Numbers 22–24

Balak and Balaam

22The Israelites^a set out, and they encamped on the desert-plateau of Moab, across from Jericho beyond the Jordan. ²Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel did to the Amorites,^{b 3}and Moab was very terrified in the presence of the people because they^c were numerous; and Moab dreaded the presence of the Israelites.^{d 4}And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now the crowd will lick up all around us, like a bull devours the grass of the field.” And Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. ⁵He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the river,^e in the land of the children of his people, to summon him, saying, “Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land;^f they are about to dwell opposite me. ⁶Now, please go, curse this people for me because they^g are stronger than me; perhaps I will be able to strike them^h and drive themⁱ out from the land because I know whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you cursed is cursed.”

⁷So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went with a fee for divination in their hand; they came to Balaam and spoke the words of Balak to him. ⁸He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will return, and I will return word to you, just as Yahweh speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. ⁹And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” ¹⁰And Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent word to me, ¹¹‘Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover the surface of the land.^j Now, go, curse them^k for me. Perhaps I will be able to attack them^l and drive them^m out.” ¹²God said to Balaam, “You will not go with them; you will not curse the people, because theyⁿ are blessed.” ¹³Balaam got up in the morning, and he said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, because Yahweh refused to allow me to go with you.” ¹⁴The princes of Moab got up and went to Balak, and they said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

¹⁵Balak again sent many princes, who were more honored than the former.^{o 16}They came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor, ‘Please, let nothing keep you from coming to me ¹⁷because I will surely honor you greatly, and all that you say to me I will do. Please, come; curse this people for me.’ ” ¹⁸Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Even though Balak gives to me his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond the command of Yahweh^p my God to do a little or a lot. ¹⁹And now please, you also stay here^q the night, and let me find out^r again what Yahweh will say with me.” ²⁰And God came to Balaam at night, and he said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but only the word that I will speak to you, you will do.” ²¹So Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey, and he went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam and the Angel

²²But God became angry^s because he was going, and the angel of Yahweh stood in the road as an adversary to him; he was riding on his donkey, and two servants were with him. ²³The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back to the road. ²⁴The angel of Yahweh stood in the narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on either side.^{t 25}When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she pressed herself into the wall, and she pressed the foot of Balaam into the wall, so he struck her again. ²⁶Then the angel of Yahweh went further ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was not a way to turn aside to the right or left. ²⁷When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she lay down under Balaam, so Balaam became angry,^u and he struck the donkey with his staff. ²⁸Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What did I do to you that you struck me these three times?” ²⁹Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you made a mockery of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!” ³⁰The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life until this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” He said, “No.”

³¹Then Yahweh exposed the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down and worshiped to his face. ³²The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck this donkey three times? Look, I have come out as an adversary because your conduct is perverse before me. ³³The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from my face, then I would have killed you and kept her alive.” ³⁴Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “I have sinned because I did not know that you were standing to meet me in the road. Now, if it is displeasing to you,^v I will turn back.” ³⁵The angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I will speak to you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

³⁶When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him by the city of Moab, which was on the boundary of Arnon at the end of the territory. ³⁷And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to meet with you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to honor you?” ³⁸Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I came to you now. Am I really able to speak anything at all? I speak the word that God puts in my mouth.” ³⁹Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-Huzoth. ⁴⁰And Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he sent them to Balaam and to the princes who were with him. ⁴¹And it happened, in the morning Balak took Balaam and took him up to Bamoth-Baal, and he saw from there the end of the nation.

Balaam’s Oracles

23Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me this: seven altars. And prepare for me this: seven bulls and seven rams.” ²And Balak did just as Balaam spoke, and Balak offered Balaam a bull and a ram on the altar. ³And Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself at your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell to you.” So he went to a barren height.

⁴And God met with Balaam, and he said to him, “I have arranged seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.” ⁵Yahweh put a word in the mouth of Balaam and said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” ⁶So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. ⁷And he lifted up his oracle and said,

“From Aram Balak lead me,

from the mountains of the east the king of Moab,

‘Go for me, curse Jacob,

and go, denounce Israel.’

⁸How can I curse whom God has not cursed,

and how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?

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

from hilltops I watch him.

Behold, a people who dwell alone,

they do not consider themselves among the nations.

¹⁰Who can count the dust of Jacob,

or as a number the fourth part of Israel?

Let my life die the death of an upright person,

and let my end be like his!”

¹¹And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have surely blessed them!” ¹²He answered and said, “Should I not speak^a what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

¹³Then Balak said, “Please walk with me to another place where you will see them, but you will only see part of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴So he took him to the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵Balaam^b said to Balak, “Station yourself here at the burnt offering while I myself meet with Yahweh there.” ¹⁶Then Yahweh met with Balaam, and he put a word in his mouth, and he said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” ¹⁷He came to him, and behold, he was standing at his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” ¹⁸Then he uttered^c his oracle, and said,

“Stand up, Balak, and hear;

listen to me, son of Zippor!

¹⁹God is not a man, that he should lie,

nor a son of humankind,

that he should change his mind.

Has he said, and will he not do it?

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

²⁰Behold, I have received a command to bless;

when he has blessed, I cannot cause it to return.

²¹He has no regard for evil in Jacob,

and he does not see trouble in Israel;

Yahweh his God is with him,

and a shout^d of a king is among them.^e

²²God, who brings them out from Egypt,

is like the strength^f of a wild ox for them.^g

²³Because there is no sorcery against Jacob,

and there is no divination against Israel.

Now^h it will be said to Jacob and Israel,

what God has done!

²⁴Look! the people will rise like the lion;

he raises himself and will not lie down

until he eats the prey

and drinks the blood of the slain.”

²⁵Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse themⁱ at all, nor bless them^j at all!” ²⁶But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Whatever Yahweh speaks I will do’?”

²⁷Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please, come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be acceptable to^k God, and you will curse for me from there.” ²⁸So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks down on the face of the Jeshimon.^{l 29}And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me these seven altars, and prepare for me these seven bulls and seven rams.” ³⁰Balak did just as Balaam said, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balaam Continues to Utter Oracles

24And Balaam saw that it pleased^a Yahweh to bless Israel, and he did not go as other times^b to seek out^c sorcery; instead, he set his face toward the desert. ²Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes, and the spirit of God was upon him. ³He uttered^e his oracle and said,

“The declaration of Balaam son Beor,

the declaration of the man…