Numbers 23:4

Bible in Basic English

And God came to Balaam, and Balaam said to him, I have made ready seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
God met Bil`am: and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

King James Version
And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.

Lexham English Bible
And God met with Balaam, and he said to him, "I have arranged seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar."

English Standard Version
and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, "I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

New Century Version
God came to Balaam there, and Balaam said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar."

New English Translation
Then God met Balaam, who said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

Amplified Bible
Now God met Balaam, who said to Him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on each altar."

New American Standard Bible
Now God met with Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And God met Balaam, and Balaam sayd vnto him, I haue prepared seuen altars, and haue offred vpon euery altar a bullocke and a ramme.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar."

Contemporary English Version
When God appeared to him, Balaam said, "I have built seven altars and have sacrificed a bull and a ram on each one."

Complete Jewish Bible
God met Bil‘am, who said to him, "I prepared the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar."

Darby Translation
And God met Balaam; and [Balaam] said to him, I have disposed seven altars, and have offered up a bullock and a ram upon [each] altar.

Easy-to-Read Version
God came to Balaam at that place, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars. And I have killed a bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar."

George Lamsa Translation
And God appeared to Balaam and said to him, You have prepared seven altars, and have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.

Good News Translation
and God met him. Balaam said to him, "I have built the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each."

Christian Standard Bible®
God met with him and Balaam said to him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.”

Literal Translation
And God came to Balaam, and he said to Him, I have set up seven altars. And I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And ye LORDE mett Balaam. And Balaam saide vnto him: Seuen altares haue I prepared, and offred on euery altare a bullocke and a ramme.

American Standard Version
And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But God met Balaam, & [Balaam] sayd vnto hym: I haue prepared seuen aulters, and haue offred vpon euery aulter an oxe and a ramme.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And God met Balaam; and he said unto Him: 'I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.'

King James Version (1611)
And God met Balaam, and he said vnto him, I haue prepared seuen altars, and I haue offered vpon euery altar a bullocke and a ramme.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Balaam went to enquire of God; and he went straight forward, and God appeared to Balaam; and Balaam said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and have offered a calf and a ram on every altar.

English Revised Version
And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Berean Standard Bible
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."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he hadde go swiftli, God cam to hym; and Balaam spak to hym, and seide, Y reiside seuene auteris, and Y puttide a calf and a ram aboue.

Young's Literal Translation
And God cometh unto Balaam, and he saith unto Him, `The seven altars I have arranged, and I offer a bullock and a ram on the altar;'

Update Bible Version
And God met Balaam: and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

Webster's Bible Translation
And God met Balaam: and he said to him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon [every] altar a bullock and a ram.

World English Bible
God met Balaam: and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

New King James Version
And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

New Living Translation
and God met him there. Balaam said to him, "I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar."

New Life Bible
God met Balaam. Balaam said to Him, "I have made seven altars. And I have given a bull and a ram on each altar in worship."

New Revised Standard
Then God met Balaam; and Balaam said to him, "I have arranged the seven altars, and have offered a bull and a ram on each altar."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And God came unto Balaam, - so he said unto him The seven altars, have I built in a row, and have caused to ascend, bullock and a ram on each altar.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he was gone with speed, God met him. And Balaam speaking to him, said: I have erected seven altars, and have laid on everyone a calf and a ram.

Revised Standard Version
And God met Balaam; and Balaam said to him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered upon each altar a bull and a ram."

THE MESSAGE
God did meet with Balaam. Balaam said, "I've set up seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar."

