Numbers 24:2-3, 5-9, 17-18 (Vespers, 2nd reading)
- 2
- And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
- 3
- Then he took up his oracle and said: “The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor, The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened,
- 5
- “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel!
- 6
- Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens by the riverside, Like aloes planted by the LORD, Like cedars beside the waters.
- 7
- He shall pour water from his buckets, And his seed shall be in many waters. “His king shall be higher than Agag, And his kingdom shall be exalted.
- 8
- “God brings him out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox; He shall consume the nations, his enemies; He shall break their bones And pierce them with his arrows.
- 9
- ‘He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?’ “ Blessed is he who blesses you, And cursed is he who curses you.”
- 17
- “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult.
- 18
- “And Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, While Israel does valiantly.