Numbers 22:1–16

The King of Moab Sends for Balaam

22The Israelites moved on and set up camp in the plains of Moab east of the Jordan and opposite Jericho.

²When the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, heard what the Israelites had done to the Amorites and how many Israelites there were, ³he and all his people became terrified. ⁴The Moabites said to the leaders of the Midianites, “This horde will soon destroy everything round us, like a bull eating the grass in a pasture.” So King Balak ^5*sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor near the River Euphrates in the land of Amaw. They brought him this message from Balak: “I want you to know that a whole nation has come from Egypt; its people are spreading out everywhere and threatening to take over our land. ⁶They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them for me. Then perhaps we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse.”

⁷So the Moabite and Midianite leaders took with them the payment for the curse, went to Balaam, and gave him Balak’s message. ⁸Balaam said to them, “Spend the night here, and tomorrow I will report to you whatever the Lord tells me.” So the Moabite leaders stayed with Balaam.

⁹God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men that are staying with you?”

¹⁰He answered, “King Balak of Moab has sent them to tell me ¹¹that a people who came from Egypt has spread out over the whole land. He wants me to curse them for him, so that he can fight them and drive them out.”

¹²God said to Balaam, “Do not go with these men, and do not put a curse on the people of Israel, because they have my blessing.”

¹³The next morning Balaam went to Balak’s messengers and said, “Go back home; the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” ¹⁴So they returned to Balak and told him that Balaam had refused to come with them.

¹⁵Then Balak sent a larger number of leaders, who were more important than the first. ¹⁶They went to Balaam and gave him this message from Balak: “Please don’t let anything prevent you from coming to me!