CHAPTER 24
1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord that he should bless Israel, he went not as he had gone before, that he should seek false divining by chittering of birds, but he dressed his face against the desert,
2 and he raised up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling in tents by his lineages. And when the Spirit of God fell upon him,
3 and when the parable was taken, he said, Balaam, the son of Beor, said, a man, whose eye is stopped, said,
4 the hearer of God’s words said, which beheld the revelation of Almighty God, which falleth down, and his eyes be opened so,
5 How fair be thy tabernacles, Jacob, and thy tents, Israel!
6 as valleys full of trees, and moist gardens beside floods, as tabernacles which the Lord hath set, as cedar trees beside waters;
7 water shall flow of his bucket, and his seed shall be into many waters, that is, peoples. The king of him shall be taken away for Agag, and the realm of him shall be done away.
8 God led him out of Egypt, whose strength is like an unicorn; the sons of Israel shall waste, or devour, heathen men, their enemies; and they shall break the bones of them, and pierce with arrows.
9 He rested, and slept as a lion, and as a lioness, whom no man shall dare raise. He that blesseth thee, shall be blessed; and he that curseth, shall be areckoned into cursing.
10 And Balak was wroth against Balaam, and he said, when his hands were wrung together, I called thee to curse mine enemies, whom, on the contrary, thou hast blessed thrice.
11 Turn again to thy place; forsooth I deemed to honour thee greatly, but the Lord deprived thee from [thine] honour disposed.
12 Balaam answered to Balak, Whether I said not to thy messengers, which thou sentest to me,
13 Though Balak shall give to me his house full of silver and of gold, I shall not be able to pass [over] the word of my Lord God, that I bring forth of mine heart anything, either of good or of evil, but whatever thing the Lord shall say, I shall speak that?
14 Nevertheless I shall go to my people, and I shall give counsel to thee, what thy people shall do in the last time to this people.
15 Therefore when a parable was taken, he said again, Balaam, the son of Beor said, a man, whose eye is stopped, said,
16 the hearer of God’s words said, which knoweth the doctrine of the Highest, and seeth the revelation of Almighty God, which falleth down, and hath open eyes,
17 I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh; a star shall be born of Jacob, and a rod shall rise of Israel; and he shall smite the dukes of Moab, and he shall waste all the sons of Seth;
18 and Idumea shall be his possession, the heritage of Seir shall befall to his enemies; soothly Israel shall do strongly,
19 of Jacob shall be he that shall be lord, and shall lose the relics, or remnants, of the city.
20 And when he had seen Amalek, he took a parable, and said, Amalek is the beginning of heathen men, whose last things shall be lost.
21 Also he saw Kenites, and when a parable was taken, he said, Soothly thy dwelling place is strong, but if thou shalt set thy nest in a stone,
22 and shalt be chosen of the generation of Kenites, how long shalt thou be able to dwell? soothly Assur shall take thee.
23 And when a parable was taken, or showed to him, he said again, Alas! who shall live, when the Lord shall do these things?
24 They shall come in great ships from Italy, they shall overcome Assyria, and they shall destroy Eber, and at the last also they themselves shall perish.
25 And Balaam rose, and turned again into his place; and Balak went again by the way in which he came.