Numbers 23:4

Christian Standard Bible ®

God met with him and Balaam said to him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.”

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, "I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

Update Bible Version
And God met Balaam: and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

English Revised Version
And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

New Century Version
God came to Balaam there, and Balaam said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar."

New English Translation
Then God met Balaam, who said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

Webster's Bible Translation
And God met Balaam: and he said to him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon [every] altar a bullock and a ram.

World English Bible
God met Balaam: and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

Amplified Bible
Now God met Balaam, who said to Him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on each altar."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he hadde go swiftli, God cam to hym; and Balaam spak to hym, and seide, Y reiside seuene auteris, and Y puttide a calf and a ram aboue.

Young's Literal Translation
And God cometh unto Balaam, and he saith unto Him, `The seven altars I have arranged, and I offer a bullock and a ram on the altar;'

Berean Standard Bible
and God met with him. "I have set up seven altars," Balaam said, "and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram."

Contemporary English Version
When God appeared to him, Balaam said, "I have built seven altars and have sacrificed a bull and a ram on each one."

American Standard Version
And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Bible in Basic English
And God came to Balaam, and Balaam said to him, I have made ready seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But God met Balaam, & [Balaam] sayd vnto hym: I haue prepared seuen aulters, and haue offred vpon euery aulter an oxe and a ramme.

Complete Jewish Bible
God met Bil‘am, who said to him, "I prepared the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar."

Darby Translation
And God met Balaam; and [Balaam] said to him, I have disposed seven altars, and have offered up a bullock and a ram upon [each] altar.

Easy-to-Read Version
God came to Balaam at that place, and Balaam said, "I have prepared seven altars. And I have killed a bull and a ram as a sacrifice on each altar."

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And God met Balaam; and he said unto Him: 'I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.'

King James Version (1611)
And God met Balaam, and he said vnto him, I haue prepared seuen altars, and I haue offered vpon euery altar a bullocke and a ramme.

New Life Bible
God met Balaam. Balaam said to Him, "I have made seven altars. And I have given a bull and a ram on each altar in worship."

New Revised Standard
Then God met Balaam; and Balaam said to him, "I have arranged the seven altars, and have offered a bull and a ram on each altar."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And God came unto Balaam, - so he said unto him The seven altars, have I built in a row, and have caused to ascend, bullock and a ram on each altar.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And God met Balaam, and Balaam sayd vnto him, I haue prepared seuen altars, and haue offred vpon euery altar a bullocke and a ramme.

George Lamsa Translation
And God appeared to Balaam and said to him, You have prepared seven altars, and have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.

Good News Translation
and God met him. Balaam said to him, "I have built the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he was gone with speed, God met him. And Balaam speaking to him, said: I have erected seven altars, and have laid on everyone a calf and a ram.

Revised Standard Version
And God met Balaam; and Balaam said to him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered upon each altar a bull and a ram."

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Balaam went to enquire of God; and he went straight forward, and God appeared to Balaam; and Balaam said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and have offered a calf and a ram on every altar.

Hebrew Names Version
God met Bil`am: and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

King James Version
And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.

Lexham English Bible
And God met with Balaam, and he said to him, "I have arranged seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar."

Literal Translation
And God came to Balaam, and he said to Him, I have set up seven altars. And I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And ye LORDE mett Balaam. And Balaam saide vnto him: Seuen altares haue I prepared, and offred on euery altare a bullocke and a ramme.

THE MESSAGE
God did meet with Balaam. Balaam said, "I've set up seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar."

New American Standard Bible
Now God met with Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar."

New King James Version
And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

New Living Translation
and God met him there. Balaam said to him, "I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar."

Legacy Standard Bible
Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, "I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each altar."

Contextual Overview

¹Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” ²So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ³Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the Lord will meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So he went to a barren hill. ⁴God met with him and Balaam said to him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” ⁵Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.” ⁶So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab. ⁷Balaam proclaimed his poem: ⁸How can I curse someone God has not cursed?How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced? ⁹I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,and I watch them from the hills.There is a people living alone;it does not consider itself among the nations. ¹⁰Who has counted the dust of Jacobor numbered even one-fourth of Israel?Let me die the death of the upright;let the end of my life be like theirs.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God: Numbers 23:16, Numbers 22:9, Numbers 22:20

I have prepared: Numbers 23:1, Isaiah 58:3, Isaiah 58:4, Matthew 20:12, Luke 18:12, John 16:2, Romans 3:27, Ephesians 2:9

Reciprocal: Exodus 3:18 - met 1 Kings 13:11 - an old prophet 2 Kings 10:16 - Come with me 1 Chronicles 15:26 - bullocks

Cross-References

Genesis 3:19
You will eat bread by the sweat of your browuntil you return to the ground,since you were taken from it.For you are dust,and you will return to dust.”

Genesis 17:8
And to you and your future offspring I will give the land where you are residing—all the land of Canaan—as a permanent possession, and I will be their God.”

Genesis 23:12
Abraham bowed down to the people of the land

Genesis 23:13
and said to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, “Listen to me, if you please. Let me pay the price of the field. Accept it from me, and let me bury my dead there.”

Genesis 23:16
Abraham agreed with Ephron, and Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had agreed to in the hearing of the Hethites: four hundred standard shekels of silver.

Genesis 47:9
Jacob said to Pharaoh, “My pilgrimage has lasted 130 years. My years have been few and hard, and they have not reached the years of my fathers during their pilgrimages.”

Genesis 49:30
The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre, in the land of Canaan. This is the field Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hethite as burial property.

Genesis 50:13
They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave at Machpelah in the field near Mamre, which Abraham had purchased as burial property from Ephron the Hethite.

Leviticus 25:23
“The land is not to be permanently sold because it is mine, and you are only aliens and temporary residents on my land.

1 Chronicles 29:15
For we are aliens and temporary residents in your presence as were all our ancestors. Our days on earth are like a shadow, without hope.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And God met Balaam,.... Not in a kind and gracious manner; not out of any respect to him and his offerings; not to indulge him with any spiritual communion with him; nor to communicate his mind and will to him as a friend of his; not to gratify his desires, and grant the request of the king of Moab, or to smile upon and succeed the scheme that they had concerted; but for the sake of his people Israel, to counterwork the designs of their enemies; to blast and confound them, and turn their curses into blessings; and particularly to oblige Balaam to bless the people he was so desirous of cursing for the sake of gain:

and he said unto him; in a bragging boasting way, in order to gain his favour, and carry his point:

I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram: that is, to him the Lord; for had they been offered to Baal, he could never have had the nerve to have spoken of them to God; and which he could never have proposed as a reason why he should be regarded by him, or expect on account of them any favour from him: and indeed these altars and sacrifices were not at his expense, though they were prepared and offered at a motion of his; nor were they offered in a right manner, nor with a right end, nor from a right principle, and were far from being acceptable unto God, yea, were abominable unto him; see Proverbs 21:27.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

God met Balaam - God served His own purposes through the arts of Balaam, and manifested His will through the agencies employed to seek it, dealing thus with Balaam in an exceptional manner. To God’s own people auguries were forbidden Leviticus 19:26.

I have prepared seven altars - And therefore Balaam expected that God on His part would do what was desired by the donor; compare Numbers 22:15 note.