Balaam’s First Oracle

1And Balam sayed vnto Balac: bylde me here seven alters and prouyde here. seue oxen and seuen rammes. 2And Balac dyd as Balam sayed. And Balac and Balam offered on euery alter an oxe and a ram. 3And Balam sayed vnto Balac: stonde by the sacrifyce whyle I goo to wete whether the Lorde will come ad mete me: and what soeuer he sheweth me I will tell the and he went forthwith.

4And god came vnto Balam and Balam sayed vnto him: I haue prepared .vij. alters and haue offered apo euery alter an oxe and a ram. 5And ye Lorde put a sayenge in Balas mouth and sayed: goo agayne to Balac and saye on this wyse. 6And he went agayne vnto him and loo he stode by his sacrifice both he ad all the lordes of Moab.

7And he began hys parable and sayed: Balac the kinge of Moab hath fett me fro Mesopotamia out of the mountaynes of the easte sayenge: come and curse me Iacob come and defye me Israel.

8How shall I curse whom God curseth not and how shall I defye whom the Lorde defyeth not?

9from the toppe of ye rockes I se him and from the hylles I beholde him: loo ye people shall dwell by him selfe and shall not be rekened amoge other nacions.

10Who can tell the dust of Iacob and the numbre of the fourth parte of Israel. I praye God that my soule maye dye the deeth of the righteous ad that my last ende maye be like his.

11And Balac sayed vnto Balam what hast thou done vnto me? I fett ye to curse myne enemyes: and beholde thou blessest them. 12And he answered and sayed: must I not kepe that and speake it which the Lorde hath put in my mouthe?

Balaam’s Second Oracle

13And Balac sayed vnto him: Come I praye the with me vnto another place whence thou shalt se them and shalt se but ye vtmoste parte of them ad shalt not se them all and curse me them there. 14And he brought him in to a playne felde where men myght se farre euen to the toppe of Pisga and bylt .vij. alters and offered an oxe and a ra on euery alter. 15And he sayed vnto Balac: stonde here by thi sacrifyce whyle I goo yonder. 16And the Lorde mett Balam and put wordes in his mouth and sayed: goo agayne vnto Balac ad thus saye. 17And when he came to him: beholde he stode by his sacrifyce and the lordes of Moab with him And Balac sayed vnto him: what sayeth ye Lorde?

18And he toke vp his parable and sayed: ryse vpp Balac and heare and herken vnto me thou sonne of Ziphor

19The Lorde is not a ma that he can lye nether the sonne of a ma that he can repent: shulde he saye and not doo or shulde he speake and not make it good?

20beholde I haue begon to blesse and haue blessed and can not goo backe there fro.

21He beheld no wikednesse in Iacob nor sawe Idolatrye in Israel: The Lorde his God is with him and the trompe of a kynge amonge the.

22God that broughte them out of Egipte is as the strength of an vnycorne

23vnto them for there is no sorcerer in Iacob nor sothsayer in Israel. When the tyme cometh it wylbe sayed of Iacob and of Israel what God hath wrought

24Beholde ye people shall ryse vp as a lyonesse and heue vpp hym selfe as a lion and shall not lye downe agayne vntill he haue eaten of the praye and dronke of the bloude of them that are slayne.

25And Balac sayed vnto Balam: nether curse them nor blesse the. 26And Balam answered ad sayed vnto Balac: tolde not I the sayege all that the Lorde byddeth me yt I must doo?

27And Balac sayed vnto Balam: come I praye the I will brynge the yet vnto another place: so perauenture it shall please God that thou mayst curse the there. 28And Balac broughte Balam vnto the toppe of Peor that boweth towarde the wildernesse. 29And Balam sayed vnto Balac: make me here .vij. alters and prepare me here .vij. bollockes and .vij. rames 30And Balac dyd as Balam had sayed and offered a bollocke and a ram on euery alter.