Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageBalaam said to Balak, 'I have come to you now — but can I say whatever I like? Only the word God puts in my mouth — that is what I will speak.'
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GBil'am said to Balak, 'I have come to you now — but have I any power to say anything at all? Only the word Elohim places in my mouth — that I will speak.'
KJV
King James VersionAnd Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak.
BSB
Berean Standard Bible“See, I have come to you,” Balaam replied, “but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth.”
Footnotes
The phrase *haddābār ʾăšer yāśîm ʾĕlōhîm bᵉpî* — 'the word that God places in my mouth' — echoes the language of prophetic commissioning: YHWH touches Jeremiah's mouth (Jer. 1:9) and Ezekiel eats the scroll (Ezek. 3:3). Bil'am's self-description blurs the line between diviner-for-hire and genuine prophet, and the text exploits this ambiguity to its fullest. He is telling Balak upfront that the outcome is not in his hands — which turns out to be the truest thing he says.
