24

1When Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he didn’t go, as at the other times, to use divination, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came on him. 3He took up his parable, and said,

“Balaam the son of Beor says,

the man whose eyes are open says;

4he says, who hears the words of God,

who sees the vision of the Almighty,

falling down, and having his eyes open:

5How goodly are your tents, Jacob,

and your dwellings, Israel!

6As valleys they are spread out,

as gardens by the riverside,

as aloes which Yahweh has planted,

as cedar trees beside the waters.

7Water shall flow from his buckets.

His seed shall be in many waters.

His king shall be higher than Agag.

His kingdom shall be exalted.

8God brings him out of Egypt.

He has as it were the strength of the wild ox.

He shall consume the nations his adversaries,

shall break their bones in pieces,

and pierce them with his arrows.

9He couched, he lay down as a lion,

as a lioness;

who shall rouse him up?

Everyone who blesses you is blessed.

Everyone who curses you is cursed.”

10Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times. 11Therefore, flee to your place, now! I thought to promote you to great honor; but, behold, Yahweh has kept you back from honor.”

12Balaam said to Balak, “Didn’t I also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can’t go beyond Yahweh’s word, to do either good or bad from my own mind. I will say what Yahweh says’? 14Now, behold, I go to my people. Come, I will inform you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days.”

15He took up his parable, and said,

“Balaam the son of Beor says,

the man whose eyes are open says;

16he says, who hears the words of God,

knows the knowledge of the Most High,

and who sees the vision of the Almighty,

falling down, and having his eyes open:

17I see him, but not now.

I see him, but not near.

A star will come out of Jacob.

A scepter will rise out of Israel,

and shall strike through the corners of Moab,

and crush all the sons of Sheth.

18Edom shall be a possession.

Seir, his enemy, also shall be a possession,

while Israel does valiantly.

19Out of Jacob shall one have dominion,

and shall destroy the remnant from the city.”

20He looked at Amalek, and took up his parable, and said,

“Amalek was the first of the nations,

but his latter end shall come to destruction.”

21He looked at the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said,

“Your dwelling place is strong.

Your nest is set in the rock.

22Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted,

until Asshur carries you away captive.”

23He took up his parable, and said,

“Alas, who shall live when God does this?

24But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim.

They shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber.

He also shall come to destruction.”

25Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.

25

1Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab; 2for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods. The people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3Israel joined himself to Baal Peor, and Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel. 4Yahweh said to Moses, “Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to Yahweh before the sun, that the fierce anger of Yahweh may turn away from Israel.”

5Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Everyone kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor.”

6Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting. 7When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the middle of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand. 8He went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stopped among the children of Israel. 9Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

10Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 11“Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I didn’t consume the children of Israel in my jealousy. 12Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace. 13It shall be to him, and to his offspring after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.’”

14Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers’ house among the Simeonites. 15The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur. He was head of the people of a fathers’ house in Midian.

16Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 17“Harass the Midianites, and strike them; 18for they harassed you with their wiles, wherein they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the incident regarding Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor.”