Números 22
1 Los israelitas avanzaron y acamparon en las llanuras de Moab al este del Jordán, frente a Jericó.
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 Balac, hijo de Zippor, había visto todo lo que los israelitas habían hecho a los amorreos.
But King Balak, the son of Zippor, who ruled Moab, found out what the Israelis had done to the Amor people-group.
3 Los moabitas estaban aterrorizados de los israelitas porque eran muchos. Los moabitas temían la llegada de los israelitas
[When he saw that] the Israelis were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
4 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).
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 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.
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 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”.
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 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.
[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 “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.
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 Dios vino a Balaam y le preguntó: “¿Quiénes son estos hombres que están contigo?”
During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, “(Who are/Tell me about) these men who are staying with you.”
10 Balaam le dijo a Dios: “Balac, hijo de Zipor, el rey de Moab, me envió este mensaje:
Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this:
11 ‘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’”.
‘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 Pero Dios le dijo a Balaam, “No debes volver con ellos. No debes maldecir a este pueblo porque están bendecidos”.
God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
13 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”.
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 Los líderes moabitas se fueron. Volvieron donde Balac y le dijeron: “Balaam se negó a volver con nosotros”.
So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Entonces Balac envió más líderes, unos que eran más prestigiosos que los anteriores.
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 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,
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 porque te pagaré mucho y seguiré todos los consejos que me des. Por favor, ven y maldice a este pueblo por mí’”.
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 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.
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 Ahora también deberías pasar la noche para ver si el Señor tiene algo más que decirme”.
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 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”.
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 Por la mañana Balaam se levantó, puso una silla en su asno y se fue con los líderes moabitas.
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 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.
[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 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.
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 Entonces el ángel del Señor se paró en una parte estrecha del camino que pasaba entre dos viñedos, con muros a ambos lados.
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 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.
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 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.
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 El asno vio al ángel del Señor y se acostó bajo Balaam. Se enfadó y lo golpeó con su bastón.
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 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?”
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 “¡Me has hecho quedar como un estúpido!” Balaam le dijo al asno. “¡Si tuviera una espada, te mataría ahora!”
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 El asno me vio y me evitó tres veces. Si no me hubiera evitado, ya te habría matado y dejado vivir al asno”.
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 “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”.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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?”
[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 “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”.
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 Así que Balaam se fue con Balac y llegaron a Quiriath-huzot.
Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-Huzoth [town].
40 Balac sacrificó ganado y ovejas, y compartió la carne con Balaam y los líderes que estaban con él.
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 A la mañana siguiente Balac llevó a Balaam hasta Bamot-baal. Desde allí pudo ver la extensión del campamento israelita.
[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.
