Numbers 22:21–30

^21aSo Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.

The Angel and Balaam

²²But God was angry because he was going, ^aand the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.

²³When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way.

²⁴Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.

²⁵When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again.

²⁶The angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left.

²⁷When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so ^aBalaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick.

²⁸And ^athe Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”

²⁹Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, ^aI would have killed you by now.”

³⁰The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”