Day 71 of 730

¹When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at the other times, to meet with omens, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

²Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came on him.

³He took up his parable, and said, "Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eye was closed says;

⁴he says, who hears the words of God, who sees the vision of the Almighty, falling down, and having his eyes open:

⁵How goodly are your tents, Jacob, and your tents, Israel!

⁶As valleys they are spread forth, as gardens by the riverside, as aloes which the Lord has planted, as cedar trees beside the waters.

⁷Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted.

⁸God brings him out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild ox. He shall eat up the nations his adversaries, shall break their bones in pieces, and pierce them with his arrows.

⁹He couched, he lay down as a lion, as a lioness; who shall rouse him up? Everyone who blesses you is blessed. Everyone who curses you is cursed."

¹⁰Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.

¹¹Therefore now flee you to your place! I thought to promote you to great honor; but, behold, the Lord has kept you back from honor."

¹²Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not also tell your messengers who you sent to me, saying,

¹³'If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can't go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad of my own mind. I will say what the Lord says'?

¹⁴Now, behold, I go to my people: come, I will inform you what this people shall do to your people in the latter days."

¹⁵He took up his parable, and said, "Balaam the son of Beor says, the man whose eye was closed says;

¹⁶he says, who hears the words of God, knows the knowledge of the Most High, and who sees the vision of the Almighty, Falling down, and having his eyes open:

¹⁷I see him, but not now. I see him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob. A scepter will rise out of Israel, and shall strike through the corners of Moab, and break down all the sons of Sheth.

¹⁸Edom shall be a possession. Seir, his enemies, also shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly.

¹⁹Out of Jacob shall one have dominion, and shall destroy the remnant from the city."

²⁰He looked at Amalek, and took up his parable, and said, "Amalek was the first of the nations, But his latter end shall come to destruction."

²¹He looked at the Kenite, and took up his parable, and said, "Your dwelling place is strong. Your nest is set in the rock.

²²Nevertheless Kain shall be wasted, until Asshur carries you away captive."

²³He took up his parable, and said, "Alas, who shall live when God does this?

²⁴But ships shall come from the coast of Kittim. They shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber. He also shall come to destruction."

²⁵Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place; and Balak also went his way.

¹Israel stayed in Shittim; and the people began to play the prostitute with the daughters of Moab:

²for they called the people to the sacrifices of their gods; and the people ate, and bowed down to their gods.

³Israel joined himself to Baal Peor: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel.

⁴The Lord said to Moses, "Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up to the Lord before the sun, that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel."

⁵Moses said to the judges of Israel, "Everyone kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal Peor."

⁶Behold, one of the children of Israel came and brought to his brothers a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses, and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of Meeting.

⁷When Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand;

⁸and he went after the man of Israel into the pavilion, and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.

⁹Those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁰The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

¹¹"Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, in that he was jealous with my jealousy among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in my jealousy.

¹²Therefore say, 'Behold, I give to him my covenant of peace:

¹³and it shall be to him, and to his seed after him, the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was jealous for his God, and made atonement for the children of Israel.'"

¹⁴Now the name of the man of Israel that was slain, who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri, the son of Salu, a prince of a fathers' house among the Simeonites.

¹⁵The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur; he was head of the people of a fathers' house in Midian.

¹⁶The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

¹⁷"Harass the Midianites, and strike them;

¹⁸for they harassed you with their wiles, with which they have deceived you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of the prince of Midian, their sister, who was slain on the day of the plague in the matter of Peor."

¹In you, Lord, I take refuge. Never let me be disappointed.

²Deliver me in your righteousness, and rescue me. Turn your ear to me, and save me.

³Be to me a rock of refuge to which I may always go. Give the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.

⁴Rescue me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.

⁵For you are my hope, Lord God; my confidence from my youth.

⁶I have relied on you from the womb. You are he who took me out of my mother's womb. I will always praise you.

⁷I am a marvel to many, but you are my strong refuge.

⁸My mouth shall be filled with your praise, with your honor all the day.

⁹Do not reject me in my old age. Do not forsake me when my strength fails.

¹⁰For my enemies talk about me. Those who watch for my soul conspire together,

¹¹saying, "God has forsaken him. Pursue and take him, for no one will rescue him."

¹²God, do not be far from me. My God, hurry to help me.

¹³Let my accusers be disappointed and consumed. Let them be covered with disgrace and scorn who want to harm me.

¹⁴But I will always hope, and will add to all of your praise.

¹⁵My mouth will tell about your righteousness, and of your salvation all day, though I do not know its full measure.

¹⁶I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord God. I will make mention of your righteousness, even of yours alone.

¹⁷God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.

¹⁸Yes, even when I am old and gray-haired, God, do not forsake me, until I have declared your strength to the next generation, your might to everyone who is to come.

¹⁹Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; you have done great things. God, who is like you?

²⁰You, who have shown us many and bitter troubles, you will let me live. You will bring us up again from the depths of the earth.

²¹Increase my honor, and comfort me again.

²²I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God. I sing praises to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.

²³My lips shall shout for joy! My soul, which you have redeemed, sings praises to you!

²⁴My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.

¹Wisdom has built her house. She has carved out her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her meat. She has mixed her wine. She has also set her table.

³She has sent out her maidens. She cries from the highest places of the city:

⁴"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

⁵"Come, eat some of my bread, Drink some of the wine which I have mixed!

⁶Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding."

⁷He who corrects a mocker invites insult. He who reproves a wicked man invites abuse.

⁸Do not reprove a scoffer, lest he hate you. Reprove a wise man, and he will love you.

⁹Instruct a wise man, and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

¹¹For by me your days will be multiplied. The years of your life will be increased.

¹²If you are wise, you are wise for yourself. If you mock, you alone will bear it.

¹³The foolish woman is loud, Undisciplined, and knows nothing.

¹⁴She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

¹⁵To call to those who pass by, who go straight on their ways,

¹⁶"Whoever is simple, let him turn in here." as for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

¹⁷"Stolen water is sweet. Food eaten in secret is pleasant."

¹⁸But he doesn't know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.