The Daily Audio Bible

24 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord that he should bless Israel, he went not as he had gone before, that he should seek false divining by chittering of birds, but he (ad)dressed his face against the desert, (And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord when he blessed Israel, he went not as he had gone before, to seek out false divining by the twittering of birds, but he directed his face towards the wilderness,)

² and he raised up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling in tents by his lineages (and he raised up his eyes, and he saw the Israelites living in their tents, tribe by tribe). And when the Spirit of God fell upon him,

³ and when the parable was taken (and when he had received his prophecy), he said, Balaam, the son of Beor, said, (yea,) a man, whose eye is stopped, said,

⁴ the hearer of God’s words said, which beheld the revelation of Almighty God, which falleth down, and his eyes be opened so, (yea, the hearer of God’s words said, who beheld the revelation of Almighty God, and who falleth down, but his eyes still be open,)

⁵ How fair be thy tabernacles, Jacob, and thy tents, Israel!

⁶ as valleys full of trees, and moist gardens beside floods, as tabernacles which the Lord hath set (up), as cedar trees beside waters; (like valleys full of trees, and watered gardens beside the river, like aloes planted by the Lord, and cedar trees beside the water;)

⁷ water shall flow (out) of his bucket, and his seed shall be into many waters, that is, peoples. The king of him shall be taken away for Agag, and the realm of him shall be done away. (water shall flow out of his bucket, and his descendants shall be like many waters, that is, they shall become many people. His king shall be greater than Agag, and his kingdom shall prevail.)

⁸ God led him out of Egypt, whose strength is like an unicorn; the sons of Israel shall waste, or devour, (the) heathen men, their enemies; and they shall break the bones of them, and pierce (them through) with (their) arrows.

⁹ He rested, and slept as a lion, and as a lioness, whom no man shall dare raise. He that blesseth thee, shall be blessed; and he that curseth, shall be areckoned into cursing. (He rested, and slept like a lion, and like a lioness, whom no man shall dare raise up. He who blesseth thee, shall be blessed; and he who curseth thee, shall be cursed.)

¹⁰ And Balak was wroth against Balaam, and he said, when his hands were wrung together, I called thee to curse mine enemies, whom, on the contrary, thou hast blessed thrice (but who, instead, thou hast now blessed three times!).

¹¹ Turn again to thy place; forsooth I deemed to honour thee greatly, but the Lord deprived thee from [thine] honour (that was) disposed. (Return to thy place; I had intended to greatly reward thee, but the Lord hath now deprived thee of the reward which I had ordained for thee.)

¹² Balaam answered to Balak, Whether I said not to thy messengers, which thou sentest to me, (Balaam answered to Balak, Did I not say to thy messengers, whom thou sentest to me,)

¹³ Though Balak shall give to me his house full of silver and of gold, I shall not be able to pass [over] the word of my Lord God, that I bring forth of mine heart anything, either of good or of evil, but whatever thing the Lord shall say, I shall speak that? (Even if Balak shall give me all the gold and silver in his house, I shall not change the word of the Lord my God, so that I bring forth something out of my own heart, either good or bad, nay, but whatever thing the Lord shall say, that I shall speak?)

¹⁴ Nevertheless I shall go to my people, and I shall give counsel to thee, what thy people shall do in the last time to this people. (Nevertheless, I shall now return to my people, but first I shall give thee counsel, what these people shall do to thy people in the days to come.)

¹⁵ Therefore when a parable was taken (And so when he had received his prophecy), he said again, Balaam, the son of Beor, said, (yea,) a man, whose eye is stopped, said,

¹⁶ the hearer of God’s words said, which knoweth the doctrine of the Highest, and seeth the revelation of Almighty God, which falleth down, and hath open eyes (yea, the hearer of God’s words said, who knoweth the doctrine of the Highest, and seeth the revelation of Almighty God, and who falleth down, but his eyes still be open,)

¹⁷ I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not nigh; a star shall be born of Jacob, and a rod shall rise (out) of Israel; and he shall smite the dukes of Moab, and he shall waste all the sons of Seth; (I shall see him, but not now; I shall behold him, but not near; a star shall be born in Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise up out of Israel; and he shall strike down Moab’s leaders, and he shall destroy all the sons of strife;)

¹⁸ and Idumea shall be his possession, the heritage of Seir shall befall to his enemies; soothly Israel shall do strongly, (and Edom shall become his possession, yea, the inheritance of Seir shall befall to their enemies; and Israel shall be victorious,)

¹⁹ of Jacob shall be he that shall be lord, and shall lose the relics, or (the) remnants, of the city. (for out of Jacob shall come he who shall be their lord, and he shall destroy those who last remain in the city of Ar.)

²⁰ And when he had seen Amalek, he took a parable, and said, Amalek is the beginning of heathen men, whose last things shall be lost. (And in a vision he saw the Amalekites, and when he had received his prophecy, he said, Amalek was the first in all the heathen, but its end shall be utter destruction.)

²¹ Also he saw Kenites, and when a parable was taken, he said, Soothly thy dwelling place is strong, but if thou shalt set thy nest in a stone, (And he also saw the Kenites, and when he had received his prophecy, he said, Thy dwelling place is strong, and thou shalt set thy nest in a stone,)

²² and shalt be chosen of the generation of Kenites, how long shalt thou be able to dwell? soothly Assur shall take thee. (and shalt be the chosen of the generation of Kenites, but how long shalt thou be able to live there? for Assyria shall take thee captive.)

²³ And when a parable was taken, or showed to him, he said again (And when he had received his prophecy, he said), Alas! who shall live, when the Lord shall do these things?

²⁴ They shall come in great ships from Italy (They shall come in great ships from Chittim), (and) they shall overcome Assyria, and they shall destroy Eber, and at the last also they themselves shall perish.

²⁵ And Balaam rose, and turned again into his place; and Balak went again by the way in which he came. (And then Balaam rose up, and returned to his home; and Balak returned by the way by which he came.)

25 Soothly in that time Israel dwelled in Shittim (And so the Israelites lived in Shittim); and the people did fornication with the daughters of Moab;

² which daughters called them to their sacrifices, and they ate (the sacrificial food), and worshipped the gods of those daughters;

³ and Israel made sacrifice to Baalpeor. And the Lord was wroth, (and the Israelites sacrificed to Baal of Peor. And the Lord was angry against them,)

⁴ and said to Moses, Take thou all the princes of the people, and hang them against the sun in gibbets, that my strong vengeance be turned away from Israel. (and said to Moses, Take thou all the leaders of the people, and hang them up on gallows out in the sun, so that my strong vengeance be turned away from Israel.)

⁵ And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each man slay his neighbours, that made sacrifice to Baalpeor. (And Moses said to the judges of Israel, Each one of you kill his neighbours, yea, they who sacrificed to Baal of Peor.)

⁶ And lo! one of the sons of Israel entered before his brethren to an whore of Midian, in the sight of Moses, and of all the company of the sons of Israel, which wept before the gates of the tabernacle. (And lo! one of the Israelites brought a woman of Midian into his tent, in the sight of Moses, and all the congregation of the Israelites, who were mourning at the entrance to the Tabernacle.)

⁷ And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, had seen this unshamefast doing (had seen this shameful thing), he rose (up) from the midst of the multitude; and when he had taken a sword,

⁸ he entered after the man of Israel into the whorehouse, and sticked through both together, that is, the man and the woman, in the places of engendering. And the vengeance ceased from the sons of Israel, (he went into that bawdy house, after the man of Israel, and stuck his sword through both of them together, that is, the man and the woman, in their places of begetting. And so the plague that had attacked the Israelites was stopped,)

⁹ and four and twenty thousand of men were slain. (but by then, twenty-four thousand people had already died.)

¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses,

¹¹ Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, (the) priest, hath turned away my wrath from the sons of Israel; for he was moved against them by my fervent love, (and so for) that, I myself (did) not do away the sons of Israel in my great ferventness of vengeance. (Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, hath turned away my anger from the Israelites; for he was moved against them by his fervent love for me, and because of that, I did not do away all the Israelites in my great fervour for vengeance.)

¹² Therefore speak thou to him, Lo! I give to him the peace of my covenant, (And so tell thou him, that lo! I now give him my covenant of peace,)

¹³ and it shall be an everlasting covenant of priesthood, as well to himself as to his seed; for he loved fervently for his God, and he hath cleansed the great trespass of the sons of Israel. (and it shall be an everlasting covenant of priesthood, with him as well as with his descendants; because he fervently loved for his God, and he made amends for the great trespass of the Israelites.)

