A reading from
the Book of Numbers24:2-7, 15-17a
When Balaam raised his eyes and saw Israel encamped, tribe by tribe, the spirit of God came upon him, and he gave voice to his oracle:
The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,/ the utterance of a man whose eye is true,/ The utterance of one who hears what God says,/ and knows what the Most High knows,/ Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,/ enraptured, and with eyes unveiled:/ How goodly are your tents, O Jacob;/ your encampments, O Israel!/ They are like gardens beside a stream,/ like the cedars planted by the Lord./ His wells shall yield free-flowing waters,/ he shall have the sea within reach;/ His king shall rise higher,/ and his royalty shall be exalted.
Then Balaam again gave voice to his oracle:
The utterance of Balaam, son of Beor,/ The utterance of the man whose eye is true,/ The utterance of one who hears what God says,/ and knows what the Most High knows,/ Of one who sees what the Almighty sees,/ enraptured, and with eyes unveiled./ I see him, though not now;/ I behold him, though not near:/ A star shall advance from Jacob,/ and a staff shall rise from Israel.
The word of the Lord.
