וַיִּשָּׂ֥א מְשָׁל֖וֹ וַיֹּאמַ֑ר מִן־אֲ֠רָם יַנְחֵ֨נִי בָלָ֤ק מֶֽלֶךְ־מוֹאָב֙ מֵֽהַרְרֵי־קֶ֔דֶם לְכָה֙ אָֽרָה־לִּ֣י יַעֲקֹ֔ב וּלְכָ֖ה זֹעֲמָ֥ה יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
И он взял свою притчу и сказал: от Арама Валак выводит меня, царь Моавитский с гор Востока; 'Иди, прокляни меня, Иаков, Иди, исцели Израиль.'
On the Confusion of Tongues
[65] “Balak,” we read, “sent for me from Mesopotamia from the mountains from the rising saying, ‘Come hither, curse for me him whom God does not curse’ ” (Num. 23:7, 8). Now Balak is by interpretation “foolish,” and the interpretation is most true. For surely it were the pitch of folly to hope that the Existent should be deceived, and that His surest purpose should be upset by the devices of men?
On the Confusion of Tongues
[72] For there rose up, we are told, another King over Egypt, who “knew not” even “Joseph” (Ex. 1:8)—the good that is, which is given by the senses, the last and latest in the scale of goods. It is this same King who would destroy not only all perfection but all progress; not only the clear vision such as comes of sight, but the instruction also that comes of hearing. He says, “Come hither, curse me Jacob, and come hither, send thy curses upon Israel” (Num. 23:7), and that is equivalent to “Put an end to them both, the soul’s sight and the soul’s hearing, that it may neither see nor hear any true and genuine excellence.” For Israel is the type of seeing, and Jacob of hearing.