Numbers 22
1 Then the Israelis traveled west to the area of Moab that was in the valley of the Jordan [River], across the river from Jericho [city].
Los israelitas avanzaron y acamparon en las llanuras de Moab al este del Jordán, frente a Jericó.
2 But King Balak, the son of Zippor, who ruled Moab, found out what the Israelis had done to the Amor people-group.
Balac, hijo de Zippor, había visto todo lo que los israelitas habían hecho a los amorreos.
3 [When he saw that] the Israelis were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
Los moabitas estaban aterrorizados de los israelitas porque eran muchos. Los moabitas temían la llegada de los israelitas
4 So the king of Moab [went to] the leaders of the Midian people-group and said to them, “This huge group [of Israelis] will (wipe out/destroy) everything around them, like an ox devours grass!” Balak was the king of Moab.
y dijeron a los líderes de Madián, “Esta horda se comerá todo lo que tenemos, como un buey se come la hierba del campo”. (Balac hijo de Zippor, era rey de Moab en ese momento).
5 He sent messengers to [a prophet named] Balaam, who was living in his own area, in Pethor [town], near the [Euphrates] River. He sent this message to request that Balaam would come [to help him]: “A huge group of people has arrived here from Egypt. [It looks like] they are covering the entire land! And they have begun to live close to us.
Envió mensajeros para llamar a Balaam, hijo de Beor, que vivía en Petor, cerca del río Éufrates en su propio país. “Escuchen, ha llegado aquí un grupo de personas que vinieron de Egipto”, dijo Balac en su mensaje a Balaam. “Hay hordas de ellos y representan una verdadera amenaza para nosotros.
6 Because they are very powerful/numerous, [we are afraid of them. So] please come and curse them for me. Then my army may be able to defeat them and expel them from the land [where they are now living]. I know that good things will happen to the people whom you bless, and disasters will happen to the people whom you curse.”
Por favor, ven inmediatamente y maldice a estas personas por mí, porque son más fuertes que yo. Tal vez entonces pueda atacarlos y expulsarlos de mi país porque sé que quienquiera que bendiga es bendecido, y quienquiera que maldiga es maldito”.
7 [Balak’s messengers, who were] leaders of both the Moab and Midian people-groups, took money with them to pay Balaam in order that he would [come and] curse the Israelis. They went to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.
Entonces los líderes moabitas y madianitas partieron, llevándose el pago de la adivinación con ellos. Cuando llegaron, le dieron a Balaam el mensaje de Balac.
8 Balaam said, “Stay here tonight. [Tomorrow morning] I will tell you whatever Yahweh tells me that I should say to you.” So the leaders from Moab stayed there that night.
“Pasen la noche y les haré saber la respuesta que me da el Señor”, les dijo Balaam. Así que los líderes moabitas se quedaron allí con Balaam.
9 During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, “(Who are/Tell me about) these men who are staying with you.”
Dios vino a Balaam y le preguntó: “¿Quiénes son estos hombres que están contigo?”
10 Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this:
Balaam le dijo a Dios: “Balac, hijo de Zipor, el rey de Moab, me envió este mensaje:
11 ‘A huge group of people has come from Egypt, and they have spread all over this area. Please come immediately to curse them. Then I may be able to defeat them and expel them [from this area].’”
‘Escucha, ha llegado aquí un grupo de gente que ha venido de Egipto. Hay hordas de ellos. Por favor, ven inmediatamente y maldice a esta gente por mí. Tal vez así pueda luchar contra ellos y expulsarlos de mi país’”.
12 God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
Pero Dios le dijo a Balaam, “No debes volver con ellos. No debes maldecir a este pueblo porque están bendecidos”.
13 The next morning, Balaam got up and told Balak’s men, “Go back home. [But go by yourselves, because] Yahweh is not allowing me to go with you.”
Por la mañana Balaam se levantó y dijo a los mensajeros de Balac, “Vuelve al lugar de donde viniste porque el Señor se ha negado a permitirme ir contigo”.
