Numbers 22–25

Balak Summons Balaam

22Then ⁱthe people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. ²And ^jBalak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³And ^kMoab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. ⁴And Moab said to ^lthe elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, ^5msent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor ⁿat Pethor, which is near the River¹ in the land of the people of Amaw,² to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. ^6oCome now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷So the elders of Moab and ^lthe elders of Midian departed with ^pthe fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message. ⁸And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. ^9qAnd God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” ¹⁰And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, ¹¹‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’ ” ¹²God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for ^rthey are blessed.” ¹³So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” ¹⁴So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

¹⁵Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. ¹⁶And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, ^17sfor I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. ^tCome, curse this people for me.’ ” ¹⁸But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, ^u“Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, ^vI could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. ¹⁹So you, too, ^wplease stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.” ^20qAnd God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; ^xbut only do what I tell you.” ²¹So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel

²²But God’s anger was kindled because he went, ^yand the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way ^zas his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. ²⁴Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. ²⁵And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again. ²⁶Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. ²⁷When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. ²⁸Then the Lord ^aopened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” ²⁹And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” ³⁰And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”

³¹Then the Lord ^bopened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. ³²And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out ^cto oppose you because your way is perverse³ before me. ³³The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” ³⁴Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ^d“I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” ³⁵And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, ^ebut speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

³⁶When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, ^fon the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border. ³⁷And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to ^ghonor you?” ³⁸Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? ^hThe word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.” ³⁹Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. ⁴⁰And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.

⁴¹And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

Balaam’s First Oracle

23And Balaam said to Balak, ⁱ“Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” ²Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam ^joffered on each altar a bull and a ram. ³And Balaam said to Balak, ^k“Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come ^lto meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height, ^4mand God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” ⁵And the Lord ⁿput a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” ⁶And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. ⁷And Balaam ^otook up his discourse and said,

“From ^pAram Balak has brought me,

the king of Moab ^qfrom the eastern mountains:

‘Come, ^rcurse Jacob for me,

and come, denounce Israel!’

⁸How can I curse whom God has not cursed?

How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

⁹For from the top of the crags ^sI see him,

from the hills I behold him;

behold, ^ta people dwelling alone,

and ^unot counting itself among the nations!

^10vWho can count the dust of Jacob

or number the fourth part¹ of Israel?

Let me die ^wthe death of the upright,

and let my end be like his!”

¹¹And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^xI took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” ¹²And he answered and said, ^y“Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Second Oracle

¹³And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, ^zand built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵Balaam said to Balak, ^a“Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord over there.” ¹⁶And the Lord met Balaam and ^bput a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.” ¹⁷And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” ¹⁸And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“Rise, Balak, and hear;

give ear to me, O son of Zippor:

^19cGod is not man, that he should lie,

or a son of man, that he should change his mind.

Has he said, and will he not do it?

Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

²⁰Behold, I received a command to bless:

^dhe has blessed, and ^eI cannot revoke it.

^21fHe has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,

nor has he seen trouble in Israel.

The Lord their God is with them,

and the shout of a king is among them.

^22gGod brings them out of Egypt

and is for them like ^hthe horns of the wild ox.

²³For there is no enchantment against Jacob,

no ⁱdivination against Israel;

now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,

^j‘What has God wrought!’

²⁴Behold, a people! ^kAs a lioness it rises up

and as a lion it lifts itself;

^lit does not lie down until it has devoured the prey

and drunk the blood of the slain.”

²⁵And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” ²⁶But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ^m‘All that the Lord says, that I must do’?” ²⁷And Balak said to Balaam, ⁿ“Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” ²⁸So Balak took Balaam to the top of ^oPeor, which overlooks ^pthe desert.^{2 29}And Balaam said to Balak, ^q“Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” ^30rAnd Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balaam’s Third Oracle

24When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at ^sother times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. ²And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel ^tcamping tribe by tribe. And ^uthe Spirit of God came upon him, ³and he ^vtook up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,

the oracle of the man whose…