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21 (A)So Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.
The Angel and Balaam
22 But God was angry because he was going, (B)and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. 26 The angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so (C)Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 28 And (D)the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she 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 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 the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw (F)the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed [a]all the way to the ground. 32 The angel of the Lord 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 But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.” 34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “(H)I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” 35 But the angel of the Lord 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 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, [d]at the extreme 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 really 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 Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
41 Then it came about in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to [e](K)the high places of Baal, and he saw from there [f]a (L)portion of the people.
The Prophecies of Balaam
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 2 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 the Lord 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 the Lord (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 He took up his [g]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 the Lord has not denounced?
9 “As I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
(Q)Behold, a people who dwells apart,
And will not be reckoned among the nations.
10 “(R)Who can count the dust of Jacob,
Or number the fourth part of Israel?
(S)Let [h]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 actually blessed them!” 12 He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak (V)what the Lord puts in my mouth?”
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme 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 the Lord over there.” 16 Then the Lord met Balaam and (W)put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17 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 the Lord spoken?” 18 Then he took up his [i]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 make it good?
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 [j]misfortune in Jacob;
(AC)Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
(AD)The Lord 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, ‘[k](AJ)Whatever the Lord speaks, that I must do’?”
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be [l]agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the [m]wasteland. 29 Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30 Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
John Is Born
57 Now the time [a]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had [b](A)displayed 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 Zacharias, [c]after his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but (C)he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they (D)made 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 were all astonished. 64 (F)And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65 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 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For (H)the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.
Zacharias’s Prophecy
67 And his father Zacharias (I)was filled with the Holy Spirit, and (J)prophesied, saying:
68 “(K)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished (L)redemption for His people,
69 And has 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 Lord to (Z)prepare His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation
[e]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 guide 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 deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Prayer for the Punishment of the Wicked.
For the choir director; set to [a]Al-tashheth. A [b]Mikhtam of David.
58 Do you indeed [c]speak righteousness, O [d]gods?
Do you (A)judge [e]uprightly, O sons of men?
2 No, in heart you (B)work unrighteousness;
On earth you (C)weigh out the violence of your hands.
3 The wicked are estranged (D)from the womb;
These who speak lies (E)go astray from [f]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 [g](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 Lord.
7 Let them (J)flow away like water that runs off;
When he [h](K)aims his arrows, let them be as [i]headless shafts.
8 Let them be as a snail which [j]melts away as it goes along,
Like the (L)miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun.
9 Before your (M)pots can feel the fire of thorns
He will (N)sweep them away with a whirlwind, the [k]green and the burning alike.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.