Numbers 23

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Numbers 23

1And Balaam said to Balac, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven calves, and seven rams.Καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ τῷ Βαλὰκ οἰκοδόμησόν μοι ἐνταῦθα ἑπτὰ βωμοὺς, καὶ ἐτοίμασόν μοι ἐνταῦθα ἑπτὰ μόσχους, καὶ ἑπτὰ κριούς.

2And Balac did as Balaam told him; and he offered up a calf and a ram on every altar.Καὶ ἐποίησε Βαλὰκ ὃν τρόπον εἶπεν αὐτῷ Βαλαάμ· καὶ ἀνήνεγκε μόσχον καὶ κριὸν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμόν.

3And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by your sacrifice, and I will go and see if God * will appear to me and meet me, and the word which he shall show me, I will report to you. And Balac stood by his sacrifice.Καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ πρὸς Βαλὰκ, παράστηθι ἐπὶ τῆς θυσίας σου, καὶ πορεύσομαι εἴ μοι φανεῖται ὁ Θεὸς ἐν συναντήσει, καὶ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐάν μοι δείξῃ, ἀναγγελῶ σοι· καὶ παρέστη Βαλὰκ ἐπὶ τῆς θυσίας αὐτοῦ.

4And 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.Καὶ Βαλαὰμ ἐπορεύθη ἐπερωτῆσαι τὸν Θεόν· καὶ ἐπορεύθη εὐθεῖαν· καὶ ἐφάνη ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Βαλαὰμ· καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν Βαλαάμ, τοὺς ἑπτὰ βωμοὺς ἡτοίμασα, καὶ ἀνεβίβασα μόσχον καὶ κριὸν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμόν.

5And God put a word into the mouth of Balaam, and said, you shall return to Balac, and thus shall you speak.Καὶ ἐνέβαλεν ὁ Θεὸς ῥῆμα εἰς τὸ στόμα Βαλαὰμ, καὶ εἶπεν, ἐπιστραφεὶς πρὸς Βαλὰκ, οὕτω λαλήσεις.

6And he returned to him, and moreover he stood over his whole burnt offerings, and all the princes of Moab with him; and the Spirit of God came upon him.Καὶ ἀπεστράφη πρὸς αὐτόν· καὶ ὁ δὲ ἐφιστήκει ἐπὶ τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες Μωὰβ μετʼ αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἐγενήθη πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ.

7And he took up his parable, and said, Balac king of Moab sent for me out of Mesopotamia, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and Come, call for a curse for me upon Israel.Καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν ἐκ Μεσοποταμίας μετεπέμψατό με Βαλὰκ βασιλεὺς Μωὰβ ἐξ ὀρέων ἀπʼ ἀνατολῶν, λέγων, δεῦρο ἄρασαί μοι τὸν Ἰακώβ, καὶ δεῦρο ἐπικατάρασαί μοι τὸν Ἰσραήλ.

8How can I curse whom the Lord curses not? or how can I devote whom God devotes not?Τί ἀράσωμαι ὃν μὴ ἀρᾶται Κύριος; ἢ τί καταράσωμαι ὃν μὴ καταρᾶται ὁ Θεός;

9For from the top of the mountains I shall see him, and from the hills I shall observe him: behold, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.Ὅτι ἀπὸ κορυφῆς ὀρέων ὄψομαι αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπὸ βουνῶν προσνοήσω αὐτόν· ἰδοὺ λαὸς μόνος κατοικήσει, καὶ ἐν ἔθνεσιν οὐ συλλογισθήσεται.

10Who has exactly calculated the seed of Jacob, and who shall number the families of Israel? let my soul die with the souls of the righteous, and let my seed be as their seed.Τίς ἐξηκριβάσατο τὸ σπέρμα Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τίς ἐξαριθμήσεται δήμους Ἰσραήλ; ἀποθάνοι ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν ψυχαῖς δικαίων, καὶ γένοιτο τὸ σπέρμα μου ὡς τὸ σπέρμα τούτων.

11And Balac said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I called you to curse my enemies, and behold you have greatly blessed them.Καὶ εἶπε Βαλὰκ πρὸς Βαλαὰμ, τί πεποίηκάς μοι; εἰς κατάρασιν ἐχθρῶν μου κέκληκά σε, καὶ ἰδοὺ εὐλόγηκας εὐλογίαν.

12And Balaam said to Balac, Whatsoever the Lord shall put into my mouth, shall I not take heed to speak this?Καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ πρὸς Βαλὰκ, οὐχὶ ὅσα ἂν ἐμβάλῃ ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸ στόμα μου, τοῦτο φυλάξω λαλῆσαι;

13And Balac said to him, Come yet with me to another place where you shall not see † the people, but only you shall see a part of them, and shall not see them all; and curse me them from thence.Καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν Βαλὰκ, δεῦρο ἔτι μετʼ ἐμοῦ εἰς τόπον ἄλλον ἐξ οὗ οὐκ ὄψει αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν, ἀλλʼ ἢ μέρος τι αὐτοῦ ὄψει, πάντας δὲ οὐ μὴ ἴδῃς, καὶ κατάρασαί μοι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν.

14And 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.Καὶ παρέλαβεν αὐτὸν εἰς ἀγροῦ σκοπιὰν ἐπὶ κορυφὴν λελαξευμένου· καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν ἐκεῖ ἑπτὰ βωμοὺς, καὶ ἀνεβίβασε μόσχον καὶ κριὸν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμόν.

