Balaam blessed the Israeli people

23 Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams for a sacrifice.” 2 So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar.

3 Then 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.”

Then Balaam went by himself to the top of a hill, 4 and 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.”

5 Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”

6 When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned on the altar. 7 This is the message that Balaam told them:

“Balak, the King of Moab, summoned me to come here from Syria;

he brought me here from the hills at the eastern side of Syria.

He said, ‘Come and curse the descendants of Jacob for me,

saying that bad things will happen to these Israeli people!’

8 But ◄how can I curse people whom God has not cursed?/I certainly cannot curse people whom God has not cursed!► [RHQ]

◄How can I condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned?/I cannot condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned!► [RHQ]

9 I have seen them from the tops of the rocky peaks.

I see that they are a group of people who live by themselves;

they have separated themselves from other nations.

10 ◄Who can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of ?/No one can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of !► [RHQ]

◄Who can count even a quarter of the Israeli people?/No one can count even a quarter of the Israeli people!► [RHQ]

I wish/hope that I will die like righteous people die;

I hope that I will die peacefully like they will die.”

11 Then 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►!”

12 But Balaam replied, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”