Study Desk

Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!"

And the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak."

And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, "What has the Lord spoken?"

And Balaam took up his discourse and said, "Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor:

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness.

And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. And the Spirit of God came upon him,

and he took up his discourse and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

the oracle of him who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:

Water shall flow from his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters; his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted.

God brings him out of Egypt and is for him like the horns of the wild ox; he shall eat up the nations, his adversaries, and shall break their bones in pieces and pierce them through with his arrows.

And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times.

‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord , to do either good or bad of my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak'?

And he took up his discourse and said, "The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,

the oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down with his eyes uncovered:

Edom shall be dispossessed; Seir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly.

Then he looked on Amalek and took up his discourse and said, "Amalek was the first among the nations, but its end is utter destruction."

And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, "Enduring is your dwelling place, and your nest is set in the rock.

And he took up his discourse and said, "Alas, who shall live when God does this?

Then Balaam rose and went back to his place. And Balak also went his way.