Numbers 22

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