Contextual Overview

¹ And Balaam said to Balak, Make me here seven altars and get ready seven oxen and seven male sheep. ² And Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam made an offering on every altar of an ox and a male sheep. ³ Then Balaam said to Balak, Take your place by your burned offering, and I will go and see if the Lord comes to me: and I will give you word of whatever he says to me. And he went to an open place on a hill. ⁴ And God came to Balaam, and Balaam said to him, I have made ready seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar. ⁵ And the Lord put words in Balaam's mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say. ⁶ So he went back to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with all the chiefs of Moab. ⁷ And in the words which the Lord had given him he said, From Aram Balak has sent for me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East: come, put curses on Jacob for me and be angry with Israel. ⁸ How may I put curses on him who is not cursed by God? how may I be angry with him with whom the Lord is not angry? ⁹ From the top of the rocks I see him, looking down on him from the hills: it is a people made separate, not to be numbered among the nations. ¹⁰ Who is able to take the measure of the dust of Jacob or the number of the thousands of Israel? May my death be the death of the upright and my last end like his!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God: Numbers 23:16, Numbers 22:9, Numbers 22:20

I have prepared: Numbers 23:1, Isaiah 58:3, Isaiah 58:4, Matthew 20:12, Luke 18:12, John 16:2, Romans 3:27, Ephesians 2:9

Reciprocal: Exodus 3:18 - met 1 Kings 13:11 - an old prophet 2 Kings 10:16 - Come with me 1 Chronicles 15:26 - bullocks

Cross-References

Genesis 3:19
With the hard work of your hands you will get your bread till you go back to the earth from which you were taken: for dust you are and to the dust you will go back.

Genesis 17:8
And to you and to your seed after you, I will give the land in which you are living, all the land of Canaan for an eternal heritage; and I will be their God.

Genesis 23:12
And Abraham went down on his face before the people of the land.

Genesis 23:13
And Abraham said to Ephron, in the hearing of the people of the land, If only you will give ear to me, I will give you the price of the field; take it, and let me put my dead to rest there.

Genesis 23:16
And Abraham took note of the price fixed by Ephron in the hearing of the children of Heth, and gave him four hundred shekels in current money.

Genesis 47:9
And Jacob said, The years of my wanderings have been a hundred and thirty; small in number and full of sorrow have been the years of my life, and less than the years of the wanderings of my fathers.

Genesis 49:30
In the rock in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham got from Ephron the Hittite, to be his resting-place.

Genesis 50:13
For they took him into the land of Canaan and put him to rest in the hollow rock in the field of Machpelah, which Abraham got with the field, for a resting-place, from Ephron the Hittite at Mamre.

Leviticus 25:23
No exchange of land may be for ever, for the land is mine, and you are as my guests, living with me for a time.

1 Chronicles 29:15
For we, as all our fathers were, are like men from a strange country before you, who have got a place for a time in the land; our days on the earth are like a shade, and there is no hope of going on.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And God met Balaam,.... Not in a kind and gracious manner; not out of any respect to him and his offerings; not to indulge him with any spiritual communion with him; nor to communicate his mind and will to him as a friend of his; not to gratify his desires, and grant the request of the king of Moab, or to smile upon and succeed the scheme that they had concerted; but for the sake of his people Israel, to counterwork the designs of their enemies; to blast and confound them, and turn their curses into blessings; and particularly to oblige Balaam to bless the people he was so desirous of cursing for the sake of gain:

and he said unto him; in a bragging boasting way, in order to gain his favour, and carry his point:

I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram: that is, to him the Lord; for had they been offered to Baal, he could never have had the nerve to have spoken of them to God; and which he could never have proposed as a reason why he should be regarded by him, or expect on account of them any favour from him: and indeed these altars and sacrifices were not at his expense, though they were prepared and offered at a motion of his; nor were they offered in a right manner, nor with a right end, nor from a right principle, and were far from being acceptable unto God, yea, were abominable unto him; see Proverbs 21:27.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

God met Balaam - God served His own purposes through the arts of Balaam, and manifested His will through the agencies employed to seek it, dealing thus with Balaam in an exceptional manner. To God’s own people auguries were forbidden Leviticus 19:26.

I have prepared seven altars - And therefore Balaam expected that God on His part would do what was desired by the donor; compare Numbers 22:15 note.