15And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by your sacrifice, and I will go to enquire of God.Καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ πρὸς Βαλὰκ, παράστηθι ἐπὶ τῆς θυσίας σου, ἐγὼ δὲ πορεύσομαι ἐπερωτῆσαι τὸν Θεόν.

16And God met Balaam, and put a word into his mouth, and said, return to Balac, and thus shall you speak.Καὶ συνήντησεν ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Βαλαὰμ, καὶ ἐνέβαλε ῥῆμα εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν, ἀποστράφηθι πρὸς Βαλὰκ, καὶ τάδε λαλήσεις.

17And 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?Καὶ ἀπεστράφη πρὸς αὐτόν· καὶ ὁ δὲ ἐφειστήκει ἐπὶ τῆς ὁλοκαυτώσεως αὐτοῦ, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἄρχοντες Μωὰβ μετʼ αὐτοῦ· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Βαλὰκ, τί ἐλάλησε Κύριος;

18And he took up his parable, and said, rise up, Balac, and hear; listen as a witness, you son of Sepphor.Καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν, ἀνάστηθι Βαλὰκ, καὶ ἄκουε, ἐνώτισαι μάρτυς υἱὸς Σεπφώρ.

19God 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?Οὐχ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ὁ Θεὸς διαρτηθῆναι, οὐδʼ ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἀπειληθῆναι, αὐτὸς εἴπας, οὐχὶ ποιήσει; λαλήσει, καὶ οὐχὶ ἐμμενεῖ;

20Behold, I have received commandment to bless: I will bless, and not turn back.Ἰδοὺ εὐλογεῖν παρείλημμαι· εὐλογήσω, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀποστρέψω.

21There 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.Οὐκ ἔσται μόχθος ἐν Ἰακὼβ, οὐδὲ ὀφθήσεται πόνος ἐν Ἰσραήλ· Κύριος ὁ θεὸς αὐτοῦ μετʼ αὐτοῦ, τὰ ἔνδοξα ἀρχόντων ἐν αὐτῷ.

22It was God who brought him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn.Θεὸς ὁ ἐξαγαγὼν αὐτὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου, ὡς δόξα μονοκέρωτος αὐτῷ.

23For there is no divination ‡ in Jacob, nor enchantment in Israel; in season it shall be told to Jacob and Israel § what God shall perform.Οὐ γάρ ἐστιν οἰωνισμὸς ἐν Ἰακὼβ, οὐδὲ μαντεία ἐν Ἰσραήλ· κατὰ καιρὸν ῥηθήσεται Ἰακὼβ, καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ, τί ἐπιτελέσει ὁ Θεός;

24Behold, the people shall rise up as a lion's whelp, and shall exalt himself as a lion; he shall not lie down till he have eaten the prey, and he shall drink the blood of the slain.Ἰδοὺ λαὸς ὡς σκύμνος ἀναστήσεται, καὶ ὡς λέων γαυρωθήσεται· οὐ κοιμηθήσεται ἕως φάγῃ θήραν, καὶ αἷμα τραυματιῶν πίεται.

25And Balac said to Balaam, Neither curse ** the people at all for me, nor bless them at all.Καὶ εἶπε Βαλὰκ πρὸς Βαλαὰμ, οὔτε κατάραις καταράσῃ μοι αὐτὸν, οὔτε εὐλογῶν μὴ εὐλογήσῃς αὐτόν.

26And Balaam answered and said to Balac, Spoke I not to you, saying, Whatsoever thing God shall speak to me, that will I do?Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς Βαλαὰμ, εἶπε τῷ Βαλὰκ, οὐκ ἐλάλησά σοι, λέγων, τὸ ῥῆμα ὃ ἐὰν λαλήσῃ ὁ Θεὸς, τοῦτο ποιήσω;

27And Balac said to Balaam, Come and I will remove you to another place, if it shall please God, and curse me them from thence.Καὶ εἶπε Βαλὰκ πρὸς Βαλαὰμ, δεῦρο παραλάβω σε εἰς τόπον ἄλλον, εἰ ἀρέσει τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ κατάρασαί μοι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖθεν.

28And Balac took Balaam to the top of Phogor, which extends to the wilderness.Καὶ παρέλαβε Βαλὰκ τὸν Βαλαὰμ ἐπὶ κορυφὴν τοῦ Φογὼρ, τὸ παρατεῖνον εἰς τὴν ἔρημον.

29And Balaam said to Balac, build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven calves, and seven rams.Καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ πρὸς Βαλὰκ, οἰκοδόμησόν μοι ὧδε ἑπτὰ βωμοὺς, καὶ ἑτοίμασόν μοι ὧδε ἑπτὰ μόσχους, καὶ ἑπτὰ κριούς.

30And Balac did as Balaam told him, and offered a calf and a ram on every altar.Καὶ ἐποίησε Βαλὰκ καθάπερ εἶπεν αὐτῷ Βαλαάμ, καί ἀνήνεγκε μόσχον καὶ κριὸν ἐπὶ τὸν βωμόν.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 3*Gr. appear to me in meeting
• v. 13†Gr. him or it
• v. 23‡against
• v. 23§or, what shall God perform?
• v. 25**Gr. him.