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Thursday, August 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Brenton's Septuagint

Numbers 23:25

And Balac said to Balaam, Neither curse the people at all for me, nor bless them at all.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Thompson Chain Reference - Balaam;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Balaam;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Balak;   Kibroth-Hattaavah;   Moab, Moabites;   Prophecy, Prophets;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - On to Canaan;   Moses, the Man of God;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Balak said to Bil`am, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
King James Version
And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
Lexham English Bible
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all, nor bless them at all!"
English Standard Version
And Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all."
New Century Version
Then Balak said to Balaam, "You haven't cursed these people, so at least don't bless them!"
New English Translation
Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"
Amplified Bible
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"
New American Standard Bible
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Balak sayde vnto Balaam, Neither curse, nor blesse them at all.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!"
Contemporary English Version
Balak shouted, "If you're not going to curse Israel, then at least don't bless them."
Complete Jewish Bible
Balak said to Bil‘am, "Obviously, you won't curse them. But at least don't bless them!"
Darby Translation
And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Balak said to Balaam, "You didn't ask for good things to happen to these people, but you didn't ask for bad things to happen to them either!"
George Lamsa Translation
Then Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
Good News Translation
Then Balak said to Balaam, "You refuse to curse the people of Israel, but at least don't bless them!"
Christian Standard Bible®
Then Balak told Balaam, “Don’t curse them and don’t bless them!”
Literal Translation
And Balak said to Balaam, Do not curse it at all, nor bless it at all.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde Balac vnto Balaam: Thou shalt nether curse him ner blesse him.
American Standard Version
And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
Bible in Basic English
Then Balak said to Balaam, If you will not put a curse on them, at all events do not give them a blessing.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Balac sayde vnto Balaam: Neither curse them, nor blesse them at all.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Balak said unto Balaam: 'Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.'
King James Version (1611)
And Balak said vnto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor blesse them at all.
English Revised Version
And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Balach seide to Balaam, Nether curse thou, nether blesse thou hym.
Young's Literal Translation
And Balak saith unto Balaam, `Neither pierce it at all, nor bless it at all;'
Update Bible Version
And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
World English Bible
Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
New King James Version
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!"
New Living Translation
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Fine, but if you won't curse them, at least don't bless them!"
New Life Bible
Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all or pray that good would come to them!"
New Revised Standard
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Balak unto Balaam, Thou shalt neither revile, him, - nor bless him.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Balac said to Balaam: Neither curse, nor bless him.
Revised Standard Version
And Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all."
THE MESSAGE
Balak said to Balaam, "Well, if you can't curse them, at least don't bless them."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!"

Contextual Overview

13 And Balac said to him, Come yet with me to another place where thou shalt not see the people, but only thou shalt see a part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence. 14 And he took him to a high place of the field to the top of the quarried rock, and he built there seven altars, and offered a calf and a ram on every altar. 15 And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will go to enquire of God. 16 And God met Balaam, and put a word into his mouth, and said, return to Balac, and thus shalt thou speak. 17 And he returned to him: and he also was standing by his whole-burnt-sacrifice, and all the princes of Moab with him; and Balac said to him, What has the Lord spoken? 18 And he took up his parable, and said, rise up, Balac, and hear; hearken as a witness, thou son of Sepphor. 19 God is not as man to waver, nor as the son of man to be threatened; shall he say and not perform? shall he speak and not keep to his word? 20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: I will bless, and not turn back. 21 There shall not be trouble in Jacob, neither shall sorrow be seen in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, the glories of rulers are in him. 22 It was God who brought him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 2:1-3

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 9:28 - the charge

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Balak said unto Balaam, neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. Signifying that it would be as well or better to do nothing at all, than to do what he did; but the sense is not, that he would not have him curse them, that he could never say, since he had pressed it both before and after this; wherefore the words should be rendered, as they are by some p, "if in cursing thou dost not curse", or will not curse, "neither in blessing bless", or, however, do not bless: if he could not or would not curse Israel, he would not have him bless them on any account; if he could do him and his people no good in ridding them of their enemies, yet he desires him by no means to do them any harm by discouraging them and encouraging Israel.

p So Fagius, Vatablus; with which agree the Arabic version, and Noldius, p. 221. No. 1024.


 
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