But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD speaks, that I must do’?”
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the wasteland.
When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness.
And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
He took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened;
The oracle of him who hears the words of God, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered,
“Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens beside the river, Like aloes planted by the LORD, Like cedars beside the waters.
“God brings him out of Egypt, He is for him like the horns of the wild ox. He will devour the nations who are his adversaries, And will crush their bones in pieces, And shatter them with his arrows.
Therefore, flee to your place now. I said I would honor you greatly, but behold, the LORD has held you back from honor.”
‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak’?
And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”
He took up his discourse and said, “The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor, And the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
The oracle of him who hears the words of God, And knows the knowledge of the Most High, Who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered.
“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth.
“One from Jacob shall have dominion, And will destroy the remnant from the city.”
And he looked at Amalek and took up his discourse and said, “Amalek was the first of the nations, But his end shall be destruction.”
And he looked at the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said, “Your dwelling place is enduring, And your nest is set in the cliff.
“But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim, And they shall afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber; So they also will come to destruction.”
While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab.
For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.
So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel.
The LORD said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the fierce anger of the LORD may turn away from Israel.”
So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you slay his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”
Then behold, one of the sons of Israel came and brought to his relatives a Midianite woman, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the sons of Israel, while they were weeping at the doorway of the tent of meeting.
When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he arose from the midst of the congregation and took a spear in his hand,
and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and pierced both of them through, the man of Israel and the woman, through the body. So the plague on the sons of Israel was checked.
Those who died by the plague were 24,000.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned away My wrath from the sons of Israel in that he was jealous with My jealousy among them, so that I did not destroy the sons of Israel in My jealousy.
and it shall be for him and his descendants after him, a covenant of a perpetual priesthood, because he was jealous for his God and made atonement for the sons of Israel.’”
Now the name of the slain man of Israel who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s household among the Simeonites.
The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was head of the people of a father’s household in Midian.
Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
“Be hostile to the Midianites and strike them;
for they have been hostile to you with their tricks, with which they have deceived you in the affair of Peor and in the affair of Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister who was slain on the day of the plague because of Peor.”
Then it came about after the plague, that the LORD spoke to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying,
“Take a census of all the congregation of the sons of Israel from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers’ households, whoever is able to go out to war in Israel.”
So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,
“Take a census of the people from twenty years old and upward, as the LORD has commanded Moses.” Now the sons of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt were:
Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, the sons of Reuben: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites;
of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites.
These are the families of the Reubenites, and those who were numbered of them were 43,730.
The son of Pallu: Eliab.
The sons of Eliab: Nemuel and Dathan and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram who were called by the congregation, who contended against Moses and against Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the LORD,
and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning.
The sons of Korah, however, did not die.
The sons of Simeon according to their families: of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites;
of Zerah, the family of the Zerahites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.
These are the families of the Simeonites, 22,200.
The sons of Gad according to their families: of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites;
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
For Permission to Quote information visit http://www.lockman.org by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif.
All rights reserved.