Numbers 21–22

¹And the Canaanite—king Arad—dwelling in the south, heareth that Israel hath come the way of the Atharim, and he fighteth against Israel, and taketh some of them captive. ²And Israel voweth a vow to Jehovah, and saith, ‘If Thou dost certainly give this people into my hand, then I have devoted their cities;’ ³and Jehovah hearkeneth to the voice of Israel, and giveth up the Canaanite, and he devoteth them and their cities, and calleth the name of the place Hormah.

⁴And they journey from mount Hor, the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom, and the soul of the people is short in the way, ⁵and the people speak against God, and against Moses, ‘Why hast thou brought us up out of Egypt to die in a wilderness? for there is no bread, and there is no water, and our soul hath been weary of this light bread.’ ⁶And Jehovah sendeth among the people the burning serpents, and they bite the people, and much people of Israel die; ⁷and the people come in unto Moses and say, ‘We have sinned, for we have spoken against Jehovah, and against thee; pray unto Jehovah, and He doth turn aside from us the serpent;’ and Moses prayeth in behalf of the people. ⁸And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Make for thee a burning serpent, and set it on an ensign; and it hath been, every one who is bitten and hath seen it—he hath lived. ⁹And Moses maketh a serpent of brass, and setteth it on the ensign, and it hath been, if the serpent hath bitten any man, and he hath looked expectingly unto the serpent of brass—he hath lived.

¹⁰And the sons of Israel journey, and encamp in Oboth. ¹¹And they journey from Oboth, and encamp in Ije-Abarim, in the wilderness that is on the front of Moab, at the rising of the sun. ¹²From thence they have journeyed, and encamp in the valley of Zared. ¹³From thence they have journeyed, and encamp beyond Arnon, which is in the wilderness which is coming out of the border of the Amorite, for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorite; ¹⁴therefore it is said in a book, ‘The wars of Jehovah,’—‘Waheb in Suphah, And the brooks of Arnon; ¹⁵And the spring of the brooks, Which turned aside to the dwelling of Ar, And hath leaned to the border of Moab.’ ¹⁶And from thence they journeyed to Beer; it is the well concerning which Jehovah said to Moses, ‘Gather the people, and I give to them—water.’ ¹⁷Then singeth Israel this song, concerning the well—they have answered to it: ¹⁸‘A well—digged it have princes, Prepared it have nobles of the people, With the lawgiver, with their staves.’ And from the wilderness they journeyed to Mattanah, ¹⁹and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, ²⁰and from Bamoth in the valley which is in the field of Moab to the top of Pisgah, which hath looked on the front of the wilderness.

²¹And Israel sendeth messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorite, saying, ²²‘Let me pass through thy land, we do not turn aside into a field, or into a vineyard, we do not drink waters of a well; in the king’s way we go, till that we pass over thy border.’ ²³And Sihon hath not suffered Israel to pass through his border, and Sihon gathereth all his people, and cometh out to meet Israel into the wilderness, and cometh in to Jahaz, and fighteth against Israel. ²⁴And Israel smiteth him by the mouth of the sword, and possesseth his land from Arnon unto Jabbok—unto the sons of Ammon; for the border of the sons of Ammon is strong. ²⁵And Israel taketh all these cities, and Israel dwelleth in all the cities of the Amorite, in Heshbon, and in all its villages; ²⁶for Heshbon is a city of Sihon king of the Amorite, and he hath fought against the former king of Moab, and taketh all his land out of his hand, unto Arnon; ²⁷therefore those using similes say—‘Enter ye Heshbon, Let the city of Sihon be built and ready, ²⁸For fire hath gone out from Heshbon, A flame from the city of Sihon, It hath consumed Ar of Moab, Owners of the high places of Arnon. ²⁹Woe to thee, O Moab, Thou hast perished, O people of Chemosh, He hath given his sons who escape—Also his daughters—Into captivity, to a king of the Amorite—Sihon! ³⁰And we shoot them, Perished hath Heshbon unto Dibon, And we make desolate unto Nophah, Which is unto Medeba.’ ³¹And Israel dwelleth in the land of the Amorite, ³²and Moses sendeth to spy out Jaazer, and they capture its villages, and dispossess the Amorite who is there, ³³and turn and go up the way of Bashan, and Og king of Bashan cometh out to meet them, he and all his people, to battle, at Edrei. ³⁴And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Fear him not, for into thy hand I have given him, and all his people, and his land, and thou hast done to him as thou hast done to Sihon king of the Amorite, who is dwelling in Heshbon.’ ³⁵And they smite him, and his sons, and all his people, until he hath not left to him a remnant, and they possess his land.

