22:1 ¹ 

The Israelites traveled on ²  and camped in the plains of Moab on the side of the Jordan River ³  across from Jericho. ⁴  22:2 Balak son of Zippor saw all that the Israelites had done to the Amorites. 22:3 And the Moabites were greatly afraid of the people, because they were so numerous. The Moabites were sick with fear because of the Israelites.

22:4 So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “Now this mass of people ⁵  will lick up everything around us, as the bull devours the grass of the field. Now Balak son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at this time. 22:5 And he sent messengers to Balaam ⁶  son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates River ⁷  in the land of Amaw, ⁸  to summon him, saying, “Look, a nation has come out of Egypt. They cover the face ⁹  of the earth, and they are settling next to me. 22:6 So ¹⁰  now, please come and curse this nation ¹¹  for me, for they are too powerful for me. Perhaps I will prevail so that we may conquer them ¹²  and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, ¹³  and whoever you curse is cursed.”

22:7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported ¹⁴  to him the words of Balak. 22:8 He replied to them, “Stay ¹⁵  here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 22:9 And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 22:10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message to me, saying, 22:11 “Look, a nation has come out ¹⁶  of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Come now and put a curse on them for me; perhaps I will be able to defeat them ¹⁷  and drive them out.” ¹⁸  22:12 But God said to Balaam, “You must not go with them; you must not curse the people, ¹⁹  for they are blessed.” ²⁰ 

22:13 So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, ²¹  for the Lord has refused to permit me to go ²²  with you.” 22:14 So the princes of Moab departed ²³  and went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

22:15 Balak again sent princes, ²⁴  more numerous and more distinguished than the first. ²⁵  22:16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor: ‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming ²⁶  to me. 22:17 For I will honor you greatly, ²⁷  and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.’”

22:18 Balaam replied ²⁸  to the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment ²⁹  of the Lord my God ³⁰  to do less or more. 22:19 Now therefore, please stay ³¹  the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me.” ³²  22:20 God came to Balaam that night, and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but the word that I will say to you, that you must do.” 22:21 So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.

22:22 Then God’s anger was kindled ³³  because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose ³⁴  him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him. 22:23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with ³⁵  his sword drawn in his hand, so the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. But Balaam beat the donkey, to make her turn back to the road.

22:24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a path ³⁶  among the vineyards, where there was a wall on either side. ³⁷  22:25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself into the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he beat her again. ³⁸ 

22:26 Then the angel of the Lord went farther, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 22:27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. Then Balaam was angry, and he beat his donkey with a staff.

22:28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?” 22:29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “You have made me look stupid; I wish ³⁹  there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now.” 22:30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am not I your donkey that you have ridden ever since I was yours until this day? Have I ever attempted ⁴⁰  to treat you this way?” ⁴¹  And he said, “No.” 22:31 Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; so he bowed his head and threw himself down with his face to the ground. ⁴²  22:32 The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you because what you are doing ⁴³  is perverse before me. ⁴⁴  22:33 The donkey saw me and turned from me these three times. If ⁴⁵  she had not turned from me, I would have killed you but saved her alive.” 22:34 Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood against me in the road. ⁴⁶  So now, if it is evil in your sight, ⁴⁷  I will go back home.” ⁴⁸  22:35 But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you may only speak ⁴⁹  the word that I will speak to you.” ⁵⁰  So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

22:36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at a city of Moab which was on the border of the Arnon at the boundary of his territory. 22:37 Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send again and again ⁵¹  to you to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?” ⁵²  22:38 Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you. Now, am I able ⁵³  to speak ⁵⁴  just anything? I must speak ⁵⁵  only the word that God puts in my mouth.” 22:39 So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 22:40 And Balak sacrificed bulls and sheep, and sent some ⁵⁶  to Balaam, and to the princes who were with him. 22:41 Then on the next morning Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to Bamoth Baal. ⁵⁷  From there he saw the extent of the nation.

23:1 ⁵⁸ 

Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 23:2 So Balak did just as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam then offered on each ⁵⁹  altar a bull and a ram. 23:3 Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself ⁶⁰  by your burnt offering, and I will go off; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me ⁶¹  I will tell you.” ⁶²  Then he went to a deserted height. ⁶³ 

23:4 Then God met Balaam, who ⁶⁴  said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 23:5 Then the Lord put a message ⁶⁵  in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” ⁶⁶ 

23:6 So he returned to him, and he was still ⁶⁷  standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 23:7 Then Balaam ⁶⁸  uttered ⁶⁹  his oracle, saying,

“Balak, the king of Moab, brought me ⁷⁰  from Aram,

out of the mountains of the east, saying,

‘Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me;

come, denounce Israel.’ ⁷¹ 

23:8 How ⁷²  can I curse ⁷³  one whom God has not cursed,

or how can I denounce one whom the Lord has not denounced?

23:9 For from the top of the rocks I see them; ⁷⁴ 

from the hills I watch them. ⁷⁵ 

Indeed, a nation that lives alone,

and it will not be reckoned ⁷⁶  among the nations.

23:10 Who ⁷⁷  can count ⁷⁸  the dust ⁷⁹  of Jacob,

Or number ⁸⁰  the fourth part of Israel?

Let me ⁸¹  die the death of the upright, ⁸² 

and let the end of my life ⁸³  be like theirs.” ⁸⁴ 

23:11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary ⁸⁵  you have only blessed them!” ⁸⁶  23:12 Balaam replied, ⁸⁷  “Must I not be careful ⁸⁸  to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?” ⁸⁹  23:13 Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there.”

23:14 So Balak brought Balaam ⁹⁰  to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, ⁹¹  where ⁹²  he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 23:15 And Balaam ⁹³  said to Balak, “Station yourself here ⁹⁴  by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there. 23:16 Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message ⁹⁵  in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” 23:17 When Balaam ⁹⁶  came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

23:18 Balaam ⁹⁷  uttered ⁹⁸  his oracle, and said,

“Rise up, ⁹⁹  Balak, and hear;

Listen to me, son of Zippor:

23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie,

nor a human being, ¹⁰⁰  that he should change his mind.

Has he said, and will he not do it?

Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen? ¹⁰¹ 

23:20 Indeed, I have received a command ¹⁰²  to bless;

he has blessed, ¹⁰³  and I cannot reverse it. ¹⁰⁴ 

23:21 He ¹⁰⁵  has not looked on iniquity in Jacob, ¹⁰⁶ 

nor has he seen trouble ¹⁰⁷  in Israel.

The Lord their God is with them;

his acclamation ