I not take heed to speak that which the LORD putteth in my mouth? And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see 95 them all and curse me them from thence. And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

And

he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder. And the LORD met Balaam, and put 100 a word in his mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak. And he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the LORD spoken? And he took up his parable, and said,

Rise up, Balak, and hear;

hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

God is not a man, that he should lie ;

neither the son of man, that he should repent:
Hath he said, and shall he not do it?

or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
Behold, I have received commandment to bless :
and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.1
He hath not beheld iniquity 2 in Jacob,

3

neither hath he seen perverseness 3 in Israel : The LORD his God is with him,

and the shout of a king is among them. God bringeth them forth out of Egypt;

he hath as it were the strength 4 of the wild-ox. Surely there is no enchantment with 5 Jacob, neither is there any divination with 5 Israel :

2 For iniquity read misfortune.

3 For perverseness read trouble.

4 For as it were the strength read horns like those (R).

5 For with read against.

Now shall it be said 1 of Jacob and of Israel,

what hath God wrought!

Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness,

up:

and as a lion doth he lift himself
He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,

and drink the blood of the slain.

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25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do? And Balak said unto Balaam, Come now, 130 I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the desert. And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 135 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar. [24 1] And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments,2 but he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw 140 Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said,

Balaam the son of Beor saith,

and the man whose eye was closed 3 saith : He saith, which heareth the words of God,

145

At the due season shall it be told to Jacob,

and to Israel, what God hath wrought (R).

2 For enchantments read omens.

3 For was closed read is opened (R).

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155

160

165

As valleys are they spread forth,

as gardens by the river side,

As lign-aloes which the LORD hath planted,
as cedar trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets,

and his seed shall be in many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom shall be exalted.
He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,
and smite them through with his arrows.1
He couched, he lay down as a lion,

and as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?
Blessed be every one that blesseth thee,

and cursed be every one that curseth thee.

10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place I thought to promote thee unto great honour: but, lo, 170 the LORD hath kept thee back from honour. And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what the LORD 175 speaketh, that will I speak? And now, behold, I go unto my people And Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place and Balak also went his way.

1 For And smite . arrows read And shall smite down his

oppressors.

LESSON XXV

THE BLESSING OF MOSES

Moses assigns lands east of Jordan to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. Joshua is appointed his successor. Moses blesses the tribes of Israel. He sees the promised land, and dies in the land of Moab.

NUM. XXXII.; DEUT. XXXI. 14-XXXIV. 12

32 1 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle; the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto 5 the princes of the congregation, saying, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon, the land which the LORD smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle, and thy servants have cattle. And they said, If we have found grace in thy 10 sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession; bring us not over Jordan. And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall ye sit here?

25 And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben 15 spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead: but thy servants will pass over, every man that is armed for war, before the LORD to battle, as my lord saith. And Moses gave unto them, 20 even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto the half tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the

kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities thereof 25 with their borders, even the cities of the land round about.

[Deut.] 31 14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the 30 tent of meeting. And the LORD appeared in the Tent in a

pillar of cloud and the pillar of cloud stood over the door of the Tent. And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them and 35 I will be with thee.

40

45

50

55

33 1 And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

said,

Let Reuben live, and not die;

yet let his men be few.

And this is the blessing of Judah and he said,
Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah.

and bring him in unto his people:

With his hands he contended for himself;

1

And he

and thou shalt be an help against his adversaries.

And of Levi he said,

Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with thy godly one,
whom thou didst prove at Massah,

with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah; Who said of his father, and of his mother,

I have not seen him;

Neither did he acknowledge his brethren,

nor knew he his own children:

For they have observed thy word,

and keep thy covenant.

1 For with .. himself read With thy hands do thou contend for

him.