⁷ Then Balaam started to speak his message from God. He said, ‘Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Syria. He brought me from the mountains in the east. He said “Come and curse Jacob's descendants for me. Say bad things against the Israelites!”

⁸ But I cannot curse these people, because God has not cursed them. I cannot speak against people that the Lord does not speak against.

⁹ When I stand on the rocks, I can see the Israelites. I can watch them from the hills. They are people who are separate from other nations.