Balaam, instead of cursing Israel, is obliged to bless them, and prophesy good things of them.

¹ And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”

² And when he had acted according to the words of Balaam, they placed a calf and a ram together on each altar.

³ And Balaam said to Balak: “Stand for a little while next to your holocaust, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet with me. And whatever he will command, I shall speak to you.”

⁴ And after he had quickly departed, God met with him. And Balaam, speaking to him, said: “I have set up seven altars, and I have placed a calf and a ram on each.”

⁵ Then the Lord placed the word in his mouth, and he said: “Return to Balak, and you shall say this.”

⁶ Returning, he found Balak standing next to his holocaust, with all the leaders of the Moabites.

⁷ And taking up his parable, he said: “Balak, king of the Moabites, has led me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come forth,’ he said, ‘and curse Jacob. Hurry and condemn Israel.’

⁸ How shall I curse him, whom God has not cursed? For what reason would I condemn him, whom the Lord does not condemn?

⁹ I will look upon him from the tops of the stones, and I will consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and they shall not be counted among the nations.

¹⁰ Who can number the dust that is Jacob, and who can know the number of the stock of Israel? May my soul die a just death, and may my end be like theirs.”

¹¹ And Balak said to Balaam: “What is this that you are doing? I called for you, in order to curse my enemies, and to the contrary, you bless them.”

¹² He answered him, “How can I say anything other than what the Lord orders?”

¹³ Therefore, Balak said: “Come with me to another place, from where you may see a portion of Israel, though you cannot see them all. Curse them from there.”

¹⁴ And when he had led him to a lofty place, on the top of mount Pisgah, Balaam built seven altars, and placing upon each a calf and a ram,

¹⁵ he said to Balak, “Stand here next to your holocaust, while I continue on to meet him.”

¹⁶ And when the Lord had met him, and had put the word in his mouth, he said, “Return to Balak, and you shall say this to him.”

¹⁷ Returning, he found him standing next to his holocaust, and the leaders of the Moabites were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

¹⁸ But, taking up his parable, he said: “Stand, Balak, and pay attention. Listen, you son of Zippor.

¹⁹ God is not like a man, so that he would lie, nor is he like a son of man, so that he would be changed. Therefore, having spoken, will he not act? Has he ever spoken, and not fulfilled?

²⁰ I was led here to bless, and I have no strength to hinder the blessing.

²¹ There is no idol in Jacob; neither is there a false image to be seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the resound of royal victory is in him.

²² God has led him away from Egypt; his strength is like that of the rhinoceros.

²³ There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor any divination in Israel. In their times, it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what God has wrought.

²⁴ Behold, the people will rise up like a lioness, and lie down like a lion. But they will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.”

²⁵ And Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse him, nor bless him.”

²⁶ And he said, “Have I not told you that whatever God would command of me, I would do?”

²⁷ And Balak said to him: “Come and I will lead you to another place. If perhaps it may please God, then you may curse them from there.”

²⁸ And when he had led him on to the top of mount Peor, which looks out toward the wilderness,

²⁹ Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”

³⁰ Balak did as Balaam had said, and he placed on each altar a calf and a ram.