1. When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at the other times to seek for omens, but he set his face toward the wilderness.
2. When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
3. Then he uttered this oracle: “The oracle of Balaam son of Beor;the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;
4. the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,who sees a vision from the Almighty,although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:
5. ‘How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,and your dwelling places, O Israel!
6. They are like valleys stretched forth,like gardens by the river’s side,like aloes that the Lord has planted,and like cedar trees beside the waters.