Balak means “waster.”
| Bemiḏbar (Numbers) 22:2-25:9 |
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) Chapter 22
2 Now Balaq son of Tsippor saw all that Yasharal had done to the Amorites, 3 and Mo’aḇ was terrified of the people because they were numerous. Indeed, Mo’aḇ dreaded the Yasharalites. 4 So the Mo’aḇites said to the elders of Miḏyan, “This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.”
Since Balaq son of Tsippor was king of Mo’aḇ at that time, 5 he sent messengers to summon
Bil‛am son of Be‛or at Pethor, which is by the river in the land of his people.
“Behold, a people has come out of Mitsrayim,” said Balaq. “They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 So please come now and put a curse on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.”
7 The elders of Mo’aḇ and Miḏyan departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Bil‛am and relayed to him the words of Balaq.
8 “Spend the night here,” Bil‛am replied, “and I will give you the answer that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 speaks to me.” So the princes of Mo’aḇ stayed with Bil‛am.
9 Then Alahym came to Bil‛am and asked, “Who are these men with you?”
10 And Bil‛am said to Alahym, “Balaq son of Tsippor, king of Mo’aḇ, sent me this message: 11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Mitsrayim, and they cover the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.’ ”
12 But Alahym said to Bil‛am, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”
13 So Bil‛am got up the next morning and said to Balaq’s princes, “Go back to your homeland, because 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has refused to let me go with you.”
14 And the princes of Mo’aḇ arose, returned to Balaq, and said, “Bil‛am refused to come with us.”
15 Then Balaq sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first
messengers. 16 They came to Bil‛am and said, “This is what Balaq son of Tsippor says: ‘Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, 17 for I will honor you richly and do whatever you say. So please come and put a curse on this people for me!’ ”
18 But Bil‛am replied to the servants of Balaq, “If Balaq were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything small or great to go beyond the command of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 my Alahym. 19 So now, please stay here overnight as the others did, that I may find out what else 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has to tell me.”
20 That night Alahym came to Bil‛am and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.” 21 So in the morning Bil‛am got up, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Mo’aḇ.
The Malak and Bil‛am’s Donkey
22 Then Alahym’s anger was kindled because Bil‛am was going along, and the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 stood in the road to oppose him. Bil‛am was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
23 When the donkey saw the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into a field. So Bil‛am beat her to return her to the path.
24 Then the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 stood in a narrow passage between two vineyards, with walls on either side. 25 And the donkey saw the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and pressed herself against the wall, crushing Bil‛am’s foot against it. So he beat her once again.
26 And the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or left. 27 When the donkey saw the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, she lay down under Bil‛am, and he became furious and beat her with his staff.
28 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Bil‛am, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”
29 Bil‛am answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!”
30 But the donkey said to Bil‛am, “Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?”
“No,” he replied.
31 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 opened Bil‛am’s eyes, and he saw the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. And Bil‛am bowed low and fell facedown.
32 The Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now I would surely have killed you and let her live.”
34 “I have sinned,” Bil‛am said to the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, “for I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is displeasing in your sight, I will go back home.”
35 But the Messenger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Bil‛am, “Go with the men, but you are to speak only what I tell you.” So Bil‛am went with the princes of Balaq.
36 When Balaq heard that Bil‛am was coming, he went out to meet him at the Mo’aḇite city on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. 37 And he said to Bil‛am, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to reward you richly?”
38 “See, I have come to you,” Bil‛am replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that Alahym puts in my mouth.”
39 So Bil‛am accompanied Balaq, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 Balaq sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he gave portions to Bil‛am and the princes who were with him.
41 The next morning, Balaq took Bil‛am and brought him up to the high places of Ba‛al. From there he could see the outskirts of the camp of the people.
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) Chapter 23
Balaam’s First Oracle
1 Then Bil‛am said to Balaq, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
2 So Balaq did as Bil‛am had instructed, and Balaq and Bil‛am offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Bil‛am said to Balaq. “Perhaps 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.”
So Bil‛am went off to a barren height, 4 and Alahym met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Bil‛am said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 put a message in Bil‛am’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balaq and give him this message.”
6 So he returned to Balaq, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Mo’aḇ.
7 And Bil‛am lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Balaq brought me from Aram,
the king of Mo’aḇ from the mountains of the east.
‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Ya‛aqoḇ for me;
come and denounce Yasharal!’
8 How can I curse those whom Alahym has not cursed?
How can I denounce those whom 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has not denounced?
9 For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
Behold, a people dwelling apart,
not reckoning themselves among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Ya‛aqoḇ
or number even a fourth of Yasharal?
Let me die the death of the righteous;
let my end be like theirs!”
11 Then Balaq said to Bil‛am, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”
12 But Bil‛am replied, “Should I not speak exactly what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 puts in my mouth?”
Bil‛am’s Second Oracle
13 Then Balaq said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”
14 So Balaq took him to the field of Tsophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Bil‛am said to Balaq, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 over there.”
16 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 met with Bil‛am and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balaq and speak what I tell you.”
17 So he returned to Balaq, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Mo’aḇ.
“What did 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 say?” Balaq asked.
18 Then Bil‛am lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Arise, O Balaq, and listen;
give ear to me, O son of Tsippor.
19 Alahym is not a man, that He should lie,
or a son of man, that He should change His mind.
Does He speak and not act?
Does He promise and not fulfill?
20 I have indeed received a command to bless;
He has blessed, and I cannot change it.
21 He considers no disaster for Ya‛aqoḇ;
He sees no trouble for Yasharal.
𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 their Alahym is with them,
and the shout of the King is among them.
22 Alahym brought them out of Mitsrayim
with strength like a wild ox.
23 For there is no spell against Ya‛aqoḇ
and no divination against Yasharal.
It will now be said of Ya‛aqoḇ and Yasharal,
‘What great things Alahym has done!’
24 Behold, the people rise like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion,
not resting until they devour their prey
and drink the blood of the slain.”
25 Now Balaq said to Bil‛am, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 But Bil‛am replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 says, I must do?”
27 “Please come,” said Balaq, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please Alahym that you curse them for me from there.”
28 And Balaq took Bil‛am to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.
29 Then Bil‛am said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
30 So Balaq did as Bil‛am had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) Chapter 24
Bil‛am’s Third Oracle
1 And when Bil‛am saw that it pleased 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 to bless Yasharal, he did not seek omens as on previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness. 2 When Bil‛am looked up and saw Yasharal encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of Alahym came upon him, 3 and he lifted up an oracle, saying:
“This is the prophecy of Bil‛am son of Be‛or,
the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of Alahym,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:
5 How lovely are your tents, O Ya‛aqoḇ,
your dwellings, O Yasharal!
6 They spread out like palm groves,
like gardens beside a stream,
like aloes 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has planted,
like cedars beside the waters.
7 Water will flow from his buckets,
and his seed will have abundant water.
His king will be greater than Agag,
and his kingdom will be exalted.
8 Alahym brought him out of Mitsrayim
with strength like a wild ox,
to devour hostile nations and crush their bones,
to pierce them with arrows.
9 He crouches, he lies down like a lion,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
Blessed are those who bless you
and cursed are those who curse you.”
Balaq Dismisses Bil‛am
10 Then Balaq’s anger burned against Bil‛am, and he struck his hands together and said to Bil‛am, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times. 11 Therefore, flee at once to your home! I said I would reward you richly, but instead 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has denied your reward.”
12 Bil‛am answered Balaq, “Did I not already tell the messengers you sent me 13 that even if Balaq were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄? I must speak whatever 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 says. 14 Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”
Bil‛am’s Fourth Oracle
15 Then Bil‛am lifted up an oracle, saying,
“This is the prophecy of Bil‛am son of Be‛or,
the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words of Alahym,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:
17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come forth from Ya‛aqoḇ,
and a scepter will arise from Yasharal.
He will crush the skulls of Mo’aḇ
and strike down all the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will become a possession,
as will Seir, his enemy;
but Yasharal will perform with valor.
19 A ruler will come from Ya‛aqoḇ
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Bil‛am’s Final Three Oracles
20 Then Bil‛am saw Amalěq and lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Amalěq was first among the nations,
but his end is destruction.”
21 Next he saw the Qěynites and lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Your dwelling place is secure,
and your nest is set in a cliff.
