23 Bible Verses about Oracles

Balaam said to Balak, "Look, I have come to you. Now, am I able to speak just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth."

Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, "Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment of the Lord my God to do less or more. Now therefore, please stay the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me."

Then Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary you have only blessed them!" Balaam replied, "Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?"

Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will, but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak'?

When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him. Then he uttered this oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open; the oracle of the one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:

Balaam said to Balak, "Station yourself by your burnt offering, and I will go off; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me I will tell you." Then he went to a deserted height. Then God met Balaam, who said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram." Then the Lord put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you."

Then he uttered this oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open; the oracle of the one who hears the words of God, and who knows the knowledge of the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:

So he returned to him, and he was still standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying, "Balak, the king of Moab, brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, 'Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.' How can I curse one whom God has not cursed, or how can I denounce one whom the Lord has not denounced?read more.
For from the top of the rocks I see them; from the hills I watch them. Indeed, a nation that lives alone, and it will not be reckoned among the nations. Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let the end of my life be like theirs."

Balaam uttered his oracle, and said, "Rise up, Balak, and hear; Listen to me, son of Zippor: God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen? Indeed, I have received a command to bless; he has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.read more.
He has not looked on iniquity in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The Lord their God is with them; his acclamation as king is among them. God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull. For there is no spell against Jacob, nor is there any divination against Israel. At this time it must be said of Jacob and of Israel, 'Look at what God has done!' Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness, and like a lion raises himself up; they will not lie down until they eat their prey, and drink the blood of the slain."

When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him. Then he uttered this oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open; the oracle of the one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:read more.
How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob, and your dwelling places, O Israel! They are like valleys stretched forth, like gardens by the river's side, like aloes that the Lord has planted, and like cedar trees beside the waters. He will pour the water out of his buckets, and their descendants will be like abundant water; their king will be greater than Agag, and their kingdom will be exalted. God brought them out of Egypt. They have, as it were, the strength of a young bull; they will devour hostile people and will break their bones and will pierce them through with arrows. They crouch and lie down like a lion, and as a lioness, who can stir him? Blessed is the one who blesses you, and cursed is the one who curses you!'"

What follows is divine revelation. The word of the Lord came to Israel through Malachi:

This is a message about Babylon that God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz:

In the year King Ahaz died, this message was revealed:

Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: Like strong winds blowing in the south, one invades from the desert, from a land that is feared. I have received a distressing message: "The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning!" For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see.read more.
My heart palpitates, I shake in fear; the twilight I desired has brought me terror. Arrange the table, lay out the carpet, eat and drink! Get up, you officers, smear oil on the shields! For this is what the sovereign master has told me: "Go, post a guard! He must report what he sees. When he sees chariots, teams of horses, riders on donkeys, riders on camels, he must be alert, very alert." Then the guard cries out: "On the watchtower, O sovereign master, I stand all day long; at my post I am stationed every night. Look what's coming! A charioteer, a team of horses." When questioned, he replies, "Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!" O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, what I have heard from the Lord who commands armies, the God of Israel, I have reported to you. Here is a message about Dumah: Someone calls to me from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?" The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but then night. If you want to ask, ask; come back again." Here is a message about Arabia: In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night, you Dedanite caravans. Bring out some water for the thirsty. You who live in the land of Tema, bring some food for the fugitives. For they flee from the swords -- from the drawn sword and from the battle-ready bow and from the severity of the battle. For this is what the sovereign master has told me: "Within exactly one year all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left." Indeed, the Lord God of Israel has spoken.

This is a message about the animals in the Negev: Through a land of distress and danger, inhabited by lionesses and roaring lions, by snakes and darting adders, they transport their wealth on the backs of donkeys, their riches on the humps of camels, to a nation that cannot help them. Egypt is totally incapable of helping. For this reason I call her 'Proud one who is silenced.'" Now go, write it down on a tablet in their presence, inscribe it on a scroll, so that it might be preserved for a future time as an enduring witness.read more.
For these are rebellious people -- they are lying children, children unwilling to obey the Lord's law. They say to the visionaries, "See no more visions!" and to the seers, "Don't relate messages to us about what is right! Tell us nice things, relate deceptive messages. Turn aside from the way, stray off the path. Remove from our presence the Holy One of Israel."

So I did just as I was commanded. I carried out my belongings packed for exile during the day, and at evening I dug myself a hole through the wall with my hands. I went out in the darkness, carrying my baggage on my shoulder while they watched. The word of the Lord came to me in the morning: "Son of man, has not the house of Israel, that rebellious house, said to you, 'What are you doing?'read more.
Say to them, 'This is what the sovereign Lord says: The prince will raise this burden in Jerusalem, and all the house of Israel within it.' Say, 'I am an object lesson for you. Just as I have done, it will be done to them; they will go into exile and captivity.'

The oracle against Nineveh; the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite:

(Nun) Your prophets saw visions for you that were worthless lies. They failed to expose your sin so as to restore your fortunes. They saw oracles for you that were worthless lies.

The Lord said to me, "Jeremiah, when one of these people, or a prophet, or a priest asks you, 'What burdensome message do you have from the Lord?' Tell them, 'You are the burden, and I will cast you away. I, the Lord, affirm it! I will punish any prophet, priest, or other person who says "The Lord's message is burdensome." I will punish both that person and his whole family.'" So I, Jeremiah, tell you, "Each of you people should say to his friend or his relative, 'How did the Lord answer? Or what did the Lord say?'read more.
You must no longer say that the Lord's message is burdensome. For what is 'burdensome' really pertains to what a person himself says. You are misrepresenting the words of our God, the living God, the Lord who rules over all. Each of you should merely ask the prophet, 'What answer did the Lord give you? Or what did the Lord say?' But just suppose you continue to say, 'The message of the Lord is burdensome.' Here is what the Lord says will happen: 'I sent word to you that you must not say, "The Lord's message is burdensome." But you used the words "The Lord's message is burdensome" anyway. So I will carry you far off and throw you away. I will send both you and the city I gave to you and to your ancestors out of my sight. I will bring on you lasting shame and lasting disgrace which will never be forgotten!'"

The divine verdict is in the words of the king, his pronouncements must not act treacherously against justice.

For the music director; written by the Lord's servant, David; an oracle. An evil man is rebellious to the core. He does not fear God,

These are the final words of David: "The oracle of David son of Jesse, the oracle of the man raised up as the ruler chosen by the God of Jacob, Israel's beloved singer of songs: The Lord's spirit spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the protector of Israel spoke to me. The one who rules fairly among men, the one who rules in the fear of God,read more.
is like the light of morning when the sun comes up, a morning in which there are no clouds. He is like the brightness after rain that produces grass from the earth.