Numbers 23:3-12 then Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will advance on. If God appear to me by any occurrence, whatever he shall shew me I will tell thee.

Thomson⁽ⁱ⁾ ³ then Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy sacrifice, and I will advance on. If God appear to me by any occurrence, whatever he shall shew me I will tell thee. ⁴ So Balak stood by his sacrifice. And Balaam went to inquire of God: and as he was going straight forward, God appeared to Balaam: And Balaam said to him, I have prepared seven altars, and offered a young bull, and a ram, on each altar. ⁵ And God put a word in the mouth of Balaam, and said, Return to Balak, and thus thou shalt say. ⁶ So he returned to Balak. Now he was standing by his whole burnt offerings, and all the princes of Moab with him; ⁷ And a spirit of God came upon Balaam, and he took up his parable, and said, I am called from Mesopotamia by Balak; By the king of Moab from the mountains of the east, Come, saith he, Curse Jacob for me, And, come, for me devote Israel. ⁸ How can I curse him, whom the Lord doth nut curse? Or how devote him whom God devoteth not? ⁹ For from the top of mountains I can see him; Even from hills I can observe him, Behold he shall dwell, as a people by themselves, And shall not be reckoned among the nations. ¹⁰ Who hath accurately scanned the seed of Jacob? Who can count the communities of Israel? May my soul depart among the souls of the righteous! And my offspring be as the seed of these! ¹¹ At this Balak said to Balaam, What hast thou done to me? I sent for thee to curse my enemies, and behold thou hast pronounced a blessing. ¹² And Balaam said to Balak, Must I not be careful to speak what God hath put in my mouth?