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18 Edom will be a possession,
Seir,[a] his enemy, will also be a possession;
but Israel will act valiantly.
19 A ruler will be established from Jacob;
he will destroy the remains of the city.’”[b]

Balaam’s Final Prophecies

20 Then Balaam[c] looked on Amalek and delivered this oracle:[d]

“Amalek was the first[e] of the nations,
but his end will be that he will perish.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 24:18 sn Seir is the chief mountain range of Edom (Deut 33:2), and so the reference here is to the general area of Edom.
  2. Numbers 24:19 tn Or, understanding the Hebrew word for “city” as a place name, “of Ir” (cf. NRSV, NLT).
  3. Numbers 24:20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  4. Numbers 24:20 tn Heb “and he lifted up his oracle and said.” So also in vv. 21, 23.
  5. Numbers 24:20 sn This probably means that it held first place, or it thought that it was “the first of the nations.” It was not the first, either in order or greatness.