Cumque vidisset Balaam quod placeret Domino ut benediceret Israëli, nequaquam abiit ut ante perrexerat, ut augurium quæreret: sed dirigens contra desertum vultum suum,

But this time, seeing clearly that it was God’s purpose to bless Israel, Balaam did not go apart, as before, to look for portents; he turned towards the desert,

And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord that he should bless Israel. he went not as he had gone before, to seek divination: but setting his face towards the desert,

et elevans oculos, vidit Israël in tentoriis commorantem per tribus suas: et irruente in se spiritu Dei,

and there, looking about him, he saw Israel encamped, tribe upon tribe. With that, the spirit of God fell upon him,

And lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel abiding in their tents by their tribes: and the spirit of God rushing upon him,

assumpta parabola, ait: Dixit Balaam filius Beor: dixit homo, cujus obturatus est oculus:

and he prophesied: Thus speaks Balaam, the son of Beor, thus speaks the man who has seen with eyes blindfolded;

He took up his parable and said: Balaam the son of Beor hath said: The man hath said, whose eye is stopped up:

dixit auditor sermonum Dei, qui visionem Omnipotentis intuitus est, qui cadit, et sic aperiuntur oculi ejus:

thus speaks the man who has heard the words of God himself, looked on a vision sent from the Almighty, who has fallen into a trance, and learned to see aright!

The hearer of the words of God hath said, he that hath beheld the vision of the Almighty, he that falleth, and so his eyes are opened:

Quam pulchra tabernacula tua, Jacob, et tentoria tua, Israël!

How lovely, Jacob, are thy tents; Israel, how fair thy dwelling!

How beautiful are thy tabernacles, O Jacob, and thy tents, O Israel!

ut valles nemorosæ, ut horti juxta fluvios irrigui, ut tabernacula quæ fixit Dominus, quasi cedri prope aquas.

Fair as wooded valleys, as gardens fed by running streams, as bowers of the Lord’s own planting, as cedars on the river bank!

As woody valleys, as watered gardens near the rivers, as tabernacles which the Lord hath pitched, as cedars by the waterside.

Fluet aqua de situla ejus, et semen illius erit in aquas multas. Tolletur propter Agag, rex ejus, et auferetur regnum illius.

Like a bucket brimming over at the well, see how their posterity spreads from one river-frontier to the next! The king that rules over them shall rival Agag himself, and take away his kingdom from him.

Water shall flow out of his bucket, and his seed shall be in many waters. For Agag his king shall be removed, and his kingdom shall be taken away.

Deus eduxit illum de Ægypto, cujus fortitudo similis est rhinocerotis. Devorabunt gentes hostes illius, ossaque eorum confringent, et perforabunt sagittis.

God has rescued them from Egypt, and made them like a wild ox for strength; nations shall come and swallow up their enemies, crush them utterly, shoot them down with arrows.

God hath brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like to the rhinoceros. They shall devour the nations that are his enemies, and break their bones, and pierce them with arrows.

Accubans dormivit ut leo, et quasi leæna, quam suscitare nullus audebit. Qui benedixerit tibi, erit et ipse benedictus: qui maledixerit, in maledictione reputabitur.

Though Israel takes his rest, it is but as the crouching lion sleeps; who dares disturb the lioness in her den? A blessing, Israel, on all who bless, a curse on all who curse thee!

Lying down he hath slept as a lion, and as a lioness, whom none shall dare to rouse. He that blesseth thee, shall also himself be blessed: he that curseth thee shall be reckoned accursed.

Iratusque Balac contra Balaam, complosis manibus ait: Ad maledicendum inimicis meis vocavi te, quibus e contrario tertio benedixisti:

At this, Balac clapped his hands together in vexation; It was to curse my enemies, said he to Balaam, that I summoned thee, and thrice thou hast blessed them instead;

And Balac being angry against Balaam, clapped his hands together and said: I called thee to curse my enemies, and thou on the contrary hast blessed them three times.

revertere ad locum tuum. Decreveram quidem magnifice honorare te, sed Dominus privavit te honore disposito.

back home with thee! It was in my mind to raise thee to high honours, but this Lord of thine has thwarted thee of thy ambition.

Return to thy place. I had determined indeed greatly to honour thee, but the Lord hath deprived thee of the honour designed for thee.

Respondit Balaam ad Balac: Nonne nuntiis tuis, quos misisti ad me, dixi:

And Balaam still answered, Did I not warn the messengers thou sentest to me,

Balaam made answer to Balac: Did I not say to thy messengers, whom thou sentest to me:

Si dederit mihi Balac plenam domum suam argenti et auri, non potero præterire sermonem Domini Dei mei, ut vel boni quid vel mali proferam ex corde meo: sed quidquid Dominus dixerit, hoc loquar?

