6. So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.
7. Balaam proclaimed his poem:Balak brought me from Aram; the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;come, denounce Israel! ”
8. How can I curse someone God has not cursed?How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
9. I 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.
10. Who has counted the dust of Jacobor numbered the dust clouds of Israel?Let me die the death of the upright;let the end of my life be like theirs.
11. “What have you done to me? ” Balak asked Balaam. “I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them! ”
12. He answered, “Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth? ”