22 Yet Qayin will be destroyed
when Asshur takes you captive.”
23 Once more Bil‛am lifted up an oracle, saying:
“Ah, who can live
unless Alahym has ordained it?
24 Ships will come from the coasts of Kittim;
they will subdue Asshur and Ěḇer,
but they too will perish forever.”
25 Then Bil‛am arose and returned to his homeland, and Balaq also went on his way.
Bemiḏbar (Numbers) Chapter 25
Mo’aḇ Seduces Yasharal (1 Corinthians 10:1–13)
1 While Yasharal was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Mo’aḇ, 2 who also invited them to the sacrifices for their idols. And the people ate and bowed down to these idols. 3 So Yasharal joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 burned against them.
4 Then 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 said to Moshe, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Yasharal.”
5 So Moshe told the judges of Yasharal, “Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor.”
The Zeal of Phinehas
6 Just then an Yasharalite man brought to his family a Miḏyanite woman in the sight of Moshe and the whole congregation of Yasharal while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 7 On seeing this, Pineḥas son of El‛azar, the son of Aharon the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, 8 followed the Yasharalite into his tent, and drove the spear through both of them—through the Yasharalite and on through the belly of the woman.
So the plague against the Yasharalites was halted, 9 but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
| Miḵah (Micah) 5:6-6:8 |
Miḵah (Micah) Chapter 5
A Ruler from Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1–12)
6 And they will rule the land of Ashshur with the sword,
and the land of Nimroḏ with the blade drawn.
So He will deliver us
when Assyria invades our land
and marches into our borders.
The Remnant of Jacob (Micah 2:12–13)
7 Then the remnant of Ya‛aqoḇ will be
in the midst of many peoples
like dew from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄,
like showers on the grass,
which do not wait for man
or linger for mankind.
8 Then the remnant of Ya‛aqoḇ will be among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples,
like a lion among the beasts of the forest,
like a young lion among flocks of sheep,
which tramples and tears as it passes through,
with no one to rescue them.
9 Your hand will be lifted over your foes,
and all your enemies will be cut off.
10 “In that day,”
declares 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄,
“I will remove your horses from among you
and wreck your chariots.
11 I will remove the cities of your land
and tear down all your strongholds.
12 I will cut the sorceries from your hand,
and you will have no fortune-tellers.
13 I will also cut off the carved images
and sacred pillars from among you,
so that you will no longer bow down
to the work of your own hands.
14 I will root out the Ashěrim from your midst
and demolish your cities.
15 I will take vengeance in anger and wrath
upon the nations that have not obeyed Me.”
Miḵah (Micah) Chapter 6
1 Hear now what 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 says:
“Arise, plead your case before the mountains,
and let the hills hear your voice.
2 Hear, O mountains, 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄’s indictment,
you enduring foundations of the earth.
For 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 has a case against His people,
and He will argue it against Yasharal:
3 ‘My people, what have I done to you?
Witness against Me how I have wearied you!
4 For I brought you up from the land of Mitsrayim
and redeemed you from the house of slavery.
I sent Moshe before you,
as well as Aharon and Maryam.
5 My people, remember what Balaq sovereign of Mo’aḇ counselled, and what Bil‛am son of Be‛or answered.
Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal,
so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄.’ ”
6 With what shall I come before 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄
when I bow before Alahym on high?
Should I come to Him with burnt offerings,
with year-old calves?
7 Would 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousand rivers of oil?
Shall I present my firstborn for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good.
And what does 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 require of you
but to act justly, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your Alahym?
| Romiyim (Romans) 11:25-32 |
Romiyim (Romans) Chapter 11
All Yasharal Will Be Saved
25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Yasharal, until the full number of the nations has come in. 26 And so all Yasharal will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come from Tsiyon;
He will remove wickedness from Ya‛aqoḇ.
27 And this is My covenant with them
when I take away their sins.”
28 Regarding the Good News, they are enemies on your account; but regarding election, they are loved on account of the patriarchs. 29 For Alahym’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.
30 Just as you who formerly disobeyed Alahym have now received mercy through their disobedience, 31 so they too have now disobeyed, in order that they too may now receive mercy through the mercy shown to you. 32 For Alahym has consigned everyone to disobedience so that He may have mercy on everyone.
