Numbers 22:1-41 The Israelites moved and set up camp across from Jericho. They were on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River.

NSB⁽ⁱ⁾ ¹ The Israelites moved and set up camp across from Jericho. They were on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River. ² Balak, son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³ The Moabites were very afraid because there were so many Israelites. Also, the Moabites did not like these people. ⁴ So the Moabites said to the leaders of Midian: »All those people will eventually eat up everything around us the same way cattle eat up the grass in a field. At that time Balak, son of Zippor, was king of Moab.« ⁵ He sent messengers to summon Balaam, son of Beor, who was at Pethor, on the Euphrates River, in the land where his people lived. Balak’s message was: »A nation has just come here from Egypt. They have spread out all over the countryside and are setting up their camp here in front of me. ⁶ »They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them for me. Then maybe we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse.« ⁷ The elders of Moab and Midian left. They took money with them to pay for Balaam’s services. They came to Balaam and told him what Balak had said. ⁸ »Spend the night here,« Balaam said to them, »and I will report to you what Jehovah tells me.« So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. ⁹ God came to Balaam and asked: »Who are these men with you?« ¹⁰ Balaam answered: »Balak, son of King Zippor of Moab, sent them with this message: ¹¹ »Some people came from Egypt and are spreading out all over the countryside. Now come and curse them for me. Maybe I will be able to fight them and force them out.« ¹² God said to Balaam: »Do not go with them! Do not curse these people. They are blessed!« ¹³ When Balaam got up in the morning, he said to Balak’s princes: »Go back to your own country. Jehovah has refused to let me go with you.« ¹⁴ The Moabite princes went back to Balak and said: »Balaam refused to come with us.« ¹⁵ Balak sent a larger group of more highly respected princes. ¹⁶ When they came to Balaam they said to him: »This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Do not let anything keep you from coming to me. ¹⁷ »‘I will make sure you are richly rewarded. I will do whatever you ask. Please, come and curse (execrate) these people for me.’« ¹⁸ Balaam answered Balak’s servants: »Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I could not disobey the command of Jehovah my God no matter whether the request was important or not. ¹⁹ »Now, please stay here tonight, as the others did, and I will find out what else Jehovah may have to tell me.« ²⁰ That night God came to Balaam and said: »If these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.« ²¹ Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey and left with the Moabite princes. ²² God became angry that he was going. So the angel of Jehovah stood in the road to stop him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants. ²³ The donkey saw the angel of Jehovah standing in the road with his sword drawn. The donkey turned off the road into a field. Balaam hit the donkey to get it back on the road. ²⁴ Where the road went through the vineyards, it was narrow, with stonewalls on both sides. Now the angel of Jehovah stood there. ²⁵ The donkey saw the angel and it moved over against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against it. Again Balaam beat the donkey. ²⁶ Once more the angel moved ahead. He stood in a narrow place where there was no room at all to pass on either side. ²⁷ This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down. Balaam lost his temper and began to beat the donkey with his stick. ²⁸ Jehovah gave the donkey the power of speech. The donkey said to Balaam: »What have I done to you? Why have you beaten me these three times?« ²⁹ Balaam answered: »It is because you have made a fool of me! If I had a sword, I would kill you.« ³⁰ The donkey replied: »Am I not the same donkey on which you have ridden all your life? Have I ever treated you like this before?« »No,« he answered. ³¹ Then Jehovah let Balaam see the angel standing there with his sword. Balaam threw himself face down on the ground. ³² The angel demanded: »Why have you beaten your donkey three times like this? I have come to bar your way, because you should not be making this journey. ³³ »But your donkey saw me and turned aside three times. If it had not, I would have killed you and spared the donkey.« ³⁴ Balaam replied: »I have sinned. I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you think it is wrong for me to go on I will return home.« ³⁵ But the angel said: »Go on with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.« Thus Balaam went on with them. ³⁶ Balak heard that Balaam was coming. He went to meet him at Ar, a city on the Arnon River at the border of Moab. ³⁷ Balak said to him: »Why did you not come when I sent for you the first time? Did you think I was not able to reward you enough?« ³⁸ Balaam answered: »I am here now. But now, what power do I have? I can say only what God tells me to say.« ³⁹ Balaam went with Balak to the town of Huzoth. ⁴⁰ Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him. ⁴¹ The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, from where Balaam could see a part of the people of Israel.