¹⁴ Forsooth the name of the man of Israel, that was slain with the woman of Midian, was Zimri, the son of Salu, duke, of the kindred and lineage of Simeon (a leader, of the kindred and the tribe of Simeon).

¹⁵ Soothly the woman of Midian that was slain together with the whoreling, was called Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, the noblest prince of (the) Midianites.

¹⁶ And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

¹⁷ Midianites feel you enemies, and smite ye them; (Regard ye the Midianites as your enemies, and strike ye them down;)

¹⁸ for also they have done enemy-like against you, and deceived you by treasons, by the idol of Peor, and by their sister Cozbi, daughter of the duke of Midian, which daughter was slain in the day of vengeance, for the sacrilege of Peor. (for they were like an enemy to you, and they deceived you with treasons, first in the matter at Peor, and then with their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, which daughter was killed during the plague, on the day of vengeance for the sacrilege at Peor.)

2 And it was done in those days, a commandment went out from the emperor Augustus [a commandment went out from Caesar Augustus], that all the world should be described.

² This first describing was made of Cyrenius, justice of Syria [justice, or keeper, of Syria].

³ And all men went to make profession, [or acknowledging,] each into his own city.^[a]

⁴ And Joseph went up from Galilee, from the city Nazareth [of the city of Nazareth], into Judaea, into a city of David, that is called Bethlehem, for that he was of the house and of the family of David,

⁵ that he should acknowledge with Mary, his wife, that was wedded to him, and was great with child. [that he should acknowledge with Mary, spoused to him wife, with child.]

⁶ And it was done, while they were there, the days were fulfilled, that she should bear child.

⁷ And she bare her firstborn son, and wrapped him in `clothes, and laid him in a feed-trough [and put him in a cratch], for there was no place to him in no chamber.

⁸ And shepherds were in the same country, waking and keeping the watches of the night on [upon] their flock.

⁹ And lo! the angel of the Lord stood beside them, and the clearness of God shined about them [and the clearness of God shone about them]; and they dreaded with great dread.

¹⁰ And the angel said to them, Do not ye dread; for lo! I preach to you a great joy [lo! soothly I evangelize to you a great joy], that shall be to all people.

¹¹ For a Saviour is born to day to you, that is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.

¹² And this is a token to you; ye shall find a young child wrapped in `clothes, and laid in a feed-trough [and put in a cratch].

¹³ And suddenly there was made with the angel a multitude of heavenly knighthood, praising God, and saying,

¹⁴ Glory be in the highest things to God, and in earth peace be to men of good will. [Glory in the highest things to God, and in earth peace to men of good will.]

¹⁵ And it was done, as the angels passed away from them into heaven, the shepherds spake together, and said, Go we over [till] to Bethlehem, and see we this word that is made, which the Lord hath made, and showed to us.

¹⁶ And they hieing came, and found Mary and Joseph, and the young child laid in a feed-trough [put in a cratch].

¹⁷ And they seeing, knew of the word that was said to them of this child.

¹⁸ And all men that heard wondered, and of these things that were said to them of the shepherds.

¹⁹ But Mary kept all these words, bearing together in her heart.

²⁰ And the shepherds turned again, glorifying and praising God in all things that they had heard and seen, as it was said to them.

²¹ And after that eight days were ended, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called Jesus, which was called of the angel, before that he was conceived in the womb.

²² And after that the days of the purification of Mary were fulfilled, after Moses' law, they took him into Jerusalem, to offer him to the Lord,

²³ as it is written in the law of the Lord, For every male-kind opening the womb, shall be called holy to the Lord;

²⁴ and that they shall give an offering, after that it is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons [or two culver birds].

²⁵ And lo! a man was in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was just and virtuous, and abode the comfort of Israel [and this man was just and dread-full, abiding the comfort of Israel]; and the Holy Ghost was in him.

²⁶ And he had taken an answer of the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, but he saw first the Christ of the Lord.

²⁷ And he came in Spirit into the temple. And when his father and mother led [in] the child Jesus to do after the custom of the law for him,

²⁸ he took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,

²⁹ Lord, now thou lettest go thy servant after thy word in peace; [Lord, now thy leavest thy servant after thy word in peace;]

³⁰ for mine eyes have seen thine health,

³¹ which thou hast made ready before the face of all peoples;

³² light to the showing of heathen men, and glory of thy people Israel.

