Numbers 22–25

Chapter 22

And they went forward and encamped in the plains of Moab, over against where Jericho is situate beyond the Jordan.

²And Balac the son of Sephor, seeing all that Israel had done to the Amorrhite,

³And that the Moabites were in great fear of him, and were not able to sustain his assault,

⁴He said to the elders of Madian: So will this people destroy all that dwell in our borders, as the ox is wont to eat the grass to the very roots. Now he was at that time king in Moab.

⁵He sent therefore messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, a soothsayer, who dwelt by the river of the land of the children of Ammon, to call him, and to say: Behold a people is come out of Egypt, that hath covered the face of the earth, sitting over against me.

⁶Come therefore, and curse this people, because it is mightier than I: if by any means I may beat them and drive them out of my land: for I know that he whom thou shalt bless is blessed, and he whom thou shalt curse is cursed.

⁷And the ancients of Moab, and the elders of Madian, went with the price of divination in their hands. And where they were come to Balaam, and had told him all the words of Balac:

⁸He answered: Tarry here this night and I will answer whatsoever the Lord shall say to me. And while they stayed with Balaam, God came and said to him:

⁹What mean these men that are with thee?

¹⁰He answered: Balac the son of Sephor king of the Moabites hath sent to me,

¹¹Saying: Behold a people that is come out of Egypt, hath covered the face of the land: come and curse them, if by any means I may fight with them and drive them away.

¹²And God said to Balaam: Thou shalt not go with them, nor shalt thou curse the people: because it is blessed.

¹³And he rose in the morning and said to the princes: Go into your country, because the Lord hath forbid me to come with you.

¹⁴The princes returning, said to Balac: Balaam would not come with us.

¹⁵Then he sent many more and more noble than he had sent before:

¹⁶Who, when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the son of Sephor, Delay not to come to me:

¹⁷For I am ready to honour thee, and will give thee whatsoever thou wilt: come and curse this people.

¹⁸Balaam answered: If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot alter the word of the Lord my God, to speak either more or less.

¹⁹I pray you to stay here this night also, that I may know what the Lord will answer me once more.

²⁰God therefore came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: If these men be come to call thee, arise and go with them: yet so, that thou do what I shall command thee.

²¹Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them.

²²And God was angry. And an angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat on the ass, and had two servants with him.

²³The ass seeing the angel standing in the way, with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the way,

²⁴The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were enclosed.

²⁵And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again:

²⁶And nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him.

²⁷And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider: who being angry beat her sides more vehemently with a staff.

²⁸And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?

²⁹Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.

³⁰The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee. But he said: Never.

³¹Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him falling flat on the ground.

³²And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me:

³³And unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived.

³⁴Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return.

³⁵The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee. He went therefore with the princes.

³⁶And when Balac heard it he came forth to meet him in a town of the Moabites, that is situate in the uttermost borders of Arnon.

³⁷And he said to Balaam: I sent messengers to call thee, why didst thou not come immediately to me? was it because I am not able to reward thy coming?

³⁸He answered him: Lo, here I am: shall I have power to speak any other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth?

³⁹So they went on together, and came into a city, that was in the uttermost borders of his kingdom.

⁴⁰And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

⁴¹And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.

Chapter 23

And Balaam said to Balac: Build me here seven altars, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.

²And when he had done according to the word of Balaam, they laid together a calf and a ram upon every altar.

³And Balaam said to Balac: Stand a while by thy burnt offering, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet me, and whatsoever he shall command, I will speak to thee.

⁴And when he was gone with speed, God met him. And Balaam speaking to him, said: I have erected seven altars, and have laid on everyone a calf and a ram.

⁵And the Lord put the word in his mouth, and said: Return to Balac, and thus shalt thou speak.

⁶Returning he found Balac standing by his burnt offering, with all the princes of the Moabites:

⁷And taking up his parable, he said: Balac king of the Moabites hath brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east: Come, said he, and curse Jacob: make haste and detest Israel.

⁸How shall I curse him, whom God hath not cursed? By what means should I detest him, whom the Lord detesteth not?

⁹I shall see him from the tops of the rocks, and shall consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

¹⁰Who can count the dust of Jacob, and know the number of the stock of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the just, and my last end be like to them.

¹¹And Balac said to Balaam: What is this that thou dost? I sent for thee to curse my enemies: and thou contrariwise blessest them.

¹²He answered him: Can I speak any thing else but what the Lord commandeth?

¹³Balac therefore said: Come with me to another place from whence thou mayest see part of Israel, and canst not see them all: curse them from thence.

¹⁴And when he had brought him to a high place, upon the top of mount Phasga, Balaam built seven altars, and laying on every one a calf and a ram,

¹⁵He said to Balac: Stand here by thy burnt offering while I go to meet him.

¹⁶And when the Lord had met him, and had put the word in his mouth, he said: Return to Balac, and thus shalt thou say to him.

¹⁷Returning he found him standing by his burnt sacrifice, and the princes of the Moabites with him. And Balac said to him: What hath the Lord spoken?

¹⁸But he taking up his parable, said: Stand, O Balac, and give ear: hear, thou son of Sephor:

¹⁹God is not a man, that he should lie, nor as the son of man, that he should be changed. Hath he said then, and will he not do? hath he spoken, and will he not fulfil?

²⁰I was brought to bless, the blessing I am not able to hinder.

²¹There is no idol in Jacob, neither is there an image god to be seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the sound of the victory of the king in him.

²²God hath brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like to the rhinoceros.

²³There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor divination in Israel. In their times it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what God hath wrought.

²⁴Behold the people shall rise up as a lioness, and shall lift itself up as a lion: it shall not lie down till it devour the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

²⁵And Balac said to Balaam: Neither curse, nor bless him.

²⁶And he said: Did I not tell thee, that whatsoever God should command me, that I would do?

²⁷And Balac said to him: Come and I will bring thee to another place; if peradventure it please God that thou mayest curse them from thence.

²⁸And when he had brought him upon the top of mount Phogor, which looketh towards the wilderness,

²⁹Balaam said to him: Build me here seven altars, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.

³⁰Balac did as Balaam had said: and he laid on every altar, a calf and a ram.

Chapter 24

And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord that he should bless Israel, he went not as he had gone before, to seek divination: but setting his face towards the desert,

²And lifting up his eyes, he saw Israel abiding in their tents by their tribes: and the spirit of God rushing upon him,

³He took up his parable and said: Balaam the son of Beor hath said: The man hath said, whose eye is stopped up:

⁴The bearer of the words of God hath said, he that hath beheld the vision of the Almighty, he that falleth, and so his eyes are opened:

⁵How beautiful are thy tabernacles O Jacob, and thy tents, O Israel!

⁶As woody valleys, as watered gardens near the rivers, as tabernacles which the Lord hath pitched, as cedars by the waterside.

⁷Water shall flow out of his bucket, and his seed shall be in many waters. For Agag his king shall be removed, and his kingdom shall be taken away.

⁸God hath…