Numbers 22
22
Balak Hires Balaam
1The Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan across from Jericho. 2Now Balak # 22:2 Jos 24:9–10; Jdg 11:25; Mc 6:5; Rv 2:14 son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. # 22:2 Dt 4:46; Jos 10:12 3Moab was terrified of the people because they were numerous, # 22:3 Gn 47:27; Ex 1:7,9; 32:13; 2Sm 17:11; 1Kg 4:20; 1Ch 27:23 and Moab dreaded the Israelites. 4So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us like an ox eats up the green plants in the field.”
Since Balak son of Zippor was Moab’s king at that time, 5he sent messengers to Balaam # 22:5 Dt 23:3–5; Jos 24:9–10; Mc 6:5; 2Pt 2:15–16; Jd 11; Rv 2:14 son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. # 22:5 Sam, Vg, Syr read of the Ammonites,# 22:5 Or of the Amawites Balak said to him, “Look, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the surface of the land # 22:5 Ex 10:5 and are living right across from me. 6Please come and put a curse on these people for me because they are more powerful than I am. I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are cursed.” # 22:6 Gn 27:29; Nm 24:9
7The elders of Moab and Midian departed with fees for divination # 22:7 Gn 30:27; 44:5,15; Lv 19:26; Nm 23:23; Dt 18:10; 1Sm 15:23; 2Kg 17:17; 21:6; Is 2:6; Jr 14:14; Ezk 12:24; 13:7,23; 21:21; Mc 3:11 in hand. # 22:7 2Pt 2:15; Jd 11 They came to Balaam and reported Balak’s words to him. 8He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will give you the answer the Lord tells me.” So the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9Then God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you? ”
10Balaam replied to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent this message to me: 11‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.’ ”
12Then God said to Balaam, “You are not to go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”
13So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your land, because the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
14The officials of Moab arose, returned to Balak, and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15Balak sent officials again who were more numerous and higher in rank than the others. 16They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Let nothing keep you from coming to me, 17for I will greatly honor you and do whatever you ask me. So please come and put a curse on these people for me! ’ ”
18But Balaam responded to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the Lord my God to do anything small or great. 19Please stay here overnight as the others did, so that I may find out what else the Lord has to tell me.”
20God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.” 21When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab.
Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel
22But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the angel of the Lord # 22:22 Gn 16:7; 22:11; Ex 3:2; Jdg 2:1; 5:23; 6:1; 13:3; 2Sm 24:16; 1Kg 19:7; 2Kg 1:3; 19:35; Zch 1:11; 3:1; 12:8 took his stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing on the path with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path. 24Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a stone wall on either side. 25The donkey saw the angel of the Lord and pressed herself against the wall, squeezing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her once again. 26The angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left. 27When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. So he became furious and beat the donkey with his stick.
28Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times? ” # 22:28 2Pt 2:15–16
29Balaam answered the donkey, “You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now! ”
30But the donkey said, “Am I not the donkey you’ve ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before? ”
“No,” he replied.
31Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship on his face. 32The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because I consider what you are doing to be evil. # 22:32 Lit because your way is perverse before me 33The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.”
34Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the path to confront me. And now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go back.”
35Then the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
36When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city # 22:36 Or at Ir-moab, or at Ar of Moab on the Arnon border at the edge of his territory. 37Balak asked Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you? ”
38Balaam said to him, “Look, I have come to you, but can I say anything I want? I must speak only the message God puts in my mouth.” 39So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. # 22:39 = The City of Streets 40Balak sacrificed cattle, sheep, and goats and sent for Balaam and the officials who were with him.
41In the morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him to Bamoth-baal. # 22:41 = The High Places of Baal From there he saw the outskirts of the people’s camp.
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Numbers 22
22
The messages of Balaam
1Israel moved from there to the hills of Moab, where they camped across the River Jordan from the town of Jericho.
King Balak of Moab hires Balaam to curse Israel
2-3When King Balak#22.2,3 Balak: Hebrew “Balak son of Zippor”. of Moab and his people heard how many Israelites there were and what they had done to the Amorites, he and the Moabites were terrified and panicked. 4They said to the Midianite leaders, “Those Israelites will wipe out everything in sight, like a bull eating grass in a field.”
