Liber Numeri 22
1 Profectique castrametati sunt in campestribus Moab, ubi trans Jordanem Jericho sita est.
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].
2 Videns autem Balac filius Sephor omnia quæ fecerat Israël Amorrhæo,
But King Balak, the son of Zippor, who ruled Moab, found out what the Israelis had done to the Amor people-group.
3 et quod pertimuissent eum Moabitæ, et impetum ejus ferre non possent,
[When he saw that] the Israelis were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
4 dixit ad majores natu Madian: Ita delebit hic populus omnes, qui in nostris finibus commorantur, quomodo solet bos herbas usque ad radices carpere. Ipse erat eo tempore rex in Moab.
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.
5 Misit ergo nuntios ad Balaam filium Beor ariolum, qui habitabat super flumen terræ filiorum Ammon, ut vocarent eum, et dicerent: Ecce egressus est populus ex Ægypto, qui operuit superficiem terræ, sedens contra me.
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.
6 Veni igitur, et maledic populo huic, quia fortior me est: si quomodo possim percutere et ejicere eum de terra mea. Novi enim quod benedictus sit cui benedixeris, et maledictus in quem maledicta congesseris.
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.”
7 Perrexeruntque seniores Moab, et majores natu Madian, habentes divinationis pretium in manibus. Cumque venissent ad Balaam, et narrassent ei omnia verba Balac,
[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.
8 ille respondit: Manete hic nocte, et respondebo quidquid mihi dixerit Dominus. Manentibus illis apud Balaam, venit Deus, et ait ad eum:
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.
9 Quid sibi volunt homines isti apud te?
During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, “(Who are/Tell me about) these men who are staying with you.”
10 Respondit: Balac filius Sephor rex Moabitarum misit ad me,
Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this:
11 dicens: Ecce populus qui egressus est de Ægypto, operuit superficiem terræ: veni, et maledic ei, si quomodo possim pugnans abigere eum.
‘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].’”
12 Dixitque Deus ad Balaam: Noli ire cum eis, neque maledicas populo: quia benedictus est.
God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
13 Qui mane consurgens dixit ad principes: Ite in terram vestram, quia prohibuit me Dominus venire vobiscum.
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.”
14 Reversi principes dixerunt ad Balac: Noluit Balaam venire nobiscum.
So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Rursum ille multo plures et nobiliores quam ante miserat, misit.
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].
16 Qui cum venissent ad Balaam, dixerunt: Sic dicit Balac filius Sephor: Ne cuncteris venire ad me:
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.
17 paratus sum honorare te, et quidquid volueris, dabo tibi: veni, et maledic populo isti.
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!’”
18 Respondit Balaam: Si dederit mihi Balac plenam domum suam argenti et auri, non potero immutare verbum Domini Dei mei, ut vel plus, vel minus loquar.
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]).
19 Obsecro ut hic maneatis etiam hac nocte, et scire queam quid mihi rursum respondeat Dominus.
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.”
20 Venit ergo Deus ad Balaam nocte, et ait ei: Si vocare te venerunt homines isti, surge, et vade cum eis: ita dumtaxat, ut quod tibi præcepero, facias.
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]!”
21 Surrexit Balaam mane, et strata asina sua profectus est cum eis.
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.
22 Et iratus est Deus. Stetitque angelus Domini in via contra Balaam, qui insidebat asinæ, et duos pueros habebat secum.
[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,
23 Cernens asina angelum stantem in via, evaginato gladio, avertit se de itinere, et ibat per agrum. Quam cum verberaret Balaam, et vellet ad semitam reducere,
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.
24 stetit angelus in angustiis duarum maceriarum, quibus vineæ cingebantur.
Then the angel stood in a place where the road was very narrow, between two vineyards, with walls on each side of the road.
25 Quem videns asina, junxit se parieti, et attrivit sedentis pedem. At ille iterum verberabat eam:
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.
26 et nihilominus angelus ad locum angustum transiens, ubi nec ad dexteram, nec ad sinistram poterat deviare, obvius stetit.
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.
27 Cumque vidisset asina stantem angelum, concidit sub pedibus sedentis: qui iratus, vehementius cædebat fuste latera ejus.
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.
28 Aperuitque Dominus os asinæ, et locuta est: Quid feci tibi? cur percutis me ecce jam tertio?
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?”
29 Respondit Balaam: Quia commeruisti, et illusisti mihi: utinam haberem gladium, ut te percuterem!
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!”
30 Dixit asina: Nonne animal tuum sum, cui semper sedere consuevisti usque in præsentem diem? dic quid simile umquam fecerim tibi. At ille ait: Numquam.
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.”
31 Protinus aperuit Dominus oculos Balaam, et vidit angelum stantem in via, evaginato gladio, adoravitque eum pronus in terram.
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.
32 Cui angelus: Cur, inquit, tertio verberas asinam tuam? ego veni ut adversarer tibi, quia perversa est via tua, mihique contraria:
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.
33 et nisi asina declinasset de via, dans locum resistenti, te occidissem, et illa viveret.
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.”
34 Dixit Balaam: Peccavi, nesciens quod tu stares contra me: et nunc si displicet tibi ut vadam, revertar.
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.”
35 Ait angelus: Vade cum istis, et cave ne aliud quam præcepero tibi loquaris. Ivit igitur cum principibus.
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].
36 Quod cum audisset Balac, egressus est in occursum ejus in oppido Moabitarum, quod situm est in extremis finibus Arnon.
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.
37 Dixitque ad Balaam: Misi nuntios ut vocarent te: cur non statim venisti ad me? an quia mercedem adventui tuo reddere nequeo?
[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?”
38 Cui ille respondit: Ecce adsum: numquid loqui potero aliud, nisi quod Deus posuerit in ore meo?
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].”
39 Perrexerunt ergo simul, et venerunt in urbem, quæ in extremis regni ejus finibus erat.
Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-Huzoth [town].
40 Cumque occidisset Balac boves et oves, misit ad Balaam, et principes qui cum eo erant, munera.
There Balak killed some cattle and sheep as sacrifices, and offered [parts of the meat] to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
41 Mane autem facto, duxit eum ad excelsa Baal, et intuitus est extremam partem populi.
[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.
