1 By now Balaam knew that the Lord wanted him to bless the people of Israel, so he did not go to look for omens, as he had done before. He turned toward the desert 2 and saw the people of Israel camped tribe by tribe. The spirit of God took control of him, 3 and he uttered this prophecy:
“The message of Balaam son of Beor,
The words of the man who can see clearly,
4 Who can hear what God is saying.
With staring eyes I see in a trance
A vision from Almighty God.
5 The tents of Israel are beautiful,
6 Like long rows of palms
Or gardens beside a river,
Like aloes planted by the Lord
Or cedars beside the water.
7 They will have abundant rainfall
And plant their seed in well-watered fields.
Their king shall be greater than Agag,
And his rule shall be extended far and wide.
8 God brought them out of Egypt;
He fights for them like a wild ox.
They devour their enemies,
Crush their bones, smash their arrows.
9 The nation is like a mighty lion;
When it is sleeping, no one dares wake it.
Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed,
And whoever curses Israel will be cursed.”
10 Balak clenched his fists in anger and said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but three times now you have blessed them instead. 11 Now get on home! I promised to reward you, but the Lord has kept you from getting the reward.”
12 Balaam answered, “I told the messengers you sent to me that 13 even if you gave me all the silver and gold in your palace, I could not disobey the command of the Lord by doing anything of myself. I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”
Balaam's Final Prophecies
14 Balaam said to Balak, “Now I am going back to my own people, but before I go, I am warning you what the people of Israel will do to your people in the future.” 15 Then he uttered this prophecy:
“The message of Balaam son of Beor,
The words of the man who can see clearly,
16 Who can hear what God is saying
And receive the knowledge that comes from the Most High.
With staring eyes I see in a trance
A vision from Almighty God.
17 I look into the future,
And I see the nation of Israel.
A king, like a bright star, will arise in that nation.
Like a comet he will come from Israel.
He will strike the leaders of Moab
And beat down all the people of Seth.
18 He will conquer his enemies in Edom
And make their land his property,
While Israel continues victorious.
19 The nation of Israel will trample them down
And wipe out the last survivors.”
20 Then in his vision Balaam saw the Amalekites and uttered this prophecy:
“Amalek was the most powerful nation of all,
But at the end it will perish forever.”
21 In his vision he saw the Kenites, and uttered this prophecy:
“The place where you live is secure,
Safe as a nest set high on a cliff,
22 But you Kenites will be destroyed
When Assyria takes you captive.”
23 Balaam uttered this prophecy:
“Who are these people gathering in the north?
24 Invaders will sail from Cyprus;
They will conquer Assyria and Eber,
But they, in turn, will perish forever.”
25 Then Balaam got ready and went back home, and Balak went on his way.
1 ǀNaib ge Bileamma ǃKhūb nî Israelǁaesa ǀkhae ǃkhaisa ge ǂan i, xaweb ge aiǃâb ge dī hâ i khami ǃgaidīsao-e ge ôa tama hâ i. ǁÎb ge ǃgaroǃhūbǀî dabasen 2 tsî Israelǁîn di ǃhaodi ī khami hâǃkhaide ǂnaumâi hâ ǀgausa ge mû. Elob di Gagab ge ǁîb ûiba ge gaoǂam 3 tsîb ge ǁîb di kēbosa sao rase ge gowaǂui:
“Beori ôab, Bileammi di ǂhôas;
ǃgāsase ra mû khoeb di mîdi.
4 ǁNāb Elob di mîde ra ǁnâub;
ǁkhowa-amsa mûdi ǀkha ǃhūb ai ǁgoeǃâ,
Hoaǀgaixa Elob di ība ra mûb di ǂhôasa.
5 Jakob di tentomdi ge a îsa,
6 gaxu raigu palmhaidi digu khami,
tamas ka io ǃāb xōǀkhā ǁgoe ǃhanagu,
ǃKhūb xa ǃhanahe hâ aukorehaidi khami,
tamas ka io ǁgam-i xōǀkhā mā sederhaidi khami.
7 ǁÎdi ge ǂâusa ǀnanuba nî ǃkhōǃoa
tsî ǁîdi ǃkhomna ǃgâise ǀâǂgâ hâ ǃhanagu ǃnâ nî ǂgā.
ǁÎdi gao-aob ge Agagi xa nî kai,
tsîs ge ǁîb di gaosisa ǃnūse tsî harase nî ǂapaǂoa.
8 Elob ge ǁîna Egipteba xu ge ǂgaeǂguiǂui;
ǁîb ge ǁîna ǃgarogomab khami ra ǃkhamba.