³³ And his father and his mother were wondering on [upon] these things, that were said of him.

³⁴ And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, Lo! this is set into the falling down and into the rising again [into the falling and into the rising again] of many men in Israel, and into a token, to whom it shall be against-said.

³⁵ And a sword shall pass through thine own soul, that the thoughts be showed of many hearts.

59 To the overcomer, lose thou not the seemly song of David (destroy thou not David’s comely song), when Saul sent and kept the house, to slay him. My God, deliver thou me from mine enemies; and deliver thou me from them that rise against me.

² Deliver thou me from them that work wickedness; and save thou me from men-quellers. (Rescue thou me from those who do evil; and save thou me from these murderers.)

³ For lo! they have taken my soul; strong men fell in on me. Neither (for) my wickedness, neither (for) my sin; (For lo! they lie in wait for me; strong men have fallen in on me. But not because of my wickedness, nor for my sin.)

⁴ Lord, I ran without wickedness, and (ad)dressed my works. Rise up into my meeting, and see; (Lord, though I am innocent, they run into position against me. Rise up to help me, and see;)

⁵ and thou, Lord God of virtues, art God of Israel. Give thou attention to visit all folks; do thou not mercy to all that work wickedness. (for thou, Lord God of hosts, art the God of Israel. Give thou attention to punishing all the nations; do not thou give mercy to any who do evil.)

⁶ They shall be turned (again) at eventide, and they as dogs shall suffer hunger; and they shall compass, that is, go abegging, (in) the city. (They shall return in the evening, and they shall suffer hunger like dogs; and they shall go about begging in the city.)

⁷ Lo! they shall speak in their mouth, and a sword in their lips; for who heard? (Lo! they shall speak out insults with their mouths, and their lips, or their tongues, shall be like swords; for they say, Who shall hear us?)

⁸ And thou, Lord, shalt scorn them; thou shalt bring all folks to nought. (But thou, Lord, shalt scorn them; thou shalt bring down all these nations to nothing.)

⁹ I shall keep my strength to thee; for God is mine up-taker, (O my strength, I shall turn to thee; for God is my defender,)

¹⁰ my God, his mercy shall come before me. God showed to me (my desire) on mine enemies, (my God, his love shall come to me. God shall show me my heart’s desire for all my enemies.)

¹¹ slay thou not them; lest any time my peoples forget. Scatter thou them in thy virtue; and, Lord, my defender, put thou them down. (But kill thou them not; lest any time my people forget. Rather, scatter thou them by thy strength; and, O Lord, my defender, put thou them down.)

¹² Put down the trespass of their mouth, and the word of their lips; and be they taken in their pride. And of cursing and of leasing; they shall be showed (up) in the ending. (And for the trespasses of their mouths, and the words of their lips; let them be taken in their pride. And for their cursing and their lies; let them be shown up in the end.)

¹³ (Destroy thou them) In the ire of ending, and they shall not be; and they shall know, that the Lord shall be Lord of Jacob, and of the ends of earth. (Destroy thou them in thy anger, yea, destroy them altogether, and they shall be no more; and then they shall know, that the Lord is the lord, or the ruler, in Jacob, and unto the ends of the earth.)

¹⁴ They shall be turned (again) at eventide, and they as dogs shall suffer hunger; and they shall compass, that is, go abegging, (in) the city. (They shall return in the evening, and they shall suffer hunger like dogs; and they shall go about begging in the city.)

¹⁵ They shall be scattered abroad, for to eat; soothly if they be not [ful]filled, and they shall grutch. (They shall be scattered abroad, searching for food; and truly they shall grumble, if they be not satisfied, or fulfilled.)

¹⁶ But I shall sing (of) thy strength; and early I shall enhance thy mercy. For thou art made mine up-taker; and my refuge, in the day of my tribulation. (But I shall sing of thy strength; and in the morning I shall sing of thy love. For thou art my defender; and my refuge, in the days of my trouble.)

¹⁷ Mine helper, I shall sing to thee; for thou art God, mine up-taker, my God, my mercy. (My helper, I shall sing to thee; for thou art God, my defender, the God who loveth me.)

¹⁴ Where a governor is not, the people shall fall; but health is, where be many counsels. (Without a leader, or good governance, the people shall fall; but there is victory/but there is salvation, or deliverance, where there be many counsellors, or much planning, or good advice.)