Though Balac should fill his house with silver and gold and offer to give it me, I have no power to go beyond the Lord’s bidding by uttering any word of my own, for good or ill; I can only deliver the Lord’s message?

If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to utter any thing of my own head either good or evil: but whatsoever the Lord shall say, that I will speak?

verumtamen pergens ad populum meum, dabo consilium, quid populus tuus populo huic faciat extremo tempore.

I will go back, then, to my own folk; but not till I have instructed thee about the dealings there must be between this folk and thine in the days that are coming.

But yet going to my people, I will give thee counsel, what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.

Sumpta igitur parabola, rursum ait: Dixit Balaam filius Beor: dixit homo, cujus obturatus est oculus:

And once more Balaam prophesied: Thus speaks Balaam, the son of Beor, thus speaks the man who has seen with eyes blindfolded;

Therefore taking up his parable, again he said: Balaam the son of Beor hath said: The man whose eye is stopped up, hath said:

dixit auditor sermonum Dei, qui novit doctrinam Altissimi, et visiones Omnipotentis videt, qui cadens apertos habet oculos:

who heard speech of God, most high, the Almighty, knew his mind, had vision of him, and in a trance, learned to see aright!

The hearer of the words of God hath said, who knoweth the doctrine of the Highest, and seeth the visions of the Almighty, who falling hath his eyes opened:

Videbo eum, sed non modo: intuebor illum, sed non prope. Orietur stella ex Jacob, et consurget virga de Israël: et percutiet duces Moab, vastabitque omnes filios Seth.

My vision is not of this time, is not of the things that meet my eyes. I see a star that rises out of Jacob, a stem that springs from Israel’s root; one who shall lay low the chiefs of Moab, shall bring devastation on all the posterity of Seth.

I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near. A STAR SHALL RISE out of Jacob and a sceptre shall spring up from Israel: and shall strike the chiefs of Moab, and shall waste all the children of Seth.

Et erit Idumæa possessio ejus: hæreditas Seir cedet inimicis suis: Israël vero fortiter aget.

Edom shall fall into his hands; the men of Seir will yield their lands to the enemy. Brave deeds in Israel;

And he shall possess Idumea: the inheritance of Seir shall come to their enemies, but Israel shall do manfully

De Jacob erit qui dominetur, et perdat reliquias civitatis.

such a ruler for Jacob as shall leave no remnant in the captured city!

Out of Jacob shall he come that shall rule, and shall destroy the remains of the city.

Cumque vidisset Amalec, assumens parabolam, ait: Principium gentium Amalec, cujus extrema perdentur.

Then he spoke of Amalec, Amalec, first-fruits of the nations, shall have his very gleanings destroyed;

And when he saw Amalec, he took up his parable, and said: Amalec the beginning of nations, whose latter ends shall be destroyed.

Vidit quoque Cinæum: et assumpta parabola, ait: Robustum quidem est habitaculum tuum: sed si in petra posueris nidum tuum,

spoke of the Cinites, Though strong be thy fastness, though high thy nest,

He saw also the Cinite: and took up his parable, and said: Thy habitation indeed is strong: but though thou build thy nest in a rock,

et fueris electus de stirpe Cin, quamdiu poteris permanere? Assur enim capiet te.

proud race of Cin, it shall not be for ever; Assur shall carry thee away into exile.

And thou be chosen of the stock of Cin, how long shalt thou be able to continue? For Assur shall take thee captive.

Assumptaque parabola iterum locutus est: Heu! quis victurus est, quando ista faciet Deus?

And once more he prophesied: Alas, who can survive when God brings all this about?

And taking up his parable, again he said: Alas, who shall live when God shall do these things?

Venient in trieribus de Italia: superabunt Assyrios, vastabuntque Hebræos, et ad extremum etiam ipsi peribunt.

Men will come in ships of war from Italy, conquering the Assyrians, laying the Hebrew land waste, doomed themselves, last of all, to perish.

They shall come in galleys from Italy, they shall overcome the Assyrians, and shall waste the Hebrews, and at the last they themselves also shall perish.

Surrexitque Balaam, et reversus est in locum suum: Balac quoque via, qua venerat, rediit.

With that, Balaam set out and made his way home; and Balac, too, went back whence he came.

And Balaam rose, and returned to his place: Balac also returned the way that he came.