²¹Balaam got up the next morning and put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went with the Moabite leaders. ²²But God became angry because Balaam went, so the angel of the Lord stood in the road to stop Balaam. Balaam was riding his donkey, and he had two servants with him. ²³When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a sword in his hand, the donkey left the road and went into the field. Balaam hit the donkey to force her back on the road.

²⁴Later, the angel of the Lord stood on a narrow path between two vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵Again the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, and she walked close to one wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her again.

²⁶The angel of the Lord went ahead again and stood at a narrow place, too narrow to turn left or right. ²⁷When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. This made him so angry that he hit her with his stick. ²⁸Then the Lord made the donkey talk, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to make you hit me three times?”

²⁹Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made me look foolish! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!”

³⁰But the donkey said to Balaam, “I am your very own donkey, which you have ridden for years. Have I ever done this to you before?”

“No,” Balaam said.

Read in Logos