23 Bible Verses about Oracles

And Balaam said unto Balak, "Lo, I am come unto thee. But I can say nothing at all, save what God putteth in my mouth that must I speak."

And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I can go no further than the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. Nevertheless tarry ye here all night: that I may know what the LORD will say unto me once more."

And Balak said unto Balaam, "What hast thou done unto me? I fetched thee to curse mine enemies: and behold, thou blessest them!" And he answered, and said, "Must I not keep that and speak it, which the LORD hath put in my mouth?"

And Balaam said unto Balak, "Told I not thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 'If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot pass the mouth of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind. What the LORD sayeth, that must I speak.'

and lift up his eyes and looked upon Israel as he lay with his tribes, and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, "Balaam the son of Beor hath said; and the man whose eye is open hath said; he hath said, which heareth the words of God and seeth the visions of the almighty, which falleth down and his eyes are opened:

And Balaam said unto Balak, "Stand by the sacrifice, while I go to know whether the LORD will come and meet me; and whatsoever he showeth me, I will tell thee." And he went forthwith. And God came unto Balaam, and Balaam said unto him, "I have prepared seven altars, and have offered upon every altar, an ox and a ram." And the LORD put a saying in Balaam's mouth, and said, "Go again to Balak and say on this wise."

And he began his parable and said, "Balaam the son of Beor hath said; and the man that hath his eye open hath said; and he hath said, that heareth the words of God and hath the knowledge of the most high and beholdeth the vision of the almighty, and when he falleth down hath his eyes opened:

And he went again unto him and lo, he stood by his sacrifice: both he and all the lords of Moab. And he began his parable, and said, "Balak the king of Moab hath fetched me from Mesopotamia out of the mountains of the east saying, 'Come and curse me Jacob, come and defy me Israel.' How shall I curse whom God curseth not? And how shall I defy whom the LORD defieth not?read more.
From the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: Lo, the people shall dwell by himself and shall not be reckoned among other nations. Who can tell the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? I pray God that my soul may die the death of the righteous, and that my last end may be like his!"

And he took up his parable and said, "Rise up, Balak, and hear! And hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor! The Lord God is not a man, that he can lie; neither the son of a man, that he can repent! Should he say, and not do? Or should he speak, and not make it good? Behold: I have begun to bless, and have blessed; and cannot go back therefrom.read more.
He beheld no wickedness in Jacob, nor saw Idolatry in Israel: The LORD his God is with him, and the tromp of a king among them. God, that brought them out of Egypt, is as the strength of an unicorn unto them! For there is no sorcerer in Jacob, nor soothsayer in Israel. When the time cometh, it will be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'What God hath wrought!' Behold, the people shall rise up as a lioness and heave up himself as a lion; and shall not lie down again, until he have eaten of the prey and drunk of the blood of them that are slain!"

and lift up his eyes and looked upon Israel as he lay with his tribes, and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said, "Balaam the son of Beor hath said; and the man whose eye is open hath said; he hath said, which heareth the words of God and seeth the visions of the almighty, which falleth down and his eyes are opened:read more.
How goodly are the tents of Jacob, and thine habitations Israel; even as the broad valleys and as gardens by the river's side, as the tents which the LORD hath pitched and as cypress trees upon the water. The water shall flow out of his bucket and his seed shall be many waters, and his king shall be higher than Agag; and his kingdom shall be exalted. God that brought him out of Egypt is as the strength of an unicorn unto him, and he shall eat the nations that are his enemies and break their bones and pierce them through with his arrows. He couched himself and lay down as a lion and as a lioness; who shall stir him up? Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee."

The heavy burden, which the LORD showeth against Israel by Malachi.

This is the heavy burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amos did see.

The same year that king Ahaz died, God threatened by Isaiah on this manner:

