Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, August 24th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Numbers 23:2

Balak did what Balaam asked. Then Balak and Balaam killed a ram and a bull on each of the altars.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Thompson Chain Reference - Balaam;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Desert, Journey of Israel through the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Camp, Encampments;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Balaam;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Priest;   Sacrifice;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Balaam;   Balak;   Kibroth-Hattaavah;   Moab, Moabites;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Offering, Offering up;  

Encyclopedias:

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

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Balak did as Bil`am had spoken; and Balak and Bil`am offered on every altar a bull and a ram.
King James Version
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
Lexham English Bible
And Balak did just as Balaam spoke, and Balak offered Balaam a bull and a ram on the altar.
English Standard Version
Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.
New Century Version
Balak did what Balaam asked, and they offered a bull and a male sheep on each of the altars.
New English Translation
So Balak did just as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam then offered on each altar a bull and a ram.
Amplified Bible
Balak did just as Balaam had said, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
New American Standard Bible
Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Balak did as Balaam sayd, and Balak and Balaam offred on euery altar a bullocke and a ramme.
Legacy Standard Bible
So Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
Contemporary English Version
After Balak had done this, they sacrificed a bull and a ram on each altar.
Complete Jewish Bible
Balak did as Bil‘am said; then Balak and Bil‘am offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Darby Translation
And Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam offered up a bullock and a ram on [each] altar.
George Lamsa Translation
And Balak did as Balaam had told him; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
Good News Translation
Balak did as he was told, and he and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Christian Standard Bible®
So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Literal Translation
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken. And Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on the altar.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Balac dyd as Balaam sayde. And both Balac and Balaam offred, on euery altare a bullocke & a ramme.
American Standard Version
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
Bible in Basic English
And Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam made an offering on every altar of an ox and a male sheep.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Balac dyd as Balaam sayde: And Balac and Balaam offred on euery aulter an oxe and a ramme.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
King James Version (1611)
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken, and Balak & Balaam offered on euery altar a bullocke and a ramme.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Balac did as Balaam told him; and he offered up a calf and a ram on every altar.
English Revised Version
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
Berean Standard Bible
So Balak did as Balaam had directed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he hadde do bi the word of Balaam, thei puttiden a calf and a ram to gidere on the auter.
Young's Literal Translation
And Balak doth as Balaam hath spoken, and Balak -- Balaam also -- offereth a bullock and a ram on the altar,
Update Bible Version
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bull and a ram.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on [every] altar a bullock and a ram.
World English Bible
Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bull and a ram.
New King James Version
And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
New Living Translation
Balak followed his instructions, and the two of them sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar.
New Life Bible
Balak did as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam gave a bull and a ram on each altar in worship.
New Revised Standard
Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Balak did as Balaam had spoken, - and Balak and Balaam caused to ascend a bullock and a ram on each altar.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he had done according to the word of Balaam, they laid together a calf and a ram upon every altar.
Revised Standard Version
Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.
THE MESSAGE
Balak did it. Then Balaam and Balak sacrificed a bull and a ram on each of the altars.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

Contextual Overview

1 Balaam said, "Build seven altars here. And prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." 2 Balak did what Balaam asked. Then Balak and Balaam killed a ram and a bull on each of the altars. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here near this altar. I will go to another place. Then the Lord will come to me, and he will tell me what I must say." Then Balaam went away to a higher place. 4 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." 5 Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for Balak and said, "Go back to Balak and say the things that I have given you to say." 6 So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak was still standing near the altar, and all the leaders of Moab were standing there with them. 7 Then Balaam spoke, and this was his message: "Balak, the king of Moab, brought me here from the eastern mountains of Aram. Balak said to me, ‘Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, speak against the Israelites.' 8 But God is not against them, so I cannot speak against them either! The Lord has not asked for bad things to happen to these people. So I cannot do that either. 9 I see these people from the mountain. I see them from the high hills. They live alone. They are not part of another nation. 10 Who can count Jacob's people? They are as many as the grains of dust. No one can count even a fourth of the Israelites. Let me die like a good man. Let my life end as happy as theirs!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

offered: Numbers 23:14, Numbers 23:30

Reciprocal: Numbers 22:17 - and I will do Numbers 22:40 - General Numbers 23:29 - General 1 Chronicles 15:26 - bullocks Ezekiel 45:23 - seven bullocks

Cross-References

Genesis 13:18
So Abram moved his tents. He went to live near the big trees of Mamre. This was near the city of Hebron. There he built an altar to honor the Lord .
Genesis 23:14
Ephron answered Abraham,
Genesis 23:15
"Sir, listen to me. Ten pounds of silver mean nothing to you or me. Take the land and bury your dead wife."
Genesis 23:16
Abraham understood that Ephron was telling him the price of the land. So Abraham paid him for the land. He weighed out ten pounds of silver for Ephron and gave it to the merchant.
Genesis 23:19
After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of that field near Mamre (Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
Genesis 27:41
After that Esau hated Jacob because of this blessing. Esau said to himself, "My father will soon die, and after we are finished with that, I will kill Jacob."
Genesis 50:10
They went to Goren Atad, east of the Jordan River. There they had a long funeral service for Israel, which continued for seven days.
Numbers 13:22
They entered the country through the Negev and went to Hebron. (The town of Hebron was built seven years before the town of Zoan in Egypt.) Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai lived there. These men were descendants of Anak.
Numbers 20:29
All the Israelites learned that Aaron was dead. So everyone in Israel mourned for 30 days.
Deuteronomy 34:8
The Israelites cried for Moses for 30 days. They stayed in the Jordan Valley in Moab until the time of sadness was finished.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Balak did as Balaam had spoken,.... Ordered seven altars to be built, and prepared seven bullocks and rams for sacrifice:

and Balak and Balsam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram; both seem to be concerned in offering the sacrifices; Balak, though a king, it being usual for kings to be priests also, as Melchizedek was, and Balaam as a prophet; and these sacrifices were offered to the true God, as seems clear from Numbers 23:4 and to which Balak, at the direction of Balaam, agreed, in order to gain the Lord on his side, that he might prevail over the people of Israel.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile