Mitango 22
1 Bana ya Isalaele batambolaki mobembo na bitando ya Moabi mpe batongaki molako na bango pembeni-pembeni ya ebale Yordani, oyo ezalaki etalana na Jeriko.
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 Boye Balaki, mwana mobali ya Tsipori, ayokaki sango ya makambo nyonso oyo bana ya Isalaele basalaki bato ya Amori.
But King Balak, the son of Zippor, who ruled Moab, found out what the Israelis had done to the Amor people-group.
3 Mpe bato ya Moabi bakomaki kobanga makasi mpo ete bana ya Isalaele bazalaki ebele penza. Boye, bakomaki na somo mingi liboso ya bana ya Isalaele.
[When he saw that] the Israelis were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
4 Bongo bato ya Moabi balobaki na bakambi ya Madiani: « Ebele ya bato oyo bazali koya mpo na kobebisa biloko nyonso oyo ezingeli biso lokola ngombe oyo ezali kolia matiti ya elanga. » Na tango wana, ezalaki Balaki, mwana mobali ya Tsipori, nde azalaki mokonzi ya Moabi.
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 Atindaki bantoma kobenga Balami, mwana mobali ya Beori, oyo azalaki kovanda na Petori, pembeni ya ebale Efrate, mboka oyo ye abotama. Balaki alobaki na Balami: — Bato moko bawuti kobima na Ejipito, batondisi mokili mobimba mpe bayei sik’oyo kovanda pembeni na ngai.
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 Nabondeli yo, yaka kolakela bango mabe, pamba te bazali makasi mingi koleka ngai, tango mosusu nakokoka kolonga bango mpe kobengana bango na mboka. Pamba te nayebi ete bato oyo opamboli, bapambolamaka; mpe ba-oyo olakeli mabe, balakelamaka mpe mabe.
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 Bakambi ya Moabi mpe ya Madiani bakendeki mpe bamemaki makabo mpo na kopesa na Balami, momoni makambo. Tango bakomaki epai ya Balami, bayebisaki ye makambo oyo Balaki atindaki.
[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 Balami alobaki na bango: — Bolekisa butu awa, mpe nakozongisela bino eyano oyo Yawe akopesa ngai. Boye bakambi ya Moabi bavandaki elongo na ye.
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 Nzambe ayaki epai ya Balami mpe atunaki ye: — Bato oyo bazali epai na yo bazali banani?
During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, “(Who are/Tell me about) these men who are staying with you.”
10 Balami alobaki na Nzambe: — Balaki, mwana mobali ya Tsipori, mokonzi ya Moabi, atindeli ngai maloba oyo:
Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this:
11 « Bato moko bawuti kobima na Ejipito mpe batondisi mokili mobimba. Sik’oyo yaka mpe lakela bango mabe mpo na ngai. Tango mosusu nakokoka kobundisa bango mpe kobengana bango. »
‘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 Kasi Nzambe alobaki na Balami: — Kokende elongo na bango te. Okoki kolakela bato wana mabe te, pamba te bazali bato bapambolama.
God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
13 Na tongo ya mokolo oyo elandaki, Balami alamukaki mpe alobaki na bakambi ya Balaki: — Bozonga na mboka na bino, pamba te Yawe aboyi ete nakende elongo na bino.
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 Boye, bakambi ya Moabi bazongaki epai ya Balaki mpe balobaki: — Balami aboyi koya elongo na biso.
So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Balaki atindaki bakambi mosusu oyo bazalaki mingi mpe na lokumu koleka bakambi oyo atindaki liboso.
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 Bakomaki epai ya Balami mpe balobaki: — Tala liloba oyo Balaki, mwana ya mobali ya Tsipori alobi: « Tika ete eloko moko te epekisa yo koya epai na ngai!
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 Pamba te nakopesa yo lifuti ya malamu mpe nakosala nyonso oyo okoloba. Yaka penza mpe lakela bato oyo mabe mpo na ngai. »
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 Kasi Balami azongiselaki bango: — Ezala soki Balaki apesi ngai palata mpe wolo oyo etondi na ndako na ye, nakokoka kosala eloko moko te ya monene to ya moke oyo ekokende libanda ya mibeko ya Yawe, Nzambe na ngai.
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 Bino mpe lisusu bolekisa butu awa ndenge bandeko na bino basalaki, mpo ete naluka koyeba lisusu likambo oyo Yawe akoyebisa na ngai.
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 Na butu wana, Nzambe ayaki epai na Balami mpe alobaki: — Lokola bato oyo bayei mpo na kobenga yo, kende elongo na bango. Kasi sala kaka makambo oyo nakoyebisa yo.
