From: ngninja@baptist.email   
      
   Bible Reading for February 21   
      
   Numbers Chapter 23   
      
   1 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me   
   here seven oxen and seven rams.   
      
   2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on   
   every altar a bullock and a ram.   
      
   3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will   
   go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he   
   sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.   
      
   4 And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven   
   altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.   
      
   5 And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto   
   Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.   
      
   6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice,   
   he, and all the princes of Moab.   
      
   7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath   
   brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come,   
   curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel.   
      
   8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom   
   the LORD hath not defied?   
      
   9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold   
   him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among   
   the nations.   
      
   10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of   
   Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be   
   like his!   
      
   11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee   
   to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.   
      
   12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which   
   the LORD hath put in my mouth?   
      
   13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another   
   place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost   
   part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.   
      
   14 And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah,   
   and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.   
      
   15 And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I   
   meet the LORD yonder.   
      
   16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go   
   again unto Balak, and say thus.   
      
   17 And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and   
   the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the   
   LORD spoken?   
      
   18 And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear;   
   hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:   
      
   19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he   
   should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken,   
   and shall he not make it good?   
      
   20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed;   
   and I cannot reverse it.   
      
   21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen   
   perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a   
   king is among them.   
      
   22 God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an   
   unicorn.   
      
   23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any   
   divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of   
   Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!   
      
   24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself   
   as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and   
   drink the blood of the slain.   
      
   25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them   
   at all.   
      
   26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All   
   that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?   
      
   27 And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto   
   another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me   
   them from thence.   
      
   28 And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward   
   Jeshimon.   
      
   29 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare   
   me here seven bullocks and seven rams.   
      
   30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on   
   every altar.   
      
   Numbers Chapter 24   
      
   1 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he went   
   not, as at other times, to seek for enchantments, but he set his face   
   toward the wilderness.   
      
   2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents   
   according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.   
      
   3 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath   
   said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:   
      
   4 He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of   
   the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:   
      
   5 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!   
      
   6 As the valleys are they spread forth, as gardens by the river's side,   
   as the trees of lign aloes which the LORD hath planted, and as cedar   
   trees beside the waters.   
      
   7 He shall pour the water out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in   
   many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag, and his kingdom   
   shall be exalted.   
      
   8 God brought him forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of   
   an unicorn: he shall eat up the nations his enemies, and shall break   
   their bones, and pierce them through with his arrows.   
      
   9 He couched, he lay down as a lion, and as a great lion: who shall stir   
   him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth   
   thee.   
      
   10 And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands   
   together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine   
   enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times.   
      
   11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto   
   great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.   
      
   12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which   
   thou sentest unto me, saying,   
      
   13 If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go   
   beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own   
   mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?   
      
   14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will   
   advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days.   
      
   15 And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath   
   said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said:   
      
   16 He hath said, which heard the words of God, and knew the knowledge of   
   the most High, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a   
   trance, but having his eyes open:   
      
   17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there   
   shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,   
   and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.   
      
   18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for   
   his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.   
      
   19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall   
   destroy him that remaineth of the city.   
      
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)