14 So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Los líderes moabitas se fueron. Volvieron donde Balac y le dijeron: “Balaam se negó a volver con nosotros”.
15 But Balak sent another [group of] leaders to Balaam. It was a group that was larger and they were more important [than the men in the first group].
Entonces Balac envió más líderes, unos que eran más prestigiosos que los anteriores.
16 They went to Balaam and told him this: “This is what King Balak says: ‘Please do not allow anything to hinder you from coming here.
Cuando llegaron le dijeron a Balaam: “Esto es lo que dice Balac hijo de Zipor: ‘Por favor, no dejes que nada te impida venir a verme,
17 I will pay you (a lot of money/very well) [if you come], and I will do anything that you ask me to do. Just come and curse these [Israeli] people for me!’”
porque te pagaré mucho y seguiré todos los consejos que me des. Por favor, ven y maldice a este pueblo por mí’”.
18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not do anything to disobey Yahweh, (my God/the God whom I [worship]).
Pero Balaam le dijo a los oficiales de Balac, “Aunque Balac me diera todo su palacio lleno de plata y oro, no podría desobedecer el mandato del Señor mi Dios de ninguna manera.
19 But stay here one more night, like the other messengers did, and I will find out if Yahweh has anything more to say to me.”
Ahora también deberías pasar la noche para ver si el Señor tiene algo más que decirme”.
20 That night God appeared to Balaam again and said to him, “These men have come to request that you go back with them, so you may go with them, but do only what I tell you [to do]!”
Dios vino a Balaam durante la noche y le dijo, “Ya que estos hombres han venido por ti, levántate y ve con ellos. Pero sólo haz lo que yo te diga”.
21 So the next morning, Balaam put a saddle on his donkey and he departed [with two of his servants] along with the men from Moab.
Por la mañana Balaam se levantó, puso una silla en su asno y se fue con los líderes moabitas.
22 [Even though God had given Balaam permission to go, he was still angry]. So he sent one of his angels to Balaam. This angel stood in the road to block Balaam’s path. As Balaam and the two servants were riding on their donkeys,
Dios se enfadó porque Balaam había decidido irse. El ángel del Señor vino y se paró en el camino para enfrentarlo. Balaam iba montado en su asno, y estaba acompañado por sus dos sirvientes.
23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel. The angel was standing in the road and was holding a sword in his hand, [but Balaam did not see him]. Balaam’s donkey turned off the road into a field. So Balaam struck the donkey and forced it to go back onto the road.
El asno vio al ángel del Señor de pie en el camino con una espada desenvainada, así que se apartó del camino y se fue a un campo. Así que Balaam lo golpeó para que volviera al camino.
24 Then the angel stood in a place where the road was very narrow, between two vineyards, with walls on each side of the road.
Entonces el ángel del Señor se paró en una parte estrecha del camino que pasaba entre dos viñedos, con muros a ambos lados.
25 When the donkey saw the angel standing there, it walked very close to the wall [to try to get past the angel]. As a result, it bashed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam struck the donkey again.
El asno vio al ángel del Señor e intentó pasar. Empujó contra la pared y aplastó el pie de Balaam contra ella. Así que lo golpeó de nuevo.
26 Then the angel went further along the road and stood at a place that was extremely narrow, with the result that the donkey could not get past at all.
Entonces el ángel del Señor se adelantó y se paró en un lugar estrecho donde no había espacio para pasar, ni a la derecha ni a la izquierda.
27 This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down [on the ground] with Balaam sitting on top of it. Balaam became extremely angry, and he struck the donkey again with his walking stick.
El asno vio al ángel del Señor y se acostó bajo Balaam. Se enfadó y lo golpeó con su bastón.
28 Then Yahweh enabled the donkey to speak! It said to Balaam, “What bad thing have I done to you that caused you to strike me three times?”
