Quotes About Wisdom

Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!”

But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he replied.

The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me.

“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.”

But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.”

Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

and he lifted up an oracle, saying: “This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,

the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”

Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying, “This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,

the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

and the LORD answered him,

So Moses appealed to the LORD,

“May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation

And the LORD replied to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man with the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him.

He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.”

But how can I bear your troubles, burdens, and disputes all by myself?

Choose for yourselves wise, understanding, and respected men from each of your tribes, and I will appoint them as your leaders.”

And you answered me and said, “What you propose to do is good.”

So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.

At that time I charged your judges: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly between a man and his brother or a foreign resident.

Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”

And at that time I commanded you all the things you were to do.