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Numbers 22
Names of God Bible
Numbers 22
Names of God Bible
Balaam Is Hired to Curse Israel
22 Then the Israelites moved and set up camp across from Jericho, on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River.
2 Balak, son of Zippor, saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 The Moabites were very afraid because there were so many Israelites. Besides, the Moabites couldn’t stand these people.
4 So the Moabites said to the leaders of Midian, “All those people will eventually eat up everything around us the same way an ox eats up the grass in a field.”
At that time Balak, son of Zippor, was king of Moab. 5 He sent messengers to summon Balaam, son of Beor, who was at Pethor, on the Euphrates River, in the land where his people lived. Balak’s message was, “A nation has just come here from Egypt. They’ve spread out all over the countryside and are setting up their camp here in front of me. 6 Please come and curse these people for me, because they are too strong for me. Maybe then I’ll be able to defeat them and force them out of the country. I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed.”
7 The leaders of Moab and Midian left, taking money with them to pay for Balaam’s services. They came to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.
8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I’ll report to you what Yahweh tells me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 Elohim came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam answered, “Balak, son of King Zippor of Moab, sent them with this message: 11 ‘Some people have just come from Egypt and are spreading out all over the countryside. Now come and curse them for me. Maybe I’ll be able to fight them and force them out.’”
12 But Elohim said to Balaam, “Don’t go with them! Don’t curse these people, because they are blessed.”
13 When Balaam got up in the morning, he said to Balak’s princes, “Go back to your own country, because Yahweh has refused to let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite princes went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Balak sent a larger group of more highly respected princes. 16 When they came to Balaam, they said to him, “This is what Balak, son of Zippor, says: Don’t let anything keep you from coming to me. 17 I will make sure you are richly rewarded, and I will do whatever you ask. Please, come and curse these people for me.”
18 But Balaam answered Balak’s servants, “Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold, I couldn’t disobey the command of Yahweh my Elohim no matter whether the request was important or not. 19 Now, why don’t you stay here tonight, as the others did, and I’ll find out what else Yahweh may have to tell me.”
20 That night Elohim came to Balaam and said, “If these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”
Balaam’s Journey to Moab
21 When Balaam got up in the morning, he saddled his donkey and left with the Moabite princes.
22 Elohim became angry that he was going. So the Messenger of Yahweh stood in the road to stop him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants. 23 When the donkey saw the Messenger of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn, the donkey turned off the road into a field. Balaam hit the donkey to get it back on the road.
24 Where the road went through the vineyards, it was narrow, with stone walls on both sides. Now the Messenger of Yahweh stood there. 25 When the donkey saw the Messenger of Yahweh, it moved over and pinned Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam hit the donkey again.
26 Then the Messenger of Yahweh moved ahead and stood in a narrower place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left. 27 When the donkey saw the Messenger of Yahweh, it lay down under Balaam. Balaam became so angry he hit the donkey with his stick. 28 Then Yahweh made the donkey speak, and it asked Balaam, “What have I done to make you hit me three times?”
29 Balaam answered, “You’ve made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you right now.”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “I’m your own donkey. You’ve always ridden me. Have I ever done this to you before?”
“No,” he answered.
31 Then Yahweh let Balaam see the Messenger of Yahweh who was standing in the road with his sword drawn. So Balaam knelt, bowing with his face touching the ground.
32 The Messenger of Yahweh asked him, “Why have you hit your donkey three times like this? I’ve come here to stop you because the trip you’re taking is evil.[a] 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you by now but spared the donkey.”
34 Balaam said to the Messenger of Yahweh, “I’ve sinned. I didn’t know you were standing there in the road to stop me. If you still think this trip is evil, I’ll go back.”
35 The Messenger of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s princes.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at Ir Moab, in the region of the Arnon Valley, right on the border of Moab. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Why didn’t you come when I summoned you? You knew I’d be able to reward you.”
38 Balaam replied, “Well, I’ve come to you now. But I can’t say whatever I want to. I can only say what Elohim tells me to say.”
39 Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle, sheep, and goats, and sent some of the meat to Balaam and the princes who were with him.
41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal. From there he could see the outskirts of the Israelites’ camp.
Footnotes
- Numbers 22:32 Greek; Hebrew meaning of “because . . . evil” uncertain.
Numbers 22
New American Standard Bible
Numbers 22
New American Standard Bible
Balak Sends for Balaam
22 (A)Then the sons of Israel journeyed on, and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.