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 Na tongo ya mokolo oyo elandaki, Balami alamukaki, abongisaki ane na ye ya mwasi mpe akendeki elongo na bakambi ya Moabi.
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 Kasi tango akendeki, Nzambe asilikaki makasi mpe anjelu ya Yawe atelemaki na nzela mpo na kokanga ye nzela tango azalaki kotambola likolo ya ane elongo na basali na ye mibale.
[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 Tango ane emonaki anjelu ya Yawe atelema na kati-kati ya nzela na mopanga ya minu na loboko na ye, ane ebimaki na nzela mpe ekimaki na elanga. Boye, Balami abetaki ane mpo ete ekoka kozonga na nzela.
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 Mpe lisusu, anjelu ya Yawe akendeki kotelema na nzela moko ya moke, oyo elekela na kati-kati ya bilanga mibale ya vino, oyo mopanzi moko na moko na yango ezalaki lokola na bamir mibale.
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 Tango ane emonaki anjelu ya Yawe, epusanaki pembeni ya mir, efinaki lokolo ya Balami na mir. Balami abetaki yango lisusu.
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 Anjelu ya Yawe alekaki liboso na bango mpe akendeki kotelema na esika moko ya moke penza, epai wapi nzela ya kobalukela na ngambo ya loboko ya mobali to ya mwasi ezali te.
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 Tango ane emonaki anjelu ya Yawe, evandelaki Balami, nkolo na yango. Balami atombokaki makasi mpe akomaki kobamba ane lingenda na ye.
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 Bongo, Yawe afungolaki monoko ya ane, mpe elobaki na Balami: — Likambo nini nasali yo mpo ete okoka kobeta ngai mbala misato?
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 Balami azongiselaki ane: — Ozali kosakana na ngai! Soki nazalaki na mopanga na loboko na ngai, mbele nabomi yo kaka sik’oyo!
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 Ane elobi na Balami: — Boni, nazali ane na yo te oyo osalelaka tango nyonso kino na mokolo ya lelo? Nazalaka solo na momesano ya kosalela yo makambo ya boye? Balami azongisaki: — Te!
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 Boye, Yawe afungolaki miso ya Balami, mpe Balami amonaki anjelu ya Yawe atelema na nzela, na mopanga na ye ya monene. Bongo, Balami afukamaki mpe akweyaki elongi kino na mabele.
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 Anjelu ya Yawe atunaki ye: — Mpo na nini obeti ane na yo mbala misato? Nayaki awa mpo na kokanga yo nzela, pamba te nzela na yo ezali mabe liboso na Ngai.
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 Ane emonaki Ngai mpe ekimaki Ngai mbala misato. Soki ekimaki Ngai te, solo penza, nalingaki koboma yo, kasi nalingaki kotika yango na bomoi.
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 Balami alobaki na anjelu ya Yawe: — Nasali masumu. Nayebaki te ete otelemaki na nzela mpo na kokanga ngai nzela. Kasi soki osepeli na mobembo oyo te, nakozonga na ngai.
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 Anjelu ya Yawe alobaki na Balami: — Kende elongo na bato oyo kasi okoloba kaka makambo oyo nakoloba na yo. Boye, Balami akendeki elongo na bakambi ya Balaki.
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 Tango Balaki ayokaki sango ete Balami azali koya, akendeki kokutana na ye na engumba ya bato ya Moabi, oyo ezalaka na mondelo ya Arinoni, na suka ya mokili na ye.
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 Balaki alobaki na Balami: — Boni, natindaki te bato na lombangu mpo na kobenga yo? Mpo na nini oyaki epai na ngai te? Okanisaki ete nazangi makoki ya kofuta yo?
[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 Balami azongiselaki Balaki: — Malamu, nayei sik’oyo epai na yo. Kasi nakoki solo koloba na yo kaka likambo moko? Nakoloba kaka makambo oyo Nzambe akotia na monoko na ngai.
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 Boye, Balami akendeki nzela moko na Balaki kino na Kiriati-Utsoti.
Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-Huzoth [town].
40 Balaki abonzaki mbeka ya ngombe mpe ya meme, apesaki ndambo epai ya Balami mpe ndambo mosusu epai ya bakambi oyo bazalaki na ye elongo.
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 Na tongo ya mokolo oyo elandaki, Balaki amemaki Balami, mpe bamataki na Bamoti-Bala; mpe wuta kuna, bakokaki komona ndambo ya bana ya Isalaele.
[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.
