Numbers 22:1–24:25
22 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moabo and camped along the Jordanp across from Jericho.q
2 Now Balak son of Zipporr saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dreads because of the Israelites.
4 The Moabitest said to the elders of Midian,u “This horde is going to lick up everythingv around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.w”
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor,x who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River,y in his native land. Balak said:
“A people has come out of Egypt;z they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a cursea on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land.b For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.c When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.d” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.
9 God came to Balaame and asked,f “Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’ ”
12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.g”
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said:
“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomelyh and do whatever you say. Come and put a cursei on these people for me.”
18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.j 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.k”
20 That night God came to Balaaml and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”m
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angryn when he went, and the angel of the Lordo stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn swordp in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat itq to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angryr and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth,s and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?t”
29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.u”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”
“No,” he said.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes,v and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
32 The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.a 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now,w but I would have spared it.”
34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned.x I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”
35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
36 When Balaky heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnonz border, at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”
38 “Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”a
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep,b and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal,c and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.d
23 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven ramse for me.” 2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.f
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me.g Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.
4 God met with him,h and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5 The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouthi and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”j
6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials.k 7 Then Balaaml spoke his message:m
“Balak brought me from Aram,n
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.o
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’p
those whom God has not cursed?q
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?r
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.s
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.t
10 Who can count the dust of Jacobu
or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,v
and may my final end be like theirs!w”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies,x but you have done nothing but bless them!”y
12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”z
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another placea where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp.b And from there, curse them for me.c” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah,d and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.e
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouthf and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials.g Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Then he spoke his message:h
“Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.i
19 God is not human,j that he should lie,k
not a human being, that he should change his mind.l
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promisem and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;n
he has blessed,o and I cannot change it.p
21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob,q
no misery observeda in Israel.r
The Lord their God is with them;s
the shout of the Kingt is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;u
they have the strength of a wild ox.v
23 There is no divination againstb Jacob,
no evil omensw againstc Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24 The people rise like a lioness;x
they rouse themselves like a liony
that does not rest till it devours its prey
and drinks the bloodz of its victims.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”a
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place.b Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for mec from there.” 28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor,d overlooking the wasteland.
29 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.e
24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,f he did not resort to divinationg as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.h 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on himi 3 and he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,j
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,k
who sees a vision from the Almighty,a l
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5 “How beautiful are your tents,m Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!
6 “Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,n
like aloeso planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.p
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
“Their king will be greater than Agag;q
their kingdom will be exalted.r
8 “God brought them out of Egypt;
they have