The Wilderness Years

He hath bent, he hath lain down as a lion, And as a lioness: who doth raise him up? He who is blessing thee is blessed, And he who is cursing thee is cursed.'

And the anger of Balak burneth against Balaam, and he striketh his hands; and Balak saith unto Balaam, `To pierce mine enemies I called thee, and lo, thou hast certainly blessed--these three times;

and now, flee for thyself unto thy place; I have said, I do greatly honour thee, and lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honour.'

And Balaam saith unto Balak, `Did I not also unto thy messengers whom thou hast sent unto me, speak, saying,

If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah, to do good or evil of mine own heart--that which Jehovah speaketh--it I speak?

and, now, lo, I am going to my people; come, I counsel thee concerning that which this people doth to thy people, in the latter end of the days.'

And he taketh up his simile, and saith: `An affirmation of Balaam son of Beor--And an affirmation of the man whose eyes are shut--

An affirmation of him who is hearing sayings of God--And knowing knowledge of the Most High; A vision of the Almighty he seeth, Falling--and eyes uncovered:

I see it, but not now; I behold it, but not near; A star hath proceeded from Jacob, And a sceptre hath risen from Israel, And hath smitten corners of Moab, And hath destroyed all sons of Sheth.

And Edom hath been a possession, And Seir hath been a possession, for its enemies, And Israel is doing valiantly;

And one doth rule out of Jacob, And hath destroyed a remnant from Ar.'

And he seeth Amalek, and taketh up his simile, and saith: `A beginning of the Goyim is Amalek; And his latter end--for ever he perisheth.'

And he seeth the Kenite, and taketh up his simile, and saith: `Enduring is thy dwelling, And setting in a rock thy nest,

But the Kenite is for a burning; Till when doth Asshur keep thee captive?'

And he taketh up his simile, and saith: `Alas! who doth live when God doth this?

And--ships are from the side of Chittim, And they have humbled Asshur, And they have humbled Eber, And it also for ever is perishing.'

And Balaam riseth, and goeth, and turneth back to his place, and Balak also hath gone on his way.

And Israel dwelleth in Shittim, and the people begin to go a-whoring unto daughters of Moab,

and they call for the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people eat, and bow themselves to their gods,

and Israel is joined to Baal-Peor, and the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel.

And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them before Jehovah--over-against the sun; and the fierceness of the anger of Jehovah doth turn back from Israel.'

And Moses saith unto the judges of Israel, `Slay ye each his men who are joined to Baal-Peor.'

And lo, a man of the sons of Israel hath come, and bringeth in unto his brethren the Midianitess, before the eyes of Moses, and before the eyes of all the company of the sons of Israel, who are weeping at the opening of the tent of meeting;

and Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, the priest, seeth, and riseth from the midst of the company, and taketh a javelin in his hand,

and goeth in after the man of Israel unto the hollow place, and pierceth them both, the man of Israel and the woman--unto her belly, and the plague is restrained from the sons of Israel;