ǁÎn ge ǁîn khākhoena hîkākā,
ǁîn di ǂkhōga dāǂkhū
tsî ǁîn di ǁhâigôaga nî khôaǃā.
9 ǁAes ge ǀgaisa xammi khami ī;
ǁommi kao, tari-e ǁîba ǂkhaiǂkhaisa nî dītsâ?
Israelsa ra ǀkhae-i hoa-i ge nî ǀkhaehe,
tsî Israelsa ga ǀâxare-i hoa-i ge nî ǀâxarehe.”
10 Balaki ge ǁaib xa ǁîb ǃomra ami tsî Bileammi ǃoa ge mî: “Tita ge ti khākhoenats nî ǀâxarega ge ǂgai tsi, xawets ge ǁnās ǃās ǃnâ nēsi ǃnona ǃnāde ǁîna go ǀkhae. 11 Xawe nēsi dī, îts ǃhaese nēpa xu ǁaru; tita ge mādawa-am tsi ta nî ti ge mî hâ i, xaweb ge sa ǃKhūba go ǃaroma sa mādawa-amsats hō tide ǃkhaisa.”
12 Ob ge Bileamma ge ǃeream: “Sats ge sî sîsabegu hoaga ta ge ge mîba, 13 nēsits ga sa gao-ommi ǃnâ hâ hoaraga ǀhaiǀurib tamas ka io ǃhuniǀuriba mā te, xawe ta ge ǁnāti ī xū-i ǃaromas tsîna ǃKhūb mîmāsa ǁnâuǀnamoǃnâ tide. Tita ge ǃKhūb go mîba te xūn ǀguina nî mî.”
Bileammi ǀuni kēbodi
14 Bileammi ge Balaki ǃoa ge mî: “Nēsi ta ge ti khoen ǁga ra ǁaru, xawe ta ge ǃgû ta nîs aiǃâ ra ǃkhâikhom tsi, Israelǁîn nî ǃgoaxaǁaeb ǃnâ sa khoena dī-ū ǀgaub xa.” 15 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge ǁîb di kēbosa sao rase ge gowaǂui:
“Beori ôab, Bileammi di kēbos,
ǁnāb ǃgāsase ra mûb di kēbos di mîdi,
16 ǁnāb Elob di mîde ra ǁnâub di kēbos,
Hoaǀgaixaba xu hâ ǂansa ūhâb disa;
ī-e Hoaǀgaixaba xu mû,
tsî ra ǁnāǁgoeb, mûra âb a ǁkhowa-amsaba:
17 Tita ge ǁîba ra, xawe nēsi tama;
ǃgawa bi ta ge ra, xawe ǀgūse tama.
Jakoba xu i ge ǀgamiro-e nî ǂoaxa,
gao-ao-i ge Israela xu nî khâi.
ǁÎb ge Moab di ǃūde nî ǂkhūǂkhū;
danaǂkhōdi hoaraga khoen Seti din dide.
18 Edommi ge nî danhe,
Seiri, ǁîb khākhoeb ge nî danhe,
xaweb ge Israela danaose nî aiǃgû.
19 Israelǁaesa xub ge ǂgaeǂgui-aoba hā
tsî ûiǃgau hâ khoen ǃās dina nî hîkākā.”
20 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Bileamma ǁhapos ǃnâ Amalekǁîna mû tsî sao ra kēbosa ge gowaǂui:
“Hoaraga ǃhaodi xan ge Amalekǁîna ge ǂguro i,
xawen ge ǀams ai ǁîn tsîna ǀamos kōse nî ǁō.”
21 Bileammi ge ǁhapos ǃnâ Kenǁîna mû tsî sao ra kēbosa ge gowaǂui:
“Sadu ǁanǃkhais ge a ǁaposa,
ǃgareǀuib ǃnâ ǂnôa ani-oms khami a ǃnorasa,
22 xawe sadu, Keniǁîdu ge nî hîkākāhe
Asiriab ga ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ū du ǃnubai.”
23 Bileammi ge sao ra kēbosa ge gowaǂui:
“Mâ khoena ǀapasǀkhāb ai ra ǀhaona?
24 Siprusa xu gu ge ǁnāǂgâ-aoga nî hā;
ǁîgu ge Asiriab tsî Eber hâkha nî ǃkhamdan,
xawe gu ge ǁîgu ǂûga nî ǁōǃari.”
25 ǁNās khaoǃgâb ge Bileamma oas ǃaroma ǂhomisen tsî ge ǁaru, tsîb ge Balaka ǁîb daoba ge ǃgû.