Chapter 22

¹And the sons of Israel journey and encamp in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan, by Jericho. ²And Balak son of Zippor seeth all that Israel hath done to the Amorite, ³and Moab is exceedingly afraid of the presence of the people, for it is numerous; and Moab is vexed by the presence of the sons of Israel, ⁴and Moab saith unto the elders of Midian, ‘Now doth the assembly lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the green thing of the field.’ And Balak son of Zippor is king of Moab at that time, ⁵and he sendeth messengers unto Balaam son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River of the land of the sons of his people, to call for him, saying, ‘Lo, a people hath come out of Egypt; lo, it hath covered the eye of the land, and it is abiding over-against me; ⁶and now, come, I pray thee, curse for me this people, for it is mightier than I; it may be I prevail—we smite it—and I cast it out from the land; for I have known—that which thou blessest is blessed, and that which thou cursest is cursed.’ ⁷And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian go, and divinations in their hand, and they come in unto Balaam, and speak unto him the words of Balak, ⁸and he saith unto them, ‘Lodge here to-night, and I have brought you back word, as Jehovah speaketh unto me;’ and the princes of Moab abide with Balaam. ⁹And God cometh in unto Balaam, and saith, ‘Who are these men with thee?’ ¹⁰And Balaam saith unto God, ‘Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me: ¹¹Lo, the people that is coming out from Egypt and covereth the eye of the land,—now come, pierce it for me; it may be I am able to fight against it, and have cast it out;’ ¹²and God saith unto Balaam, ‘Thou dost not go with them; thou dost not curse the people; for it is blessed.’ ¹³And Balaam riseth in the morning, and saith unto the princes of Balak, ‘Go unto your land, for Jehovah is refusing to suffer me to go with you;’ ¹⁴and the princes of Moab rise, and come in unto Balak, and say, ‘Balaam is refusing to come with us.’

¹⁵And Balak addeth yet to send princes, more numerous and honoured than these, ¹⁶and they come in unto Balaam, and say to him, ‘Thus said Balak son of Zippor, Be not, I pray thee, withheld from coming unto me, ¹⁷for very greatly I honour thee, and all that thou sayest unto me I do; and come, I pray thee, pierce for me this people.’ ¹⁸And Balaam answereth and saith unto the servants of Balak, ‘If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah my God, to do a little or a great thing; ¹⁹and, now, abide, I pray you, in this place, you also, to-night; and I know what Jehovah is adding to speak with me.’ ²⁰And God cometh in unto Balaam, by night, and saith to him, ‘If to call for thee the men have come, rise, go with them, and only the thing which I speak unto thee—it thou dost do.’ ²¹And Balaam riseth in the morning, and saddleth his ass, and goeth with the princes of Moab.

²²And the anger of God burneth because he is going, and a messenger of Jehovah stationeth himself in the way for an adversary to him, and he is riding on his ass, and two of his servants are with him, ²³and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing in the way, and his drawn sword in his hand, and the ass turneth aside out of the way, and goeth into a field, and Balaam smiteth the ass to turn it aside into the way. ²⁴And the messenger of Jehovah standeth in a narrow path of the vineyards—a wall on this side and a wall on that— ²⁵and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah, and is pressed unto the wall, and presseth Balaam’s foot unto the wall, and he addeth to smite her; ²⁶and the messenger of Jehovah addeth to pass over, and standeth in a strait place where there is no way to turn aside—right or left— ²⁷and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah, and croucheth under Balaam, and the anger of Balaam burneth, and he smiteth the ass with a staff. ²⁸And Jehovah openeth the mouth of the ass, and she saith to Balaam, ‘What have I done to thee that thou hast smitten me these three times?’ ²⁹and Balaam saith to the ass, ‘Because thou hast rolled thyself against me; oh that there were a sword in my hand, for now I had slain thee;’ ³⁰and the ass saith unto Balaam, ‘Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden since I was thine unto this day? have I at all been accustomed to do to thee thus?’ and he saith, ‘No.’ ³¹And Jehovah uncovereth the eyes of Balaam, and he seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing in the way, and his drawn sword in his hand, and he boweth and doth obeisance, to his face; ³²and the messenger of Jehovah saith unto him, ‘Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? lo, I—I have come out for an adversary, for thy way hath been perverse before me, ³³and the ass seeth me, and turneth aside at my presence these three times; unless she had turned aside from my presence, surely now also, thee I had slain, and her kept alive.’ ³⁴And Balaam saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, ‘I have sinned, for I did not know that thou art standing to meet me in the way; and now, if evil in thine eyes—I turn back by myself.’ ³⁵And the messenger of…