since he was so favorable to them,
and so ready to bestow upon them a happy life and eternal glory, he
suggested the declaration of those things to me: but now, because it
is my desire to oblige thee thyself, as well as the Midianites, whose
entreaties it is not decent for me to reject, go to, let us again rear
other altars, and offer the like sacrifices that we did before, that I
may see whether I can persuade God to permit me to bind these men with
curses." Which, when Balak had agreed to, God would not, even upon
second sacrifices, consent to his cursing the Israelites. [9] Then fell
Balaam upon his face, and foretold what calamities would befall the
several kings of the nations, and the most eminent cities, some of which
of old were not so much as inhabited; which events have come to pass
among the several people concerned, both in the foregoing ages, and in
this, till my own memory, both by sea and by land. From which completion
of all these predictions that he made, one may easily guess that the
rest will have their completion in time to come.

6. But Balak being very angry that the Israelites were not cursed, sent
away Balaam without thinking him worthy of any honor. Whereupon, when he
was just upon his journey, in order to pass the Euphrates, he sent
for Balak, and for the princes of the Midianites, and spake thus to
them:--"O Balak, and you Midianites that are here present, [for I am
obliged even without the will of God to gratify you,] it is true no
entire destruction can seize upon the nation of the Hebrews, neither by
war, nor by plague, nor by scarcity of the fruits of the earth, nor can
any other unexpected accident be their entire ruin; for the providence
of God is concerned to preserve them from such a misfortune; nor will it
permit any such calamity to come upon them whereby they may all perish;
but some small misfortunes, and those for a short time, whereby they
may appear to be brought low, may still befall them; but after that they
will flourish again, to the terror of those that brought those mischiefs
upon them. So that if you have a mind to gain a victory over them for a
short space of time, you will obtain it by following my directions:--Do
you therefore set out the handsomest of such of your daughters as
are most eminent for beauty, [10] and proper to force and conquer the
modesty of those that behold them, and these decked and trimmed to the
highest degree able. Then do you send them to be near