Números 22
1 Los hijos de Israel partieron y acamparon en las llanuras de Moab, al otro lado del Jordán, en 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 Zipor, vio todo lo que Israel había 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 Moab tuvo mucho miedo del pueblo, porque era numeroso. Moab estaba angustiado a causa de los hijos de Israel.
[When he saw that] the Israelis were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
4 Moab dijo a los ancianos de Madián: “Ahora esta multitud lamerá todo lo que nos rodea, como el buey lame la hierba del campo.” Balac hijo de Zipor era entonces rey de 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 Envió mensajeros a Balaam, hijo de Beor, a Petor, que está junto al río, a la tierra de los hijos de su pueblo, para llamarlo, diciendo: “He aquí que hay un pueblo que salió de Egipto. He aquí que cubren la superficie de la tierra, y se alojan frente a mí.
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 tanto, ven ahora y maldice a este pueblo por mí, porque es demasiado poderoso para mí. Tal vez prevalezca, para que los golpeemos y los expulse de la tierra; porque sé que el que bendices es bendito, y el que maldices 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 Los ancianos de Moab y los ancianos de Madián partieron con los premios de adivinación en la mano. Vinieron a Balaam y le hablaron de las palabras 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 Les dijo: “Quédense aquí esta noche, y les traeré de nuevo la palabra, según me hable Yahvé”. Los príncipes de Moab se quedaron 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 se acercó a Balaam y le dijo: “¿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 dijo a Dios: “Balac, hijo de Zipor, rey de Moab, me ha dicho:
Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this:
11 ‘He aquí que el pueblo que ha salido de Egipto cubre la superficie de la tierra. Ahora, ven a maldecirlos por mí. Tal vez pueda luchar contra ellos y los expulse’”.
‘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 Dios dijo a Balaam: “No irás con ellos. No maldecirás al pueblo, porque está bendecido”.
God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
13 Balaam se levantó por la mañana y dijo a los príncipes de Balac: “Vayan a su tierra, porque Yahvé no me permite ir con ustedes”.
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 príncipes de Moab se levantaron y fueron a ver a Balac y le dijeron: “Balaam se niega a venir con nosotros”.
So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Balac volvió a enviar príncipes, más, y más honorables que ellos.
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 Ellos vinieron a Balaam y le dijeron: “Balac, hijo de Zipor, dice: ‘Por favor, no dejes que nada te impida venir a mí,
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 ascenderé a un honor muy grande, y todo lo que me digas lo haré. Ven, pues, 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 Balaam respondió a los siervos de Balac: “Si Balac me diera su casa llena de plata y oro, no podría ir más allá de la palabra de Yahvé, mi Dios, para hacer menos o más.
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, pues, quédate aquí también esta noche, para saber qué más me dirá Yahvé”.
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 de noche y le dijo: “Si los hombres han venido a llamarte, levántate y ve con ellos; pero sólo harás la palabra 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 Balaam se levantó por la mañana, ensilló su asno y se fue con los príncipes de Moab.
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 La ira de Dios se encendió porque él iba, y el ángel de Yahvé se puso en el camino como adversario suyo. Iba montado en su asno, y lo acompañaban sus dos siervos.
[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 de Yahvé parado en el camino, con su espada desenvainada en la mano; y el asno se apartó del camino y se metió en el campo. Balaam golpeó a la burra para hacerla volver 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 de Yahvé se paró en un sendero estrecho entre las viñas, con un muro a un lado y otro a otro.
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 La burra vio al ángel de Yahvé, y se arrimó a la pared, y aplastó el pie de Balaam contra la pared. Él la 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 El ángel de Yahvé fue más allá y se paró en un lugar estrecho, donde no había forma de girar 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 La burra vio al ángel de Yahvé y se acostó debajo de Balaam. La ira de Balaam ardió, y golpeó a la burra 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 abrió la boca de la burra, y ella le dijo a Balaam: “¿Qué te he hecho, para que me hayas golpeado estas 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 Balaam dijo al asno: “Porque te has burlado de mí, ojalá tuviera una espada en la mano, porque ahora te habría matado”.
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 El asno dijo a Balaam: “¿No soy yo tu asno, en el que has montado toda tu vida hasta hoy? ¿Acaso he tenido la costumbre de hacerlo contigo?” Dijo: “No”.
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 abrió los ojos de Balaam, y vio al ángel del Señor parado en el camino, con su espada desenvainada en la mano; e inclinó la cabeza y se postró sobre su rostro.
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 de Yahvé le dijo: “¿Por qué has golpeado a tu asno estas tres veces? He aquí que he salido como adversario, porque tu camino es perverso ante mí.
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 La burra me vio y se apartó ante mí estas tres veces. Si no se hubiera apartado de mí, seguramente ahora te habría matado a ti y la habría salvado con vida”.
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 Balaam le dijo al ángel de Yahvé: “He pecado, pues no sabía que estabas en el camino contra mí. Ahora, pues, si te desagrada, volveré a regresar”.
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 de Yahvé dijo a Balaam: “Ve con los hombres, pero sólo hablarás la palabra que yo te diga”. Entonces Balaam fue con los príncipes 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 oyó que Balaam había venido, salió a recibirlo a la ciudad de Moab, que está en la frontera de Arnón, que está en el extremo de la frontera.
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 Balac le dijo a Balaam: “¿No envié a buscarte con insistencia para convocarte? ¿Por qué no viniste a mí? ¿Acaso no puedo promoverte a la honra?”
[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 Balaam dijo a Balac: “He aquí que he venido a ti. ¿Tengo ahora algún poder para hablar algo? Hablaré la palabra que Dios ponga en mi boca”.
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 Balaam fue con Balac, y llegaron a Quiriat Huzot.
Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-Huzoth [town].
40 Balac sacrificó ganado y ovejas, y envió a Balaam y a los príncipes 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 Por la mañana, Balac tomó a Balaam y lo hizo subir a los lugares altos de Baal, y vio desde allí a parte del pueblo.
[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.
