Numbers 22
1 And they went forward and encamped in the plains of Moab, over against where Jericho is situate beyond the Jordan.
And the sons of Israel journey and encamp in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan, [by] Jericho.
2 And Balac the son of Sephor, seeing all that Israel had done to the Amorrhite,
And Balak son of Zippor sees all that Israel has done to the Amorite,
3 And that the Moabites were in great fear of him, and were not able to sustain his assault,
and Moab is exceedingly afraid of the presence of the people, for it [is] numerous; and Moab is distressed by the presence of the sons of Israel,
4 He said to the elders of Madian: So will this people destroy all that dwell in our borders, as the ox is wont to eat the grass to the very roots. Now he was at that time king in Moab.
and Moab says to [the] elderly of Midian, “Now the assembly licks up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the green thing of the field.” And Balak son of Zippor [is] king of Moab at that time,
5 He sent therefore messengers to Balaam the son of Beer, a soothsayer, who dwelt by the river of the land of the children of Ammon, to call him, and to say: Behold a people is come out of Egypt, that hath covered the face of the earth, sitting over against me.
and he sends messengers to 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, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt; behold, it has covered the eye of the land, and it is abiding in front of me;
6 Come therefore, and curse this people, because it is mightier than I: if by any means I may beat them and drive them out of my land: for I know that he whom thou shalt bless is blessed, and he whom thou shalt curse is cursed.
and now, come, please curse this people for me, for it [is] mightier than I. It may be I prevail, [and] we strike it, and I cast it out from the land; for I have known that which you bless is blessed, and that which you curse is cursed.”
7 And the ancients of Moab, and the elders of Madian, went with the price of divination in their hands. And when they were come to Balaam, and had told him all the words of Balac:
And [the] elderly of Moab and [the] elderly of Midian go with divinations in their hand, and they come to Balaam and speak the words of Balak to him,
8 He answered: Tarry here this night, and I will answer whatsoever the Lord shall say to me. And while they stayed with Balaam, God came and said to him:
and he says to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I have brought you back word, as YHWH speaks to me”; and the princes of Moab abide with Balaam.
9 What mean these men that are with thee?
And God comes to Balaam and says, “Who [are] these men with you?”
10 He answered: Balac the son of Sephor king of the Moabites hath sent to me,
And Balaam says to God, “Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me:
11 Saying: Behold a people that is come out of Egypt, hath covered the face of the land: come and curse them, if by any means I may fight with them and drive them away.
Behold, the people that is coming out from Egypt and covers 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”;
12 And God said to Balaam: Thou shalt not go with them, nor shalt thou curse the people: because it is blessed.
and God says to Balaam, “You do not go with them; you do not curse the people, for it [is] blessed.”
13 And he rose in the morning and said to the princes: Go into your country, because the Lord hath forbid me to come with you.
And Balaam rises in the morning and says to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, for YHWH is refusing to permit me to go with you”;
14 The princes returning, said to Balac: Balaam would not come with us.
and the princes of Moab rise, and come to Balak, and say, “Balaam is refusing to come with us.”
15 Then he sent many more and more noble than he had sent before:
And Balak adds yet to send princes, more numerous and honored than these,
16 Who, when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the son of Sephor, Delay not to come to me:
and they come to Balaam and say to him, “Thus said Balak son of Zippor: Please do not be withheld from coming to me,
17 For I am ready to honour thee, and will give thee whatsoever thou wilt: come and curse this people.
for I honor you very greatly, and all that you say to me I do; and come, please pierce this people for me.”
18 Balaam answered: If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot alter the word of the Lord my God, to speak either more or less.
And Balaam answers and says to the servants of Balak, “If Balak gives to me the fullness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of my God YHWH, to do a little or a great thing;
19 I pray you to stay here this night also, that I may know what the Lord will answer me once more.
and now, please abide in this [place], you also, tonight, then I know what YHWH is adding to speak with me.”
20 God therefore came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: It these men be come to call thee, arise and go with them: yet so, that thou do what I shall command thee.
And God comes to Balaam by night and says to him, “If the men have come to call for you, rise, go with them, and only the thing which I speak to you—do it.”
21 Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them.
And Balaam rises in the morning, and saddles his donkey, and goes with the princes of Moab,
22 And God was angry. And an angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat on the ass, and had two servants with him.
and the anger of God burns because he is going, and the Messenger of YHWH stations Himself in the way for an adversary to him, and he is riding on his donkey, and two of his servants [are] with him,
23 The ass seeing the angel standing in the way, with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the way,
and the donkey sees the Messenger of YHWH standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turns aside out of the way and goes into a field, and Balaam strikes the donkey to turn it aside into the way.
24 The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were enclosed.
And the Messenger of YHWH stands in a narrow path of the vineyards, [with] a wall on this [side] and a wall on that [side],
25 And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again:
and the donkey sees the Messenger of YHWH, and is pressed to the wall, and presses Balaam’s foot to the wall, and he adds to strike her;
26 And nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him.
and the Messenger of YHWH adds to pass over, and stands in a narrow place where there is no way to turn aside [to] the right or left,
27 And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider: who being angry beat her sides more vehemently with a staff.
and the donkey sees the Messenger of YHWH, and crouches under Balaam, and the anger of Balaam burns, and he strikes the donkey with a staff.
28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?
And YHWH opens the mouth of the donkey, and she says to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have struck me these three times?”
29 Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.
And Balaam says to the donkey, “Because you have rolled yourself against me; oh that there were a sword in my hand, for now I had slain you”;
30 The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee. But he said: Never.
and the donkey says to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden since [I became] yours, even to this day? Have I at all been accustomed to do thus to you?” And he says, “No.”
31 Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him falling flat on the ground.
And YHWH uncovers the eyes of Balaam, and he sees the Messenger of YHWH standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and he bows and pays respect, to his face;
32 And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me:
and the Messenger of YHWH says to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out for an adversary, for [your] way has been perverse before Me,
33 And unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived.
and the donkey sees Me and turns aside at My presence these three times; unless she had turned aside from My presence, surely I had also slain you now, and kept her alive.”
34 Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return.
And Balaam says to the Messenger of YHWH, “I have sinned, for I did not know that You [are] standing to meet me in the way; and now, if [it is] evil in Your eyes, I turn back by myself.”
35 The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee. He went therefore with the princes.
And the Messenger of YHWH says to Balaam, “Go with the men; and only the word which I speak to you—it you speak”; and Balaam goes with the princes of Balak.
36 And when Balac heard it he came forth to meet him in a town of the Moabites, that is situate in the uttermost borders of Arnon.
And Balak hears that Balaam has come, and goes out to meet him, to a city of Moab, which [is] on the border of Arnon, which [is] in the extremity of the border;
37 And he said to Balaam: I sent messengers to call thee, why didst thou not come immediately to me? was it because I am not able to reward thy coming?
and Balak says to Balaam, “Did I not diligently send to you to call for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not truly able to honor you?”
38 He answered him: Lo, here I am: shall I have power to speak any other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth?
And Balaam says to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you; now, am I able to speak anything at all? The word which God sets in my mouth—it I speak.”
39 So they went on together, and came into a city, that was in the uttermost borders of his kingdom.
And Balaam goes with Balak, and they come to Kirjath-Huzoth,
40 And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
and Balak sacrifices oxen and sheep, and sends [some] to Balaam and to the princes who [are] with him;
41 And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.
and it comes to pass in the morning, that Balak takes Balaam and causes him to go up [to] the high places of Ba‘al, and he sees the extremity of the people from there.
