the-feast-of-dedication-hanukkah","MAT/responses-to-jesus","JOS/the-inheritance-east-of-the-jordan","GEN/the-call-of-abram","PSA/psalm-37-delight-yourself-in-the-lord","GEN/jacob-blesses-his-sons","GAL/authentication-of-the-messenger","ROM/pauls-salutation","ISA/israels-only-savior"] prevSlug: "NUM/the-angel-and-balaams-donkey" nextSlug: "NUM/the-baal-of-peor-incident" --- ### [Balaam](/persons/balaam)’s First Oracle Then Balaam said to [Balak](/persons/balak), “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.” So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the [LORD](/persons/god) will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.”
So Balaam went off to a barren height, and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.” Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.” So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the [princes of Moab](/persons/princes%20of%20moab). And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:“Balak brought me from Aram,the king of Moab from the mountains of the east.‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on [Jacob](/persons/jacob) for me;come and denounce [Israel](/persons/israel)!’ How can I curse what God has not cursed?How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced? For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs,and I watch them from the hills.Behold, a people dwelling apart,not reckoning themselves among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacobor number even a fourth of Israel?Let me die the death of the righteous;let my end be like theirs!” Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!” But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?” ### Balaam’s Second Oracle Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.” So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.” And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.” So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab.
“What did the LORD say?” Balak asked. Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:“Arise, O Balak, and listen;give ear to me, O son of [Zippor](/persons/zippor). God is not a man, that He should lie,or a son of man, that He should change His mind.Does He speak and not act?Does He promise and not fulfill? I have indeed received a command to bless;He has blessed, and I cannot change it. He considers no disaster for Jacob;He sees no trouble for Israel.The LORD their God is with them,and the shout of the King is among them. God brought them out of Egyptwith strength like a wild ox. For there is no spell against Jacoband no divination against Israel.It will now be said of Jacob and Israel,‘What great things God has done!’ Behold, the people rise like a lioness;they rouse themselves like a lion,not resting until they devour their preyand drink the blood of the slain.” Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!” But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?” “Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.” And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland. Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.” So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ### Balaam’s Third Oracle And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as on previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness. When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he lifted up an oracle, saying:“This is the prophecy of Balaam son of [Beor](/persons/beor),the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,who sees a vision from the Almighty,who bows down with eyes wide open: How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,your dwellings, O Israel! They spread out like palm groves,like gardens beside a stream,like aloes the LORD has planted,like cedars beside the waters. Water will flow from his buckets,and his seed will have abundant water.His king will be greater than [Agag](/persons/agag),and his kingdom will be exalted. God brought him out of Egyptwith strength like a wild ox,to devour hostile nations and crush their bones,to pierce them with arrows. He crouches, he lies down like a lion;like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?Blessed are those who bless youand cursed are those who curse you.” ### Balak Dismisses Balaam Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together and said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times. Therefore, flee at once to your home! I said I would richly reward you, but instead the LORD has denied your reward.” Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not already tell the messengers you sent me that even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD? I will speak whatever the LORD says. Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.” ### Balaam’s Fourth Oracle Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying,“This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,who has knowledge from the Most High,who sees a vision from the Almighty,who bows down with eyes wide open: I see him, but not now;I behold him, but not near.A star will come forth from Jacob,and a scepter will arise from Israel.He will crush the skulls of Moaband strike down all the sons of Sheth. Edom will become a possession,as will Seir, his enemy;but Israel will perform with valor. A ruler will come from Jacoband destroy the survivors of the city.” ### Balaam’s Final Three Oracles Then Balaam saw [Amalek](/persons/amalek) and lifted up an oracle, saying:“Amalek was first among the nations,but his end is destruction.” Next he saw the [Kenites](/persons/kenites) and lifted up an oracle, saying:“Your dwelling place is secure,and your nest is set in a cliff. Yet [Kain](/persons/kain) will be destroyedwhen [Asshur](/persons/asshur) takes you captive.” Once more Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:“Ah, who can liveunless God has ordained it? Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus;they will subdue Asshur and [Eber](/persons/eber),but they too will perish forever.” Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.

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