Numbers 22

Great^{(i) 1} And the chyldren of Israel departed and pytched in the feldes of Moab, on the othersyde of Iordane, ouer against Iericho. ² And Balac the sonne of Ziphor sawe all that Israel had done to the Amorites: ³ and the Moabites were sore afrayed of the people, because they were many, and stode in feare of the chyldren of Israel. ⁴ And Moab sayde vnto the elders of Madian: now shall this companye lycke vs vp all that are rounde aboute vs, as an oxe lycketh vp the grasse of the felde. And Balac the sonne of Ziphor was kynge of the Moabites at that tyme. ⁵ He sent messengers therfore vnto Balaam the sonne of Beor in Pethor (whych is by the ryuer in the lande of the chyldren of his folke) to call him, sayinge: beholde, there is a people come oute of Egypte, & beholde, they couer the face of the erth, & dwell ouer agaynst me. ⁶ Come nowe therfore & curse thys people for my sake. For they are to myghtie for me, yf so perauenture I myght be able to smyte them & to dryue them oute of the lande. For I wote that he whome thou blessest, is blessed, and whome thou cursest is cursed. ⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Madian departed, hauynge the rewarde of the sothsayinge in theyr hande. And they came vnto Balaam, and tolde him the wordes of Balac. ⁸ He answered them: tary here thys nyght, and I wyll brynge you worde, euen as the Lord shall saye vnto me. And the Lordes of Moab abode with Balaam. ⁹ And God came vnto Balaam and sayde, what men are these wyth the? ¹⁰ And Balaam sayde vnto God: Balac the sonne of Ziphor kynge of Moab hath sent vnto me, sayinge: ¹¹ beholde, there is a people come out of Egypt and couereth the face of the erth: come nowe therfore, and curse them for my sake, yf so peraduenture I maye be able to ouercome them in batell, and to dryue them oute. ¹² And God sayde vnto Balaam: Go not thou with them, nether curse the people, for they are blessed. ¹³ And Balaam rose vp in the mornynge & sayde vnto the Lordes of Balac: get you vnto youre lande: for the Lorde wyll not suffre me to go wyth you. ¹⁴ And the Lordes of Moab rose vp, & went vnto Balac and sayde: Balaam wolde not come wyth vs. ¹⁵ And Balac sent agayne a greatter companye of Lordes and more honorable then they: ¹⁶ whyche came to Balaam, and told him: Thus sayeth Balac the sonne of Ziphor: oh, let nothynge let the, but come vnto me, ¹⁷ for I wyll greatly promote the vnto greate honoure, and wyll do whatsoeuer thou sayest vnto me, come I praye the, curse thys people for my sake: ¹⁸ And Balaam answered and sayde vnto the seruauntes of Balac: If Balac wolde geue me hys housefull of syluer and golde, I cannot go beyonde the worde of the Lord my God, to do lesse or moare. ¹⁹ Nowe therfore tarye ye here thys nyghte: that I maye wete, what the Lorde wyll saye vnto me moare. ²⁰ And God came vnto Balaam by nyghte, & sayde vnto him: If the men come to call the, ryse vp and go with them: but loke what I saye vnto the, that shalt thou do. ²¹ And Balaam rose vp early, and sadeld hys asse, & went with the Lordes of Moab. ²² And the countenaunce of God was angrye because he went. And the angell of the Lorde stode in the waye agaynst hym, as he rode vpon hys asse, and hys two seruauntes were with hym. ²³ And when the asse sawe the angell of the Lorde stande in the waye, and hauynge a swerde drawen in his hande, the asse turned asyde oute of the waye, and went out into the felde. And Balaam smote the asse, to turne her into the waye. ²⁴ But the angell of the Lord stode in a path betwene the vyneyardes, and there was a wall on the one syde & another on the other. ²⁵ And when the asse sawe the angell of the Lorde, she wrenched vnto the wall, and thrust Balaams fote vnto the wall, and he smote her agayne. ²⁶ And the angell of the Lorde went forther and stode in a narowe place, where was no waye to tourne, ether to the ryght hande or to the lyfte. ²⁷ And when the asse sawe the angell of the Lorde, she fell downe vnder Balaam: and Balaam was wroth, and smote the asse with a staffe. ²⁸ And the Lorde opened the mouth of the asse, & she sayed vnto Balaam: what haue I done vnto the, that thou hast smytten me nowe thre tymes? ²⁹ And Balaam sayde vnto the Asse: because thou hast mocked me: I wolde also there were a swerde in myne hande, for euen nowe wolde I kyll the. ³⁰ And the asse sayde vnto Balaam: am not I thyne Asse whyche thou hast rydden vpon sence thou wast borne vnto thys daye? Was I euer wont to do so vnto the? he sayde: nay. ³¹ And the Lorde opened the eyes of Balaam and he sawe the angell of the Lorde standinge in the waye, hauynge a swerde drawen in hys hande. He bowed hym selfe therfore, and fell flat on hys face. ³² And the angell of the Lorde sayde vnto hym: Wherfore hast thou smyten thyne asse thre tymes? beholde, I came out as an aduersary, because thou makest thy waye contrary vnto me, ³³ and the asse sawe me, and went backe fro me thre tymes: or els yf she had not turned fro me I had suerly slayne the, and saued her alyue. ³⁴ Balaam sayd vnto the angell of the Lord: I haue synned: for I wist not that thou stodest in the waye agaynst me Nowe therfore yf it displease the I wyll turne home agayne. ³⁵ The angell sayde vnto Balaam: go with the men: but, what I saye vnto the, that shalt thou speake. And so Balaam went with the Lordes of Balac. ³⁶ And when Balac herde that Balaam was come, he went out to mete hym vnto a cytie of Moab, whiche is in the border of Arnon, euen in the vtmost coast. ³⁷ And Balac sayde vnto Balaam: dyd I not sende for the, to call the? And wherfore camest thou not vnto me? because I am not able to promote the vnto honoure? ³⁸ And Balaam made answere vnto Balac: Loo, I am come vnto the. And can I nowe saye any thinge at all. The worde that God putteth in my mouthe, that shall I speake. ³⁹ And Balaam went wyth Balac, and they came vnto a cytie of stretes. ⁴⁰ And Balac offered oxen and shepe, and sent for Balaam and for the Lordes that were with hym. ⁴¹ And on the morowe Balac toke Balaam, and brought hym vp into the hye place of Baal, that thence he myght se the vtmost parte of the people.