El Señor le dio al asno la habilidad de hablar y le dijo a Balaam: “¿Qué te he hecho para que me golpees tres veces?”
29 Balaam shouted, “I struck you because you have caused me to appear to be foolish! If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
“¡Me has hecho quedar como un estúpido!” Balaam le dijo al asno. “¡Si tuviera una espada, te mataría ahora!”
30 But the donkey answered, “I am your own donkey [RHQ], the one that you have always ridden! Have I ever done anything like this previously?” Balaam said, “No.”
Pero el asno le preguntó a Balaam, “¿No soy yo el asno que has montado toda tu vida hasta hoy? ¿Alguna vez te he tratado así antes?” “No”, admitió.
31 Then Yahweh enabled Balaam to see the angel standing on the road, holding a sword in his hand. Balaam [realized that it was an angel and] prostrated himself on the ground in front of the angel.
Entonces el Señor le dio a Balaam la habilidad de ver al ángel del Señor de pie en el camino con una espada desenvainada. Balaam se inclinó y cayó al suelo boca abajo.
32 The angel asked him, ‘(Why did you strike your donkey three times?/ You should certainly not have struck the donkey three times! [RHQ] I have come to block your path because what you are planning to do is wrong.
El ángel del Señor le preguntó: “¿Por qué golpeaste a tu asno tres veces? Escucha, he venido a enfrentarme a ti porque estás siendo obstinado.
33 Three times your donkey saw me and turned away from me. If it had not done that, I would certainly have killed you already, but I would have allowed the donkey to live.”
El asno me vio y me evitó tres veces. Si no me hubiera evitado, ya te habría matado y dejado vivir al asno”.
34 Then Balaam said to the angel, “I have sinned. But I did not realize that you were standing there, trying to block my path. So if you do not want me to continue going, I will return home.”
“He pecado porque no me di cuenta de que estabas parado en el camino para enfrentarme”, dijo Balaam al ángel del Señor, “Así que, si esto no es lo que quieres, volveré a casa”.
35 But the angel replied, “I will allow you to go with these men, but you must say only what I tell you to say!” So Balaam went on with the leaders whom Balak [had sent].
El ángel del Señor le dijo a Balaam, “No, puedes ir con los hombres, pero sólo di lo que yo te diga”. Así que Balaam continuó con los oficiales de Balac.
36 When King Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at a Moab town alongside the Arnon [River] that was at the border of his own land.
Cuando Balac se enteró de que Balaam estaba en camino, fue a reunirse con él en el pueblo moabita en la frontera del río Arnón, el punto más alejado de su territorio.
37 [When he arrived where] Balaam was, he said to him, “I sent you [RHQ] a message saying that you should come immediately [RHQ]! Why did you not come immediately? [Did you think that] I was not able to pay you a lot of money for coming?”
Le dijo a Balaam, “¿No pensaste que mi llamada para que vinieras era urgente? ¿Por qué no viniste a mí inmediatamente? ¿Pensaste que no podía pagarte lo suficiente?”
38 Balaam replied, “I have come here now, but I am not able to say anything [that I want to]. I will say only the words that God tells me to say [MTY].”
“Mira, estoy aquí contigo ahora, ¿no?” Balaam respondió. “¿Pero crees que puedo decir cualquier cosa? Sólo puedo decir las palabras que Dios me da para que las diga”.
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-Huzoth [town].
Así que Balaam se fue con Balac y llegaron a Quiriath-huzot.
40 There Balak killed some cattle and sheep as sacrifices, and offered [parts of the meat] to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
Balac sacrificó ganado y ovejas, y compartió la carne con Balaam y los líderes que estaban con él.
41 [They slept there], and the next morning Balak took Balaam part way up [the mountain] to Bamoth-Baal [village]. From there, they could see some of the Israeli people who were down below.
A la mañana siguiente Balac llevó a Balaam hasta Bamot-baal. Desde allí pudo ver la extensión del campamento israelita.
