C. S. Lewis Bible: New Revised Standard Version. Клайв Стейплз Льюис

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but now you have done nothing but bless them.” ¹²He answered, “Must I not take care to say what the LORD puts into my mouth?”

      13 So Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only part of them, and shall not see them all; then curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah. He built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offerings, while I meet the LORD over there.” ¹⁶The LORD met Balaam, put a word into his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall say.” ¹⁷When he came to him, he was standing beside his burnt offerings with the officials of Moab. Balak said to him, “What has the LORD said?” ¹⁸Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying:

      “Rise, Balak, and hear;

      listen to me, O son of Zippor:

      ¹⁹ God is not a human being, that he should lie,

      or a mortal, that he should change his mind.

      Has he promised, and will he not do it?

      Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

      ²⁰ See, I received a command to bless;

      he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.

      ²¹ He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob;

      nor has he seen trouble in Israel.

      The LORD their God is with them,

      acclaimed as a king among them.

      ²² God, who brings them out of Egypt,

      is like the horns of a wild ox for them.

      ²³ Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob,

      no divination against Israel;

      now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,

      ‘See what God has done!’

      ²⁴ Look, a people rising up like a lioness,

      and rousing itself like a lion!

      It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey

      and drunk the blood of the slain.”

      25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” ²⁶But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD says, that is what I must do’?”

27 So Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” ²⁸So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.[57] ²⁹Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” ³⁰So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

24 Now Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, so he did not go, as at other times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. ²Balaam looked up and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe. Then the spirit of God came upon him, ³and he uttered his oracle, saying:

      “The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,

the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,[58]

       ⁴ the oracle of one who hears the words of God,

who sees the vision of the Almighty,[59]

      who falls down, but with eyes uncovered:

       ⁵ how fair are your tents, O Jacob,

      your encampments, O Israel!

       ⁶ Like palm groves that stretch far away,

      like gardens beside a river,

      like aloes that the LORD has planted,

      like cedar trees beside the waters.

       ⁷ Water shall flow from his buckets,

      and his seed shall have abundant water,

      his king shall be higher than Agag,

      and his kingdom shall be exalted.

       ⁸ God who brings him out of Egypt,

      is like the horns of a wild ox for him;

      he shall devour the nations that are his foes

      and break their bones.

He shall strike with his arrows.[60]

       ⁹ He crouched, he lay down like a lion,

      and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?

      Blessed is everyone who blesses you,

      and cursed is everyone who curses you.”

      10 Then Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but instead you have blessed them these three times. ¹¹Now be off with you! Go home! I said, ‘I will reward you richly,’ but the LORD has denied you any reward.” ¹²And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, ¹³‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the LORD, to do either good or bad of my own will; what the LORD says, that is what I will say’? ¹⁴So now, I am going to my people; let me advise you what this people will do to your people in days to come.”

      15 So he uttered his oracle, saying:

      “The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,

the oracle of the man whose eye is clear,[61]

      ¹⁶ the oracle of one who hears the words of God,

and knows the knowledge of the Most High,[62]

who sees the vision of the Almighty,[63]

      who falls down, but with his eyes uncovered:

      ¹⁷ I see him, but not now;

      I behold him, but not near—

      a СКАЧАТЬ