Numbers 22–24

Balak Summons Balaam

22Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab^o and camped along the Jordan^p across from Jericho.^q

²Now Balak son of Zippor^r saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, ³and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread^s because of the Israelites.

⁴The Moabites^t said to the elders of Midian,^u “This horde is going to lick up everything^v 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, ⁵sent 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. ⁶Now come and put a curse^a 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.”

⁷The 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.

⁹God came to Balaam^e and asked,^f “Who are these men with you?”

¹⁰Balaam 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.’ ”

¹²But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.^g”

¹³The 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.”

¹⁴So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

¹⁵Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. ¹⁶They came to Balaam and said:

“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, ¹⁷because I will reward you handsomely^h and do whatever you say. Come and put a curseⁱ on these people for me.”

¹⁸But 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”

²⁰That night God came to Balaam^l and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”^m

Balaam’s Donkey

²¹Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. ²²But God was very angryⁿ when he went, and the angel of the Lord^o stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword^p in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it^q to get it back on the road.

²⁴Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵When 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.

²⁶Then 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. ²⁷When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry^r and beat it with his staff. ²⁸Then 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”

²⁹Balaam 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”

³⁰The 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.

³¹Then 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.

³²The 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.”

³⁴Balaam 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.”

³⁵The 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.

³⁶When Balak^y heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon^z border, at the edge of his territory. ³⁷Balak 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

³⁹Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. ⁴⁰Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep,^b and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. ⁴¹The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal,^c and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.^d

Balaam’s First Message

23Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams^e for me.” ²Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.^f

³Then 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.

⁴God met with him,^h and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”

⁵The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouthⁱ and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”^j

⁶So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials.^{k 7}Then Balaam^l 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

⁸How can I curse

those whom God has not cursed?^q

How can I denounce

those whom the Lord has not denounced?^r

⁹From 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

¹⁰Who can count the dust of Jacob^u

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”

¹¹Balak 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

¹²He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”^z

Balaam’s Second Message

¹³Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place^a 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” ¹⁴So 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

¹⁵Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”

¹⁶The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth^f and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”

¹⁷So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials.^g Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”

¹⁸Then he spoke his message:^h

“Arise, Balak, and listen;

hear me, son of Zippor.ⁱ

¹⁹God 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 promise^m and not fulfill?

²⁰I 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 observed^a in Israel.^r

The Lord their God is with them;^s

the shout of the King^t is among them.

²²God brought them out of Egypt;^u

they have the strength of a wild ox.^v

²³There is no divination against^b Jacob,

no evil omens^w against^c Israel.

It will now be said of Jacob

and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’

²⁴The people rise like a lioness;^x

they rouse themselves like a lion^y

that does not rest till it devours its prey

and drinks the blood^z of its victims.”

²⁵Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

²⁶Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”^a

Balaam’s Third Message

²⁷Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place.^b Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me^c from there.” ²⁸And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor,^d overlooking the wasteland.

²⁹Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” ³⁰Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.^e

24Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,^f he did not resort to divination^g 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 him^{i 3}and he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,

the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,^j

⁴the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,^k

who sees a vision from the Almighty,^al

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 aloes^o planted by the Lord,

like cedars beside the waters.^p

⁷Water 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…