1Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice.”
2So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar.
3Then Balaam said to Balak, “You stand here close to your burned offerings, and I will go and ask Yahweh if he has something else to tell me. Then I will tell you what he says to me.”
4and God appeared to him there. Balaam said to him, “We have built seven altars, and I have killed and burned a young bull and a ram as a sacrifice to you on each altar.”
5Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
6When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned on the altar.
7This is the message that Balaam told them:
8But ◄how can I curse people whom God has not cursed?/I certainly cannot curse people whom God has not cursed!► [RHQ]
9I have seen them from the tops of the rocky peaks.
10◄Who can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of <dust/dirt>?/No one can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of <dust/dirt>!► [RHQ]
11Then Balak said, “What have you done to me [RHQ]? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead you have ◄blessed them/asked Yahweh to bless them►!”
12But Balaam replied, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
13Then King Balak told Balaam, “Come with me to another place. There you will see only part of the Israeli people, and you will be able to curse those people for me.”
14So Balak took Balaam to a field on the top of Pisgah Mountain. There, again he built seven altars and offered a young bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar.
15Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
16So Balaam did that, and Yahweh appeared to Balaam again and gave him another message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and tell him that message.”
17So Balaam returned to where the king and the leaders from Moab were standing, next to the altar where Balak had burned the sacrifices. Balak asked him, “What did Yahweh say?”
18Then Balaam told him this message:
19God is not a human being.
20He commanded me to request him to bless the Israelis,
21Yahweh their God is with/helping them;
22God brought them out of Egypt where they were slaves;
23When people curse [PRS] the descendants of Jacob, they will not be harmed;
24They are very strong, like lionesses that are ready to attack other animals;
25Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you will not curse them, then I certainly do not want you to bless them!”
26But Balaam replied, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to do!”
27Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to allow you to curse them from that place.”
28So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor Mountain where they could look down and see the Israelis in the desert.
29Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice.”
30So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.