Numbers 22–25

22And ^athe children of Israel set forward, and pitched ^ain the plains of Moab on this side Jordan by Jericho. ²And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³And ^bMoab was sore afraid of the people, because they were many: and Moab ^cwas distressed because of the children of Israel. ⁴And Moab said unto ^dthe elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. ^5eHe sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to ^fPethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the ^†face of the earth, and they abide over against me: ⁶Come now therefore, I pray thee, ^gcurse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed. ⁷And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with ^hthe rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak. ⁸And he said unto them, ⁱLodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. ^9kAnd God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee? ¹⁰And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, ¹¹Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure ^†I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. ¹²And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for ^lthey are blessed. ¹³And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your land: for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. ¹⁴And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come with us. ¹⁵And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they. ¹⁶And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, ^†Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me: ¹⁷For I will promote thee unto very great honour, and I will do whatsoever thou sayest unto me: ^mcome therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. ¹⁸And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, ⁿIf Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, ^oI cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. ¹⁹Now therefore, I pray you, ^ptarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the Lord will say unto me more. ^20qAnd God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but ^ryet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do. ²¹And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ^sass, and went with the princes of Moab. ²²And God’s anger was kindled because he went: ^tand the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. ²³And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. ²⁴But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. ²⁵And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall: and he smote her again. ²⁶And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. ²⁷And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff. ²⁸And the Lord ^uopened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three ^xtimes? ²⁹And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee. ³⁰And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, ^†upon which thou hast ridden ^||ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay. ³¹Then the Lord ^yopened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he ^zbowed down his head, and ^||fell flat on his face. ³²And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three ^xtimes? behold, I went out ^†to withstand thee, because thy way ^ais perverse before me: ³³And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three ^xtimes: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. ³⁴And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, ^bI have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it ^†displease thee, I will get me back again. ³⁵And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men: ^cbut only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. ³⁶And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is ^din the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. ³⁷And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed ^eto promote thee to honour? ³⁸And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? ^fthe word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. ³⁹And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto ^||Kirjath-huzoth. ⁴⁰And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. ⁴¹And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the ^ghigh places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

23And Balaam said unto Balak, ^aBuild me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. ²And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam ^boffered on every altar a bullock and a ram. ³And Balaam said unto Balak, ^cStand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the Lord will come ^dto meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And ^||he went to an high place. ^4eAnd God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. ⁵And the Lord ^fput a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. ⁶And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. ⁷And he ^gtook up his parable, and said,

Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram,

Out of the mountains of the east, saying,

Come, ^hcurse me Jacob,

And come, ⁱdefy Israel.

⁸How shall I ^kcurse, whom God hath not ^kcursed?

Or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?

⁹For from the top of the rocks I see him,

And from the hills I behold him:

Lo, ^lthe people shall dwell alone,

And ^mshall not be reckoned among the nations.

¹⁰ⁿWho can count the dust of Jacob,

And the number of the fourth part of Israel?

Let ^†me die ^othe death of the righteous,

And let my last end be like his!

¹¹And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee ^pto curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. ¹²And he answered and said, ^qMust I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth? ¹³And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. ¹⁴And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of ^||Pisgah, ^rand built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. ¹⁵And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet ^sthe Lord yonder. ¹⁶And the Lord met Balaam, and ^tput a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. ¹⁷And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the Lord spoken? ¹⁸And he took up his parable, and said,

Rise up, Balak, and hear;

Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

^19uGod is not a man, that he should lie;

Neither the son of man, that he should repent:

Hath he said, and shall he not do it?

Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

²⁰Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and ^xhe hath blessed;

And I cannot reverse it.

²¹He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,

Neither hath he seen ^yperverseness in Israel:

The Lord his God is with him,

^zAnd the shout of a king is among them.

^22aGod brought them out of Egypt;

He hath as it were ^bthe strength ^cof an unicorn.

²³Surely there is no enchantment ^||against Jacob,

Neither is there any ^ddivination ^||against Israel:

According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel,

^eWhat hath God wrought!

²⁴Behold, the people shall rise up ^fas a great lion,

And lift up himself as ^fa young lion:

^gHe shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,

And drink the blood of the slain.

²⁵And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. ²⁶But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, ^hAll that the Lord speaketh, that I must do? ²⁷And Balak said unto Balaam, ⁱCome, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. ²⁸And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of ^kPeor, that looketh ^ltoward Jeshimon. ²⁹And Balaam said unto Balak, ^mBuild me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. ^30mAnd Balak did as Balaam had said, and…