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21 (A)So Balaam arose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.
Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel
22 But God was angry because he was going, (B)so the angel of Yahweh took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey, and his two young men were with him. 23 Then the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; so Balaam struck the donkey to turn it back into the way. 24 Then the angel of Yahweh stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 And the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, and it pressed itself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck it again. 26 And the angel of Yahweh passed on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. 27 Then the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh and lay down under Balaam; so (C)Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 28 And (D)Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, (E)I would have killed you by now.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”
31 Then Yahweh opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw (F)the angel of Yahweh standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed his head down [a]and prostrated himself to the ground. 32 And the angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary because your way was [b](G)contrary to me. 33 And the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If it had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let it live.” 34 And Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “(H)I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. So now, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35 But the angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but (I)you shall speak only the word which I [c]tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.
36 Then Balak heard that Balaam was coming and went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, [d]at the end of the border. 37 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I indeed unable to honor you?” 38 So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come now to you! (J)Am I able to speak anything at all? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I shall speak.” 39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
41 Then it happened in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to [e](K)the high places of Baal, and he saw from there the (L)end of the camp of the people.
Yahweh Speaks Through Balaam
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 2 So Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.
4 Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Then Yahweh (M)put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.” 6 So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. 7 Then he took up his [f]discourse and said,
“From (N)Aram Balak has brought me,
Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,
‘(O)Come curse Jacob for me,
And come, denounce Israel!’
8 (P)How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?
9 For I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
(Q)Behold, a people who dwells alone,
And will not be reckoned among the nations.
10 (R)Who can number the dust of Jacob,
Or count the fourth part of Israel?
(S)Let [g]me die the death of the upright,
(T)And let my end be like his!”
11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? (U)I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have blessed them repeatedly!” 12 And he replied, “Must I not be careful to speak (V)what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”
Balaam’s Discourse
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, but you will only see the end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet Yahweh over there.” 16 Then Yahweh met Balaam and (W)put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17 So he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” 18 Then he took up his [h]discourse and said,
“Arise, O Balak, and hear;
Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!
19 (X)God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
(Y)Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;
(Z)When He has blessed, then (AA)I cannot revoke it.
21 (AB)He has not observed [i]misfortune in Jacob;
(AC)Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
(AD)Yahweh his God is with him,
(AE)And the shout of a king is among them.
22 (AF)God brings them out of Egypt,
He is for them like the (AG)horns of the wild ox.
23 (AH)For there is no omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel;
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what God has done!
24 (AI)Behold, a people rises like a lioness,
And as a lion it lifts itself;
It will not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘(AJ)Whatever Yahweh speaks, that I must do’?”
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be right in the eyes of God that you curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the [j]wasteland. 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30 And Balak did just as Balaam had said and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
John the Baptist Is Born
57 Now the time was fulfilled for Elizabeth to [a]give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had (A)magnified His great mercy toward her, and they were rejoicing with her.
59 And it happened that on (B)the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after the name of his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No, but (C)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” 62 And they (D)were making signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “(E)His name is John.” And they all marveled. 64 (F)And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all (G)the hill country of Judea. 66 And all who heard these things put them in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” For (H)the hand of the [b]Lord was indeed with him.
Zechariah’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zechariah (I)was filled with the Holy Spirit, and (J)prophesied, saying:
68 “(K)Blessed be the [c]Lord God of Israel,
For He visited and accomplished (L)redemption for His people,
69 And raised up a (M)horn of salvation for us
In the house of David (N)His servant—
70 (O)As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets (P)from of old—
71 [d](Q)Salvation (R)from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 (S)To show mercy toward our fathers,
(T)And to remember His holy covenant,
73 (U)The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 (V)In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
76 And you, child, will be called the (W)prophet of (X)the Most High,
For you will go on (Y)before the [e]Lord to (Z)make ready His ways,
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[f]By (AA)the forgiveness of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God,
With which (AB)the Sunrise from on high will visit us,
79 (AC)To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To direct our feet into the (AD)way of peace.”
80 (AE)And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the desolate regions until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
There Is a God Who Judges on Earth
For the choir director. [a]Al-tashheth. Of David. A [b]Mikhtam.
58 Do you indeed [c]speak righteousness, O [d]gods?
Do you (A)judge [e]with equity, O sons of men?
2 No, in heart you (B)work unrighteousness;
On earth you [f](C)prepare a path for the violence of your hands.
3 The wicked are estranged (D)from the womb;
These who speak falsehood (E)wander in error from [g]birth.
4 They have venom like the (F)venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
5 So that it (G)does not hear the voice of [h](H)charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.
6 O God, (I)shatter their teeth in their mouth;
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Yahweh.
7 Let them (J)flow away like water that runs off;
When he [i](K)aims his arrows, let them be as [j]headless shafts.
8 Let them be as a snail which [k]melts away as it goes along,
Like the (L)miscarriages of a woman which never behold the sun.
9 Before your (M)pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will (N)sweep them away with a whirlwind, the living and the burning alike.
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