Numbers 22
1 Then did the sons of Israel break up, —and encamp in the waste plains of Moab, on the other side of the Jordan by Jericho.
And the sons of Israel journey and encamp in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan, [by] Jericho.
2 And Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done unto the Amorites;
And Balak son of Zippor sees all that Israel has done to the Amorite,
3 and Moab shrank with great fear from the presence of the people because, many, they were, —and Moab was alarmed at the presence of the sons of Israel.
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 So Moab said unto the elders of Midian—Now, shall the gathered host lick up all that are round about us, as the ox doth lick up the verdure of the field. But, Balak son of Zippor, was king unto Moab at that time.
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 So he sent messengers unto Balaam son of Beor, to Pethor which was by the river of the land of the sons of his people to call him, —saying Lo! a people, hath come forth out of Egypt Lo! he hath covered the eye of the land, Yea he, is tarrying 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 Now, therefore, do come, I pray thee curse me this people. For stronger, he is than I, If peradventure I prevail, we shall smite him, That I may drive him out of the land, —For I know that, he whom thou dost bless, is to be blessed, And, he whom thou dost curse, is to be 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 elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went their way, with the rewards of divination in their hand, —so they came in unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.
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 And he said unto them—Tarry ye here for the night, and I will bring you back word, as Yahweh shall speak unto me. So the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.
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 And God came in unto Balaam, —and said, Who are these men with thee?
And God comes to Balaam and says, “Who [are] these men with you?”
10 Then said Balaam unto God, —Balak, son of Zippor king of Moab, hath sent unto me:
And Balaam says to God, “Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me:
11 Lo! the people that hath come forth out of Egypt—he covereth the eye of the land. Now, do come, do revile me him, Peradventure I shall prevail in making war with him, And shall drive him out.
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 unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them, —Thou shalt not curse the people, For blessed, he is.
and God says to Balaam, “You do not go with them; you do not curse the people, for it [is] blessed.”
13 And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, Get you into your own land, —For Yahweh hath refused to let me go 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 So the princes of Moab arose, and came in unto Balak, —and said, Balaam refused to come with us.
and the princes of Moab rise, and come to Balak, and say, “Balaam is refusing to come with us.”
15 Then added Balak again, —to send princes, more and weightier than these.
And Balak adds yet to send princes, more numerous and honored than these,
16 And they came in unto Balaam, —and said unto him—Thus, said Balak son of Zippor, Do not be withheld, I pray thee from coming unto 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 will honour, thee, exceedingly, and all that thou shalt say unto me, will I do. Do come therefore I pray thee oh revile me 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 And Balaam responded and said unto the servants of Balak, Though Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the bidding of Yahweh my God, to do less or more.
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 Now, therefore abide here, I pray you even ye, —for the night, —that I may get to know what further Yahweh may be speaking with me.
and now, please abide in this [place], you also, tonight, then I know what YHWH is adding to speak with me.”
20 And God came in unto Balaam, by night, and said unto him—If, to call thee, the men have come in, arise go with them, —But only, the thing that I shall speak unto thee, that, shalt thou do.
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 So Balaam arose in the morning, and saddled his ass, —and went with the princes of Moab.
And Balaam rises in the morning, and saddles his donkey, and goes with the princes of Moab,
22 Then kindled the anger of God, because he was going, and the messenger of Yahweh stationed himself in the way, to withstand him, —as he was riding upon his ass, his two young men being 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 And the ass saw the messenger of Yahweh stationed in the road with his drawn sword in his hand, so the ass turned aside out of the road and went into the field, —and Balaam smote the ass, to make her turn back into the road.
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 But the messenger of Yahweh took his stand, in a hollow pass of the vineyards, —with a fence on this side, and a fence on that side.
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 when the ass saw the messenger of Yahweh, she squeezed herself against the wall, and squeezed the foot of Balaam against the wall, —and again he smote her.
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 the messenger of Yahweh went on further, and took his stand in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn to the right hand or to the left.
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 messenger of Yahweh, she sank down under Balaam, —then was Balaam’s anger kindled, and he smote the ass with the 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 Yahweh opened the mouth of the ass, —and she said unto Balaam—What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me, these three times?
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 And Balaam said unto the ass, Surely thou hast been making sport of me, —Would there had been a sword in my hand, for, now, would I have slain 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 Then said the ass unto Balaam—Am not I thine own ass on which thou hast ridden all thy life, until this day? Have I, been wont, to do unto thee, thus? And he said, Nay!
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 Then did Yahweh unveil the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the messenger of Yahweh stationed in the road, with his sword drawn in his hand, —so he bent his head and bowed down before him.
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 messenger of Yahweh said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass, these three times? Lo! I, myself, am come forth to withstand thee, because headlong was thy way before 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 the ass hath seen me, and hath turned aside at my presence these three times: Unless she had turned aside from my presence, yea now even thee, had I slain, but, her, had I suffered to live.
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 Then said Balaam unto the messenger of Yahweh—I have sinned, for I knew not, that, thou, wast stationed to meet me in the road, —Now, therefore, if it be displeasing in thine eyes, I must get me back again.
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 And the messenger of Yahweh said unto Balaam—Go with the men: Only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that, shalt thou speak. So Balaam went his way with the princes of Balak.
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 Balak heard that Balaam, was coming, —so he went forth to meet him unto a city of Moab which was upon the boundary of Arnon, which was in the utmost part of the boundary.
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 Balak said unto Balaam: Did I not, send, unto thee, to call thee? Wherefore didst thou not come unto me? Am I not in very deed, able to honour thee?
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 And Balaam said unto Balak—Lo! I am come unto thee, Now, can, I, possibly, promise anything? The word that God shall put in my mouth, that, must I speak.
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 Balaam went with Balak, —and they entered Kiriath-huzoth.
And Balaam goes with Balak, and they come to Kirjath-Huzoth,
40 And Balak sacrificed herd and flock, —and sent unto Balaam, and unto 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 it came to pass in the morning, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up the high places of Baal, —and he saw from thence the utmost 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.
