Numbers 22
1 And the sons of Israel journey and encamp in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan, [by] Jericho.
And thei yeden forth, and settiden tentis in the feeldi places of Moab, where Jerico is set ouer Jordan.
2 And Balak son of Zippor sees all that Israel has done to the Amorite,
Forsothe Balach, the sone of Sephor, siy alle thingis whiche Israel hadde do to Ammorrei,
3 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,
and that men of Moab `hadden dred Israel, and miyten not bere the assailing of him.
4 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,
And he seide to the grettere men in birthe of Madian, So this puple schal do a wei alle men that dwellen in oure coostis, as an oxe is wont to do awei an eerbe `til to the rootis. Forsothe he, `that is, Balaac, was kyng in that tyme in Moab.
5 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;
Therfor he sente messangeris to Balaam, the sone of Beor, a fals diuynour, that dwellide on the flood of the lond of the sones of Amon, that thei schulden clepe hym, and schulden seie, Lo! a puple yede out of Egipt, `which puple hilide the face of erthe, and sittith ayens me.
6 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.”
Therfor come thou, and curse this puple, which is strongere than Y, if in ony maner Y may smyte and dryue hym out of my lond; for Y knowe, that he is blissid whom thou blissist, and he is cursid whom thou hast cursid.
7 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,
The eldere men of Moab and the grettere men in birthe of Madian yeden forth, hauynge in hondis the prijs of fals dyuynyng; and whanne thei hadden come to Balaam, and hadden teld to hym alle the wordis of Balaach, he answeride,
8 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.
Dwelle ye here to nyyt, and Y schal answere what euer thing the Lord schal seie to me. Sotheli while thei dwelliden at Balaam, God cam, and seide to hym,
9 And God comes to Balaam and says, “Who [are] these men with you?”
What wolen these men at thee `to hem silf?
10 And Balaam says to God, “Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me:
Balaam answeride, Balaach, the sone of Sephor, kyng of Moabitis, sente to me, and seide, Lo!
11 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”;
a puple which is gon out of Egipt hilide the face of erthe; come thou, and curse hem, if in ony maner Y may fiyte, and dryue hym awey.
12 and God says to Balaam, “You do not go with them; you do not curse the people, for it [is] blessed.”
And God seide to Balaam, Nyle thou go with hem, nether curse thou the puple, for it is blessid.
13 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”;
Which Balaam roos eerli, and seide to the princes, Go ye in to youre lond, for God forbeed me to come with you.
14 and the princes of Moab rise, and come to Balak, and say, “Balaam is refusing to come with us.”
The princes turneden ayen, and seiden to Balaach, Balaam nolde come with vs.
15 And Balak adds yet to send princes, more numerous and honored than these,
Eft Balaach sente many mo and noblere men, than he hadde sent bifore;
16 and they come to Balaam and say to him, “Thus said Balak son of Zippor: Please do not be withheld from coming to me,
whiche seiden, whanne thei hadden come to Balaam, Balaach, the sone of Sephor, seith thus, Tarye thou not to come to me, redi to onoure thee;
17 for I honor you very greatly, and all that you say to me I do; and come, please pierce this people for me.”
and what euer thing thou wolt, Y schal yyue to thee; come thou, and curse this puple.
18 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;
Balaam answeride, Thouy Balaach schal yyue to me his howsful of siluer and of gold, Y schal not mowe chaunge the word of my God, that Y speke ethir more ethir lesse.
19 and now, please abide in this [place], you also, tonight, then I know what YHWH is adding to speak with me.”
Y biseche, that ye dwelle here also in this nyyt, that Y may wite what the Lord schal answere eft to me.
20 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.”
Therfor the Lord cam to Balaam in the nyyt, and seide to hym, If these men comen to clepe thee, rise thou, and go with hem, so oneli that thou do that that Y schal comaunde to thee.
21 And Balaam rises in the morning, and saddles his donkey, and goes with the princes of Moab,
Balaam roos eerli, and whanne his femal asse was sadelid, he yede forth with hem.
22 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,
And God was wrooth. And the `aungel of the Lord stood in the weie ayens Balam, that sat on the femal asse, and hadde twei children with hym.
23 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.
The femal asse siy the aungel stondynge in the weie, with swerd drawun, and `turnede a wei hir silf fro the weie, and yede bi the feeld. And whanne Balaam beet hir, and wolde lede ayen to the path,
24 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],
the aungel stood in the streitnessis of twei wallis, with whiche the vyneris weren cumpassid.
25 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;
And the femal asse siy the aungel, and ioynede hir silf to the wal, and hurtlide the foot of the sittere; and he beet eft `the asse.
26 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,
And neuer the lesse the aungel yede to the streit place, where me `myyte not go out of the weie, nether to the riyt side nether to the left side, and stood ayens hym.
27 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.
And whanne the femal asse siy the aungel stondynge, sche felde doun vndir the feet of the sittere, which was wrooth ful greetli, and beet hir sidis with a staaf.
28 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?”
And the Lord openyde the `mouth of the femal asse, and sche spak, What have Y doon to thee? whi smytist thou me, lo! now the thridde tyme?
29 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”;
Balaam answeride, For thou hast disserued, and hast scornyd me; Y wolde that Y hadde a swerd to sle thee.
30 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.”
And the femal asse seide, Whether Y am not thi beeste on which thou were wont to sitte euere til in to this present dai? seie thou, what lijk thing Y dide euere to thee? And he seide, Neuere.
31 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;
Anoon the Lord openyde `the iyen of Balaam, and he siy the aungel stondynge in the weie, holdynge a drawun swerd in the hoond; and Balaam worschipide hym lowli in to erthe.
32 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,
To whom the aungel seide, Whi `betist thou thi femal asse `the thridde tyme? Y cam to be aduersarie to thee, for thi weie is weiward, and contrarye to me;
33 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.”
and if the femal asse hadde not bowid a wey fro the weie, and youe place to ayenstondere, Y hadde slayn thee, and sche schulde lyue.
34 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.”
Balaam seide, Y synnede, not witynge that thou stodist ayens me; and now, if it displesith thee that Y go, Y schal turne ayen.
35 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.
The aungel seide, Go thou with these men, but be war that thou speke not other thing than Y schal comaunde to thee. Therfor Balaam yede with the princes.
36 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;
And whanne Balaach hadde herde this, he yede out in to the comyng of hym, in the citee of Moabitis, whiche is set in the laste coostis of Arnon.
37 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?”
And he seide to Balaam, Y sente messangeris to clepe thee; whi camest thou not anoon to me? whethir for Y may not yelde meede to thi comyng?
38 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.”
To whom Balaam answeride, Lo! Y am present, whethir Y schal mow speke other thing than that, that God schal putte in my mouth?
39 And Balaam goes with Balak, and they come to Kirjath-Huzoth,
Therfor thei yeden forth to gidere, and camen in to a citee, which was in the laste coost of `his rewme.
40 and Balak sacrifices oxen and sheep, and sends [some] to Balaam and to the princes who [are] with him;
And whanne Balaach hadde slayn scheep and oxun, he sente yiftis to Balaam and the princes that weren with hym.
41 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.
Forsothe whanne the morewtid was maad, Balaach ledde Balaam to the hiye placis of Baal, and he bihelde the laste part of the puple, `that is, al the oost til to the laste part.
