and Balaam uttered this prophecy: "Come, Balak son of Zippor, And listen to what I have to say.

and he uttered this prophecy: "The message of Balaam son of Beor, The words of the man who can see clearly,

Then he uttered this prophecy: "The message of Balaam son of Beor, The words of the man who can see clearly,

Balaam uttered this prophecy: "Who are these people gathering in the north?

I swear by the living Almighty God, who refuses me justice and makes my life bitter---

Job began speaking again.

I am going to use wise sayings and explain mysteries from the past,

"Mortal man," he said, "tell the Israelites a parable

But I protested, "Sovereign LORD, don't make me do it! Everyone is already complaining that I always speak in riddles."

When that time comes, people will use the story about you as an example of disaster, and they will sing this song of despair about your experience: We are completely ruined! The LORD has taken our land away And given it to those who took us captive."

The conquered people will taunt their conquerors and show their scorn for them. They will say, "You take what isn't yours, but you are doomed! How long will you go on getting rich by forcing your debtors to pay up?"

Jesus told them still another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it with a bushel of flour until the whole batch of dough rises."

He did this to make come true what the prophet had said, "I will use parables when I speak to them; I will tell them things unknown since the creation of the world."

The Jewish leaders tried to arrest Jesus, because they knew that he had told this parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.

sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor near the Euphrates River in the land of Amaw. They brought him this message from Balak: "I want you to know that a whole nation has come from Egypt; its people are spreading out everywhere and threatening to take over our land.

Shem's sons---Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram---were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.

Go instead to Mesopotamia, to the home of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of the young women there, one of your uncle Laban's daughters.

He found out that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Mesopotamia.

They refused to provide you with food and water when you were on your way out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor, from the city of Pethor in Mesopotamia, to curse you.

They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them for me. Then perhaps we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse."

that a people who came from Egypt has spread out over the whole land. He wants me to curse them for him, so that he can fight them and drive them out."

I will reward you richly and do anything you say. Please come and curse these people for me."

Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never light.

Here and now I challenge the Israelite army. I dare you to pick someone to fight me!"

"Look at him!" they said to each other. "Listen to his challenge! King Saul has promised to give a big reward to the man who kills him; the king will also give him his daughter to marry and will not require his father's family to pay taxes."

David asked the men who were near him, "What will the man get who kills this Philistine and frees Israel from this disgrace? After all, who is this heathen Philistine to defy the army of the living God?"

I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God.

David answered, "You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied.

He defied the Israelites, and Jonathan, the son of David's brother Shammah, killed him.

The second of the famous three was Eleazar son of Dodo, of the clan of Ahoh. One day he and David challenged the Philistines who had gathered for battle. The Israelites fell back,