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Read the Bible

New Living Translation

Nehemiah 13:2

For they had not provided the Israelites with food and water in the wilderness. Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them, though our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Balaam;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Moabites;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Eliashib;   Marriage;   Tobiah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Balaam;   Samaria, samaritans;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ammon;   Balaam;   Mixed Multitude;   Tobiah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Nehemiah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Balaam;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Babylonish Captivity, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Balaam;   Hire;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Balaam;   Blessing and Cursing;   Moab;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
because they did not meet the Israelites with food and water. Instead, they hired Balaam against them to curse them, but our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Hebrew Names Version
because they didn't meet the children of Yisra'el with bread and with water, but hired Bil`am against them, to curse them: however our God turned the curse into a blessing.
King James Version
Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
English Standard Version
for they did not meet the people of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.
New Century Version
The Ammonites and Moabites had not welcomed the Israelites with food and water. Instead, they had hired Balaam to put a curse on Israel. (But our God turned the curse into a blessing.)
New English Translation
for they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but instead had hired Balaam to curse them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into blessing.)
Amplified Bible
because they did not meet the Israelites with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. Yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.
New American Standard Bible
because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
World English Bible
because they didn't meet the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: however our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: and our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Legacy Standard Bible
because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Berean Standard Bible
because they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but had hired Balaam to call down a curse against them (although our God had turned the curse into a blessing).
Contemporary English Version
This was because they had refused to give food and water to Israel and had hired Balaam to call down a curse on them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Complete Jewish Bible
because they did not supply the people of Isra'el with food and water, but hired Bil‘am against them to put a curse on them — although our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Darby Translation
because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and with water, and had hired Balaam against them, to curse them; but our God turned the curse into blessing.
Easy-to-Read Version
That law was written because those people didn't give the Israelites food and water. And they had paid Balaam to say a curse against the Israelites. But our God changed that curse and made it a blessing for us.
George Lamsa Translation
Because they did not meet the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Baalam to curse them; but our God turned his curses into blessings.
Good News Translation
This was because the people of Ammon and Moab did not give food and water to the Israelites on their way out of Egypt. Instead, they paid money to Balaam to curse Israel, but our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Lexham English Bible
because they did not come to meet the Israelites with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them in order to curse them—but our God changed the curse into a blessing.
Literal Translation
because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. But our God turned the curse to a blessing.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
because they mett not the children of Israel wt bred and water, and hyred Balaam against the, that he shulde curse them: neuertheles oure God turned ye curse in to a blessynge.
American Standard Version
because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Bible in Basic English
Because they did not give the children of Israel bread and water when they came to them, but got Balaam to put a curse on them: though the curse was turned into a blessing by our God.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them that he should curse them: and our God turned the curse into a blessing.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them; howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
King James Version (1611)
Because they met not the children of Israel with bread, and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
because they met not the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them: but our God turned the curse into a blessing.
English Revised Version
because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: howbeit our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for thei metten not the sones of Israel with breed and watir, and thei hiriden ayens the sones of Israel Balaam, for to curse hem; and oure God turnede the cursyng in to blessyng.
Update Bible Version
because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, to curse them: nevertheless our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Webster's Bible Translation
Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Baalam against them, that he should curse them: but our God turned the curse into a blessing.
New King James Version
because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.
New Life Bible
It was because they did not meet the sons of Israel with food and water, but paid Balaam to curse them. Yet our God turned the curse into good.
New Revised Standard
because they did not meet the Israelites with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them—yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
because they met not the sons of Israel, with bread and with water, - but hired against them Balaam, to curse them, although our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and water: and they hired against them Balaam, to curse them, and our God turned the curse into blessing.
Revised Standard Version
for they did not meet the children of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them--yet our God turned the curse into a blessing.
Young's Literal Translation
because they have not come before the sons of Israel with bread and with water, and hire against them Balaam to revile them, and our God turneth the reviling into a blessing.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
because they did not meet the sons of Israel with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them to curse them. However, our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Contextual Overview

1 On that same day, as the Book of Moses was being read to the people, the passage was found that said no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be permitted to enter the assembly of God. 2 For they had not provided the Israelites with food and water in the wilderness. Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them, though our God turned the curse into a blessing. 3 When this passage of the Law was read, all those of foreign descent were immediately excluded from the assembly. 4 Before this had happened, Eliashib the priest, who had been appointed as supervisor of the storerooms of the Temple of our God and who was also a relative of Tobiah, 5 had converted a large storage room and placed it at Tobiah's disposal. The room had previously been used for storing the grain offerings, the frankincense, various articles for the Temple, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil (which were prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers), as well as the offerings for the priests. 6 I was not in Jerusalem at that time, for I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty-second year of his reign, though I later asked his permission to return. 7 When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Eliashib's evil deed in providing Tobiah with a room in the courtyards of the Temple of God. 8 I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah's belongings out of the room. 9 Then I demanded that the rooms be purified, and I brought back the articles for God's Temple, the grain offerings, and the frankincense.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Because: Matthew 25:40

hired Balaam: Numbers 22:3-6, Joshua 24:9, Joshua 24:10

our God: Numbers 23:8-11, Numbers 23:18, Numbers 24:5-10, Deuteronomy 23:5, Psalms 109:28, Micah 6:5

Reciprocal: Numbers 22:5 - sent Numbers 22:6 - curse me Numbers 24:10 - I called Deuteronomy 23:3 - Ammonite Deuteronomy 23:4 - because they hired Proverbs 26:2 - so Jeremiah 49:1 - their king

Cross-References

Genesis 13:1
So Abram left Egypt and traveled north into the Negev, along with his wife and Lot and all that they owned.
Genesis 13:3
From the Negev, they continued traveling by stages toward Bethel, and they pitched their tents between Bethel and Ai, where they had camped before.
Genesis 13:9
The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I'll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I'll go to the left."
Genesis 13:10
Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan Valley in the direction of Zoar. The whole area was well watered everywhere, like the garden of the Lord or the beautiful land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Genesis 13:12
So Abram settled in the land of Canaan, and Lot moved his tents to a place near Sodom and settled among the cities of the plain.
Genesis 13:13
But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord .
Genesis 24:35
"And the Lord has greatly blessed my master; he has become a wealthy man. The Lord has given him flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, a fortune in silver and gold, and many male and female servants and camels and donkeys.
Deuteronomy 8:18
Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath.
1 Samuel 2:7
The Lord makes some poor and others rich; he brings some down and lifts others up.
Job 1:3
He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Because they met not the children of Israel with bread,.... The same reason is given, and what follows in this verse is observed in

Deuteronomy 23:4;

Deuteronomy 23:4- : Deuteronomy 23:4- :.


 
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