2 Now (B)Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3 (C)So Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous; and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel. 4 Moab said to the elders of (D)Midian, “Now this [a]horde will eat up all that is around us, as the ox eats up the grass of the field!” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 So he sent messengers to (E)Balaam the son of Beor, at (F)Pethor, which is near the Euphrates River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call for him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they have covered the surface of the land, and they are living opposite me. 6 (G)Now, therefore, please come, (H)curse this people for me since they are too [b]mighty for me; perhaps I will be able to [c]defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian left with the fees for (I)divination in their hands; and they came to Balaam and [d]repeated Balak’s words to him. 8 And he said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you just as the Lord may speak to me.” And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 Then (J)God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10 Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent word to me: 11 ‘Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I will be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; (K)you shall not curse the people, for they (L)are blessed.” 13 So Balaam got up in the morning and said to Balak’s representatives, “Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” 14 And the representatives from Moab got up and went to Balak, and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Then Balak sent representatives once again, more numerous and more distinguished than [e]the previous. 16 They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak the son of Zippor says: ‘I beg you, let nothing keep you from coming to me; 17 for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you tell me. (M)Please come then, curse this people for me.’” 18 But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “(N)Even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, contrary to the [f]command of the Lord my God. 19 Now please, you also stay here tonight, and I will find out what else the Lord will say to me.” 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise and go with them; but you shall do (O)only the thing that I tell you.”
21 (P)So Balaam arose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the leaders of Moab.
The Angel and Balaam
22 But God was angry that he was going, (Q)and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the road as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, the donkey turned off from the road and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey to guide her back onto the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a stone wall on this side and on that side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord went farther, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam; so (R)Balaam was angry and struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then (S)the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “It is because you have made a mockery of me! If only there had been a sword in my hand! For (T)I would have killed you by now!” 30 But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been in the habit of doing such a thing to you?” And he said, “No.”
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw (U)the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed [g]all the way to the ground. 32 Then the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was (V)reckless and contrary to me. 33 But the donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I certainly would have killed you just now, and let her live.” 34 So Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “(W)I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. Now then, if it is displeasing to you, I will turn back.” 35 But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but (X)you shall speak only the word that I [h]tell you.” So Balaam went along with the representatives of Balak.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, [i]at the extreme end of the border. 37 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send word to you to call for you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really unable to honor you?” 38 So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you now! (Y)Am I really able to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that only shall I speak.” 39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
41 Then it came about in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to [j](Z)the high places of Baal, and he saw from there [k]a (AA)portion of the people.
Footnotes
- Numbers 22:4 Lit assembly
- Numbers 22:6 Or numerous
- Numbers 22:6 Lit strike
- Numbers 22:7 Lit spoke
- Numbers 22:15 Lit these
- Numbers 22:18 Lit mouth
- Numbers 22:31 Lit and prostrated himself to his face
- Numbers 22:35 Or speak to
- Numbers 22:36 Lit which is at
- Numbers 22:41 Or Bamoth-baal
- Numbers 22:41 Lit the extremity of the people
Numbers 22
New International Version
Numbers 22
New International Version
Balak Summons Balaam
22 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab(A) and camped along the Jordan(B) across from Jericho.(C)
2 Now Balak son of Zippor(D) saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, 3 and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread(E) because of the Israelites.
4 The Moabites(F) said to the elders of Midian,(G) “This horde is going to lick up everything(H) around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.(I)”
So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor,(J) who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River,(K) in his native land. Balak said:
“A people has come out of Egypt;(L) they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. 6 Now come and put a curse(M) on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land.(N) For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.(O) When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.(P)” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.
9 God came to Balaam(Q) and asked,(R) “Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 11 ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’”
12 But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.(S)”
13 The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15 Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. 16 They came to Balaam and said:
“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me, 17 because I will reward you handsomely(T) and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse(U) on these people for me.”
18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.(V) 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.(W)”
20 That night God came to Balaam(X) and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”(Y)
Balaam’s Donkey
21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry(Z) when he went, and the angel of the Lord(AA) stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword(AB) in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it(AC) to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
26 Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry(AD) and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth,(AE) and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?(AF)”
29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.(AG)”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”
“No,” he said.
31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes,(AH) and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
32 The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.[a] 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now,(AI) but I would have spared it.”
34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned.(AJ) I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”
35 The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
36 When Balak(AK) heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon(AL) border, at the edge of his territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”
38 “Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”(AM)
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep,(AN) and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal,(AO) and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.(AP)
Footnotes
- Numbers 22:32 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
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