³⁵ But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but ^(A)you shall speak only the word that I ^[a]tell you.” So Balaam went along with the representatives of Balak.

⁵ Then the Lord ^(A)put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.”

¹² He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak ^(A)what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

¹⁶ Then the Lord met Balaam and ^(A)put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.”

²⁶ But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘^[a](A)Whatever the Lord speaks, I must do’?”

¹³ ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the ^[a]command of the Lord, either good or bad, ^(A)of my own ^[b]accord. ^(B)What the Lord speaks, I will ^[c]speak’?