Numbers 24

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Numbers 24

1And when Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he did not go according to his custom to meet the omens, but turned his face toward the wilderness.Καὶ ἰδὼν Βαλαὰμ ὅτι καλόν ἐστιν ἐναντίον Κυρίου εὐλογεῖν τὸν Ἰσραὴλ, οὐκ ἐπορεύθη κατὰ τὸ εἰωθὸς αὐτῷ εἰς συνάντησιν τοῖς οἰωνοῖς, καὶ ἀπέστρεψε τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ἔρημον.

2And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and sees Israel encamped by their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.Καὶ ἐξάρας Βαλαὰμ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, καθορᾷ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐστρατοπεδευκότα κατὰ φυλάς· καὶ ἐγένετο ἐπʼ αὐτῷ πνεῦμα Θεου.

3And he took up his parable and said, Balaam son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,Καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ, εἶπε, φησὶ Βαλαὰμ υἱοῖς Βεὼρ, φησὶν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀληθινῶς ὁρῶν,

4he says who hears the oracle of the Mighty One, who saw a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened:φησὶν ἀκούων λόγια ἰσχυροῦ, ὅστις ὅρασιν Θεοῦ εἶδεν ἐν ὕπνῳ· ἀποκεκαλυμμένοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ.

5How goodly are your habitations, Jacob, and your tents, Israel!Ὡς καλοὶ οἱ οἶκοί σου Ἰακὼβ, αἱ σκηναί σου Ἰσραήλ·

6as shady groves, and as gardens by a river, and as tents which God pitched, and as cedars by the waters.Ὡσεὶ νάπαι σκιάζουσαι, καὶ ὡσεὶ παράδεισοι ἐπὶ ποταμῷ, καὶ ὡσεὶ, σκηναὶ, ἃς ἔπηξε Κύριος, καί ὡσεὶ κέδροι παρʼ ὕδατα.

7There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased.Ἐξελεύσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ, καὶ κυριεύσει ἐθνῶν πολλῶν· καὶ ὑψωθήσεται ἡ Γὼγ βασιλεία, καὶ αὐξηθήσεται βασιλεία αὐτοῦ.

8God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn: he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall * drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy.Θεὸς ὡδήγησεν αὐτὸν ἐξ Αἰγύπτου· ὡς δόξα μονοκέρωτος αὐτῷ· ἔδεται ἔθνη ἐχθρῶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ πάχη αὐτῶν ἐκμυελιεῖ, καὶ ταῖς βολίσιν αὐτοῦ κατατοξεύσει ἐχθρόν.

9He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up? they that bless you are blessed, and they that curse you are cursed.Κατακλιθεὶς ἀνεπαύσατο ὡς λέων, καὶ ὡς σκύμνος· τίς ἀναστήσει αὐτόν· οἱ εὐλογοῦντές σε, εὐλόγηνται· καὶ οἱ καταρώμενοί σε, κεκατήρανται.

10And Balac was angry with Balaam, and clapped his hands together; and Balac said to Balaam, I called you to curse my enemy, and behold you have decidedly blessed him this third time.Καὶ ἐθυμώθη Βαλὰκ ἐπὶ Βαλαὰμ, καὶ συνεκρότησε ταῖς χερσὶν αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἶπε Βαλὰκ πρὸς Βαλαὰμ, καταρᾶσθαι τὸν ἐχθρόν μου κέκληκά σε, καὶ ἰδοὺ εὐλογῶν εὐλόγησας τρίτον τοῦτο.

11Now therefore flee to your place: I said, I will honor you, but now the Lord has deprived you of glory.Νῦν οὖν φεῦγε εἰς τὸν τόπον σου· εἶπα, τιμήσω σε, καὶ νῦν ἐστέρησέ σε Κύριος τῆς δόξης.

12And Balaam said to Balac, Did I not speak to your messengers also whom you sent to me, saying,Καὶ εἶπε Βαλαὰμ πρὸς Βαλὰκ, οὐχὶ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις σου οὓς ἀπέστειλας πρὸς με ἐλάλησα, λέγων,

13If Balac should give me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to † transgress the word of the Lord to make it good or bad by myself; whatever things God shall say, them will I speak.ἐάν μοι δῷ Βαλὰκ πλήρη τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ ἀργυρίου καὶ χρυσίου, οὐ δυνήσομαι παραβῆναι τὸ ῥῆμα Κυρίου ποιῆσαι αὐτὸ καλὸν ἤ πονηρὸν παρʼ ἐμαυτοῦ· ὅσα ἂν εἴπῃ ὁ Θεός, ταῦτα ἐρῶ.

