And not inferior in beauty is Balaam's unwilling prophecy of blessing to Israel: "From Aram hath Balak brought me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: Come, curse me Jacob, And come, defy Israel. How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? For from the top of the rocks I see him? And from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that dwell alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations. . . . 161 "Behold, I have received commandment to bless: And He hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it. 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. . . . Surely there is no enchantment against (margin) Jacob, Neither is there any divination against (margin) Israel: Now shall it be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!" "He saith, which heareth the words of God, Which seeth the vision of the Almighty: . . . How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, Thy tabernacles, O Israel! As valleys are they spread forth, As gardens by the riverside, As lignaloes which the Lord hath planted, As cedar trees beside the waters." "He hath said, which heard the words of God, And knew the knowledge of the Most High: . . . I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not nigh: There shall come a Star out of Jacob, And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. . . . Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion." Numbers 23:7-23, R.V.; 24:4-6, R.V.; 24:16-19.

»Fra Aram lod Balak mig hente, Moabs konge fra østens bjerge:»Kom og forband mig Jakob, kom og kald Vrede ned over Israel!« Hvor kan jeg forbande, når Gud ej forbander, nedkalde vrede, når Herren ej vredes! Jeg ser det fra Klippernes top, fra højderne skuer jeg det, et folk, der bor for sig selv og ikke regner sig til hedningefolkene..... 4Mos. 23,7-19.