the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
    who sees the vision of the Almighty,
    (A)falling down with his eyes uncovered:
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
    your encampments, O Israel!
Like palm groves[a] that stretch afar,
    like gardens beside a river,
(B)like aloes (C)that the Lord has planted,
    like cedar trees beside the waters.
Water shall flow from his buckets,
    and his seed shall be (D)in many waters;
his king shall be higher than (E)Agag,
    and (F)his kingdom shall be exalted.
God brings him out of Egypt
    and is for him like the (G)horns of the wild ox;
he shall (H)eat up the nations, his adversaries,
    and shall (I)break their bones in pieces
    and (J)pierce them through with his arrows.
He crouched, he lay down like a lion
    and (K)like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
(L)Blessed are those who bless you,
    and cursed are those who curse you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 24:6 Or valleys

the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,(A)
    who sees a vision from the Almighty,[a](B)
    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

“How beautiful are your tents,(C) Jacob,
    your dwelling places, Israel!

“Like valleys they spread out,
    like gardens beside a river,(D)
like aloes(E) planted by the Lord,
    like cedars beside the waters.(F)
Water will flow from their buckets;
    their seed will have abundant water.

“Their king will be greater than Agag;(G)
    their kingdom will be exalted.(H)

“God brought them out of Egypt;
    they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
    and break their bones in pieces;(I)
    with their arrows they pierce them.(J)
Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
    like a lioness(K)—who dares to rouse them?

“May those who bless you be blessed(L)
    and those who curse you be cursed!”(M)

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 24:4 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 16