14And now, behold, I return to my place; come, I will advise you of what this people shall do to your people in the last days.Καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ἀποτρέχω εἰς τὸν τόπον μου· δεῦρο, συμβουλεύσω σοι, τί ποιήσει ὁ λαὸς οὗτος τὸν λαόν σου ἐπʼ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν.

15And he took up his parable and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,Καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ, εἶπε,

16hearing the oracles of God, ‡ receiving knowledge from the Most High, and having seen a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were § opened.Φησὶ Βαλαὰμ υἱὸς Βεὼρ, φησὶν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἀληθινῶς ὁρῶν, ἀκούων λόγια Θεοῦ, ἐπιστάμενος ἐπιστήμην παρὰ ὑψίστου, καὶ ὅρασιν Θεοῦ ἰδὼν ἐν ὕπνῳ· ἀποκεκαλυμμένοι οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ.

17I will point to him, but not now; I bless him, but he draws not near: a star shall rise out of Jacob, a man shall spring out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and shall spoil all the sons of Seth.Δείξω αὐτῷ, καὶ οὐχὶ νῦν· μακαρίζω, καὶ οὐκ ἐγγίζει· ἀνατελεῖ ἄστρον ἐξ Ἰακὼβ, ἀναστήσεται ἄνθρωπος ἐξ Ἰσραήλ· καὶ θραύσει τοὺς ἀρχηγοὺς Μωὰβ, καῒ προνομεύσει πάντας υἱοὺς Σήθ.

18And Edom shall be an inheritance, and Esau his enemy shall be an inheritance of Israel, and Israel wrought valiantly.Καὶ ἔσται Ἐδὼμ κληρονομία, καὶ ἔσται κληρονομία Ἡσαῦ ὁ ἐχθρὸς αὐτοῦ· καὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἐποίησεν ἐν ἰσχύϊ.

19And one shall arise out of Jacob, and destroy out of the city him that escapes.Καὶ ἐξεγερθήσεται ἐξ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ ἀπολεῖ σωζόμενον ἐκ πόλεως.

20And having seen Amalec, he took up his parable and said, Amalec is the first of the nations; yet his seed shall perish.Καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Ἀμαλὴκ, καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν, ἀρχὴ ἐθνῶν Ἀμαλὴκ, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτῶν ἀπολεῖται.

21And having seen the Kenite, he took up his parable and said, your dwelling-place is strong; yet though you should put your nest in a rock,Καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Κεναῖον, καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν, ἰσχυρὰ ἡ κατοικία σου· καὶ ἐὰν θῇς ἐν πέτρᾳ τὴν νοσσίαν σου,

22and though Beor should have a ** skillfully contrived hiding-place, the Assyrians shall carry you away captive.καὶ ἐὰν γένηται τῷ Βεὼρ νοσσιὰ πανουργίας, Ἀσσύριοι αἰχμαλωτεύσουσί σε.

23And he looked upon Og, and took up his parable and said, Oh, oh, who shall live, when God shall †† do these things?Καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Ὢγ, καὶ ἀναλαβὼν τὴν παραβολὴν αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν, ὢ ὢ, τίς ζήσεται, ὅταν θῇ ταῦτα ὁ Θεός;

24And one shall come forth from the hands of the Citians, and shall afflict Assur, and shall afflict the ‡‡ Hebrews, and they shall perish together.Καὶ ἐξελεύσεται ἐκ χειρῶς Κιτιαίων, καὶ κακώσουσιν Ἀσσοὺρ, καὶ κακώσουσιν Ἐβραίους, καὶ αὐτοὶ ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἀπολοῦνται.

25And Balaam rose up and departed and returned to his place, and Balac went §§ to his own home.Καὶ ἀναστὰς Βαλαὰμ ἀπῆλθεν, ἀποστραφεὶς εἰς τὸν τόπον αὐτοῦ· καὶ Βαλὰκ ἀπῆλθε πρὸς ἑαυτόν.

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. 8*Gr. suck the marrow out of their fat bones
• v. 13†or, go beyond
• v. 16‡Gr. knowing knowledge
• v. 16§Or, unveiled
• v. 22**Gr. nest of cunning
• v. 23††Gr. put
• v. 24‡‡Or, men of Heber.
• v. 25§§Gr. q. d. chez lui