This is the heavy burden of the waste sea: A grievous vision was showed unto me, even as the stormy weather that passeth through at the noonday, to come from the wilderness, from that horrible land. Whoso may deceive, said the voice, let him deceive: Who so may destroy, let him destroy. Up Elam, besiege it O Media, for I will still all their groanings. With this, the reins of my back were full of pain: Pangs came upon me, as upon a woman in her travail. It made me stoop when I heard it, and it vexed me when I saw it.read more.
My heart panted, I trembled for fear. The night of my voluptuousness hath he turned against me into fear. While they garnished the table, the watchman looked: and while he was eating and drinking it was said, "Up, ye Captains, take you to your shield." For thus the Lord hath charged me: "Go thy way, and set a watchman, that he may tell what he seeth." And when he had waited diligently, he saw two horsemen: the one riding upon an Ass, the other upon a camel. And the watchman cried, "LORD, I have stood waiting all the whole day, and am appointed to keep my watch every night. And behold, here cometh a chariot of men with two horsemen." And he answered and said, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen! She is turned upside down, and all the images of her gods are smitten to the ground!" This, O my fellow threshers and fanners, have I heard of the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to show it unto you. The heavy burden of Dumah. He calleth unto me, out of of Seir, "Watchman, what hast thou espied by night? Watchman, what hast thou espied by night?" The watchman answered, "The morning cometh, and so doth the night. If ye will ask any question, then ask it, return and come again." The heavy burden upon Arabia. At even ye shall abide in the wood, in the way toward Dedanim. Meet the thirsty with water, O ye citizens of Tema; meet those with bread that are fled. For they shall run away from the weapon, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the great battle. For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, "There is yet a year according to the years of a hired servant, and all the glory of the Cedar shall fail. And the number of them that shall escape from the bows shall be minished by the mighty children of Cedar: For the LORD God of Israel hath spoken."

Your beasts have born burdens upon their backs toward the South, through the way that is full of peril and trouble, because of the lion and lioness; of the Cockatrice and shooting dragon. Yea the Mules bare your substance, and the Camels brought your treasure, upon their crooked backs, unto a people that cannot help you. For the Egyptian's help shall be but vain and lost. Therefore I told you also that your pride should have an end. Now therefore, go thy way; and write them this before them in a table, and note it in a book: that it may finally remain and be kept still forever.read more.
For it is an obstinate people, unfaithful children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD. They dare say to the Prophets, "See not," and unto them that be clear of judgment, "Tell us of nothing for to come, but speak friendly words unto us, and preach us false things. Tread out of the way, go out of the path, turn the holy one of Israel from us."

Now as the Lord commanded me, so I did: the gear that I had made ready, brought I out by day. At even I brake down a hole through the wall with my hand: and when it was dark, I took the gear upon my shoulders and bare them out in their sight. And in the morning, came the word of the LORD unto me, saying, "Thou son of man, if Israel, that froward household, ask thee and say, 'What doest thou there?'read more.
Then tell them, 'Thus sayeth the LORD God: This punishment toucheth the chief rulers at Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel, that dwell among them. Tell them I am your show-token: like as I have done, so shall it happen unto you. Flit shall ye also, and go into captivity.

This is the heavy burden of Nineveh, which Nahum of Elkosh did write, as he saw it.

{Nun} Thy prophets have looked out vain and foolish things for thee: they have not showed thee of thy wickedness, to keep thee from captivity; but have overladen thee, and through falsity scattered thee abroad.

If this people, either any prophet or priest ask thee, and say, 'What is the burden of the LORD?' Thou shalt say unto them, 'What burden? I will cast you from me, sayeth the LORD, because ye yourselves are a burden.' And the prophet, priest, or people that useth this term, 'the burden of the LORD' - him will I visit, and his house also. But thus shall ye say, every one to another: What answer hath the LORD given? Or what is the LORD's commandment?read more.
And as for 'the burden of the LORD,' ye shall speak no more of it: for every man's own word is his burden, because ye have altered the words of the living God the LORD of Hosts our God. Thus shall every man say to the Prophets, 'What answer hath the LORD given thee?' Or, 'What sayeth the LORD?' And not once to name the burden of the LORD. Therefore thus sayeth the LORD: Forsomuch as ye have used this term, 'the burden of the LORD,' whereas I notwithstanding sent unto you and forbade you to speak of the LORD's burden - Behold therefore, I will repute you as a burden, and will cast you out of my presence: yea and the city also, that I gave you and your fathers. And will bring you to an everlasting confusion, and into such a shame, as shall never be forgotten.

When the prophecy is in the lips of the king, his mouth shall not go wrong in judgment.

{To the Chanter, of David the servant of the Lord} My heart showeth me the wickedness of the ungodly, that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

These be the last sayings of David. David the son of Jesse said: and the man which is lifted up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob and pleasant Psalmist of Israel said, "The spirit of the LORD spake in me, and his words were on my tongue. The God of Israel spake unto me, and the strength of Israel said, 'He that beareth rule over men, he that ruleth justly in the fear of God,read more.
shall be as the morning light, when the sun shineth in a morning in which are no clouds to let the brightness; and as the grass of the earth is by the virtue of the rain.'