"Nevertheless, the LORDyour Godwas not willingto listento Balaam,but the LORDyour Godturnedthe curseinto a blessingfor you becausethe LORDyour Godlovesyou.
"Perhapsthe LORDwill lookon my afflictionand returngoodto me insteadof his cursingthisday."
becausethey did not meetthe sonsof Israelwith breadand water,but hiredBalaamagainstthem to cursethem. However, our Godturnedthe curseinto a blessing.
SurelyGodis goodto Israel,To those whoare purein heart!
Like a sparrowin [its] flitting,like a swallowin [its] flying,Soa cursewithoutcausedoes not alight.
The LORDappearedto him from afar,[saying], "I have lovedyou with an everlastinglove;ThereforeI have drawnyou with lovingkindness.
"Then I passedby you and sawyou, and behold,you were at the timefor love;so I spreadMy skirtoveryou and coveredyour nakedness.I also sworeto you and enteredinto a covenantwith you so that you becameMine," declaresthe LordGOD.
"My people,remembernowWhatBalakkingof MoabcounseledAnd whatBalaamsonof Beoransweredhim, [And] from Shittimto Gilgal,Sothat you might knowthe righteousactsof the LORD."
"I have lovedyou," saysthe LORD.But you say,"Howhave You lovedus?" "[Was] not EsauJacob'sbrother?"declaresthe LORD."Yet I have lovedJacob;
But the angelof the LORDsaidto Balaam,"Gowith the men,but you shall speakonlythe wordwhichI tellyou." So Balaamwentalong with the leadersof Balak.
So he sentmessengersto Balaamthe sonof Beor,at Pethor,whichis nearthe River,[in] the landof the sonsof his people,to callhim, saying,"Behold,a peoplecameout of Egypt;behold,they coverthe surfaceof the land,and they are livingoppositeme.
"He couches,he liesdownas a lion,And as a lion,whodares rousehim? Blessedis everyone who blessesyou, And cursedis everyone who cursesyou."
From the standpointof the gospelthey are enemiesfor your sake,but from the standpointof [God's] choicethey are belovedfor the sakeof the fathers;
Whatthenshall we sayto these things?IfGod[is] for us, who[is] againstus?
Justas it is written,"JACOBI LOVED,BUT ESAUI HATED."
For momentary,lightafflictionis producingfor us an eternalweightof gloryfarbeyondall comparison,
justas the sonsof Esauwho livein Seirand the Moabiteswho livein Ardidfor me, untilI crossoverthe Jordaninto the landwhichthe LORDour Godis givingto us.'
"Indeed,He lovesthe people;AllYour holyonesare in Your hand,And they followedin Your steps;[Everyone] receivesof Your words.
"BecauseHe lovedyour fathers,therefore He chosetheir descendantsafterthem. And He personallybroughtyou from Egyptby His greatpower,
But I was not willingto listento Balaam.So he hadto blessyou, and I deliveredyou from his hand.
