Balaam’s First Oracle

Balaam proclaimed his poem:

Balak brought me from Aram;(A)
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel!” (B)
How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
There is a people living alone;(C)
it does not consider itself among the nations.

Read full chapter

Then Balaam(A) spoke his message:(B)

“Balak brought me from Aram,(C)
    the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.(D)
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
    come, denounce Israel.’(E)
How can I curse
    those whom God has not cursed?(F)
How can I denounce
    those whom the Lord has not denounced?(G)
From the rocky peaks I see them,
    from the heights I view them.(H)
I see a people who live apart
    and do not consider themselves one of the nations.(I)

Read full chapter