So King Balak 5sent a message to Balaam son of Beor who lived among his relatives in the town of Pethor near the River Euphrates. It said:#Nu 31.8; 2 P 2.15,16; Jd 11.
I need your help. A huge group of people has come here from Egypt and settled near my territory. 6They are too powerful for us to defeat, so would you come and place a curse on them? Perhaps then we can drive them out. I know that anyone you bless will be successful, but anyone you curse will fail.
7The leaders of Moab and Midian left and took along money to pay Balaam for his work. When they got to his house, they gave him Balak's message.
8“Spend the night here,” Balaam replied, “and tomorrow I will tell you the LORD's answer.” So the officials stayed at his house.
9During the night, God asked Balaam, “Who are these people at your house?”
10“They are messengers from King Balak of Moab,” Balaam answered. “He sent them 11to ask me to go to Moab and place a curse on the people who have come there from Egypt. They have settled everywhere around him, and he wants to drive them out.”
12But God replied, “Don't go with Balak's messengers. I have blessed those people who have come from Egypt, so don't curse them.”
13The next morning, Balaam said to Balak's officials, “Go back home. The LORD says I cannot go with you.”
14The officials left and told Balak that Balaam refused to come.
15Then Balak sent a larger group of officials, who were even more important than the first ones. 16They went to Balaam and told him that Balak had said, “Balaam, if you come to Moab, 17I'll pay you very well and do whatever you ask. Just come and place a curse on these people.”
18Balaam answered, “Even if Balak offered me a palace full of silver or gold, I wouldn't do anything to disobey the LORD my God. 19You are welcome to spend the night here, just as the others did. I will find out if the LORD has something else to say about this.”
20That night, God said, “Balaam, I'll let you go to Moab with Balak's messengers, but do only what I say.”
21So Balaam got up the next morning and saddled his donkey, then left with the Moabite officials.
Balaam and his donkey meet an angel
22Balaam was riding his donkey to Moab, and two of his servants were with him. But God was angry that Balaam had gone, so one of the LORD's angels stood in the road to stop him. 23When Balaam's donkey saw the angel standing there with a sword, it walked off the road and into an open field. Balaam had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road.
24Then the angel stood between two vineyards, in a narrow path with a stone wall on each side. 25When the donkey saw the angel, it walked so close to one of the walls that Balaam's foot scraped against the wall. Balaam beat the donkey again.
26The angel moved once more and stood in a spot so narrow that there was no room for the donkey to go around. 27So it just lay down. Balaam lost his temper, then picked up a stick and hit the donkey.
28When that happened, the LORD told the donkey to speak, and it asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that made you beat me three times?”
29“You made me look stupid!” Balaam answered. “If I had a sword, I'd kill you here and now!”
30“But you're my owner,” replied the donkey, “and you've ridden me many times. Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted.
31Just then, the LORD let Balaam see the angel standing in the road, holding a sword, and Balaam bowed down.
32The angel said, “You had no right to treat your donkey like that! I was the one who blocked your way, because I don't think you should go to Moab.#22.32 I don't think you should go to Moab: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. 33If your donkey had not seen me and stopped those three times, I would have killed you and let the donkey live.”
34Balaam replied, “I was wrong. I didn't know you were trying to stop me. If you don't think I should go, I'll return home at once.”
35“It's all right for you to go,” the LORD's angel answered. “But you must say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went on with Balak's officials.
King Balak meets Balaam
36When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at the town of Ir, which is on the northern border of Moab. 37Balak asked, “Why didn't you come when I invited you the first time? Did you think I wasn't going to pay you?”
38“I'm here now,” Balaam answered. “But I will say only what God tells me to say.”
39They left and went to the town of Kiriath-Huzoth, 40where Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him.
41The next morning, Balak took Balaam to the town of Bamoth-Baal. From there, Balaam could see some of the Israelites.#22.41 Balaam could see some of the Israelites: For a curse to work, the people or thing being cursed had to be seen.
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012