Numbers · Young's Literal Translation
Numbers 24 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 And Balaam seeth that [it is] good in the eyes of Jehovah to bless Israel, and he hath not gone as time by time to meet enchantments, and he setteth towards the wilderness his face;
1 When 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.
2 and Balaam lifteth up his eyes, and seeth Israel tabernacling, by its tribes, and the Spirit of God is upon him,
2 Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came on him.
3 and he taketh up his simile, and saith: 'An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor — And an affirmation of the man whose eyes are shut —
3 He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eyes are open says;
4 An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God — Who a vision of the Almighty seeth, Falling — and eyes uncovered:
4 he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:
5 How good have been thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel;
5 How goodly are your tents, Jacob, and your dwellings, Israel!
6 As valleys they have been stretched out, As gardens by a river; As aloes Jehovah hath planted, As cedars by waters;
6 As valleys they are spread out, as gardens by the riverside, as aloes which Yahweh has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters.
7 He maketh water flow from his buckets, And his seed [is] in many waters; And higher than Agag [is] his king, And exalted is his kingdom.
7 Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted.
8 God is bringing him out of Egypt; As the swiftness of a Reem is to him, He eateth up nations his adversaries, And their bones he breaketh, And [with] his arrows he smiteth,
8 God 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.
9 He hath bent, he hath lain down as a lion, And as a lioness: who doth raise him up? He who is blessing thee [is] blessed, And he who is cursing thee [is] cursed.'
9 He 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.”
10 And the anger of Balak burneth against Balaam, and he striketh his hands; and Balak saith unto Balaam, 'To pierce mine enemies I called thee, and lo, thou hast certainly blessed — these three times;
10 Balak’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.
11 and now, flee for thyself unto thy place; I have said, I do greatly honour thee, and lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honour.'
11 Therefore, flee to your place, now! I thought to promote you to great honor; but, behold, Yahweh has kept you back from honor.”
12 And Balaam saith unto Balak, 'Did I not also unto thy messengers whom thou hast sent unto me, speak, saying,
12 Balaam said to Balak, “Didn’t I also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,
13 If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah, to do good or evil of mine own heart — that which Jehovah speaketh — it I speak?
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’?
14 and, now, lo, I am going to my people; come, I counsel thee [concerning] that which this people doth to thy people, in the latter end of the days.'
14 Now, behold, I go to my people. Come, I will inform you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days.”
15 And he taketh up his simile, and saith: 'An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor — And an affirmation of the man whose eyes [are] shut —
15 He took up his parable, and said, “Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eyes are open says;
16 An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God — And knowing knowledge of the Most High; A vision of the Almighty he seeth, Falling — and eyes uncovered:
16 he 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:
17 I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not near; A star hath proceeded from Jacob, And a sceptre hath risen from Israel, And hath smitten corners of Moab, And hath destroyed all sons of Sheth.
17 I 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.
18 And Edom hath been a possession, And Seir hath been a possession, [for] its enemies, And Israel is doing valiantly;
18 Edom shall be a possession. Seir, his enemy, also shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly.
19 And [one] doth rule out of Jacob, And hath destroyed a remnant from Ar.'
19 Out of Jacob shall one have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant from the city.”
20 And he seeth Amalek, and taketh up his simile, and saith: 'A beginning of the Goyim [is] Amalek; And his latter end — for ever he perisheth.'
20 He 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.”
21 And he seeth the Kenite, and taketh up his simile, and saith: 'Enduring [is] thy dwelling, And setting in a rock thy nest,
21 He looked at the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, “Your dwelling place is strong. Your nest is set in the rock.
22 But the Kenite is for a burning; Till when doth Asshur keep thee captive?'
22 Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur carries you away captive.”
23 And he taketh up his simile, and saith: 'Alas! who doth live when God doth this?
23 He took up his parable, and said, “Alas, who shall live when God does this?
24 And — ships [are] from the side of Chittim, And they have humbled Asshur, And they have humbled Eber, And it also for ever is perishing.'
24 But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim. They shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber. He also shall come to destruction.”
25 And Balaam riseth, and goeth, and turneth back to his place, and Balak also hath gone on his way.
25 Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Balaam
The son of Beor from Pethor, hired by Balak to curse Israel, who could only bless Israel after the angel of the LORD stopped his donkey, and who was later killed by the sword…
Cited in the guide: Numbers 22:5; Numbers 22:12; Numbers 24:3
Beor
The father of the diviner Balaam, whose home was Pethor by the Euphrates.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 22:5; Numbers 24:3; Deuteronomy 23:4
Cross references (24)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Numbers 23:23; Revelation 2:14; Numbers 23:15; Numbers 23:28; Numbers 31:16
- 2 1 Samuel 19:20; 2 Chronicles 15:1; 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:23; Numbers 2:2–34
- 3 Numbers 23:7; Numbers 24:16; Numbers 23:18; Numbers 24:4; Numbers 22:31
- 4 Revelation 1:17; Revelation 1:10; 2 Corinthians 12:1–4; Numbers 12:6; Ezekiel 1:28
- 6 Psalm 1:3; Isaiah 58:11; Psalm 104:16; Song of Songs 6:11; Psalm 45:8
- 7 2 Samuel 5:12; 1 Chronicles 14:2; Jeremiah 51:13; Revelation 17:1; Revelation 19:16
- 8 Psalm 45:5; Psalm 2:9; Numbers 23:22; Numbers 14:9; Numbers 23:24
- 9 Genesis 12:3; Genesis 27:29; Genesis 49:9; Numbers 23:24; Matthew 25:45
- 10 Ezekiel 21:14; Numbers 23:11; Ezekiel 21:17; Ezekiel 22:13; Nehemiah 13:2
- 11 Numbers 22:17; Numbers 22:37; Acts 8:20; Philippians 3:8; 1 Peter 5:2–3
- 12 Numbers 22:18; Numbers 22:38
- 13 Numbers 16:28; Numbers 22:20; Numbers 22:18
- 14 Micah 6:5; Genesis 49:1; Revelation 2:14; Daniel 2:28; 2 Timothy 3:1
- 15 Numbers 24:3–4; Numbers 23:7; Numbers 23:18; Job 27:1; Matthew 13:35
- 16 Numbers 24:4; 1 Corinthians 13:2; 1 Corinthians 8:1; 2 Samuel 23:1–2
- 17 Revelation 22:16; Luke 1:32–33; Genesis 49:10; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 11:15
- 18 Amos 9:12; 2 Samuel 8:14; Genesis 27:29; Isaiah 63:1; Psalm 60:8–12
- 19 Genesis 49:10; Matthew 28:18; Psalm 2:1–12; Micah 5:2; Revelation 19:16
- 20 Exodus 17:14; Exodus 17:8; Esther 7:9–10; Esther 9:14; 1 Samuel 30:1
- 21 Genesis 15:19; Job 29:18; Judges 1:16
- 22 Psalm 83:8; Genesis 10:11; Genesis 10:22; Ezra 4:2; Hosea 14:3
- 23 Numbers 23:23; Malachi 3:2; 2 Kings 5:1
- 24 Genesis 10:4; Daniel 11:30; Numbers 24:20; Genesis 10:21–25; Daniel 10:20
- 25 Numbers 31:8; Numbers 24:11; Joshua 13:22
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… Gospel; and His Son, who was of the fruit of David's body, that is, of the virgin of [the house of] David, and Emmanuel; whose star also Balaam thus prophesied: "There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a leader shall rise in Israel." But Matthew says that the Magi, coming from the east, exclaimed "For we have seen …
And the similar passage in Numbers, He couched, He lay down as a lion, and as a lion's whelp.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)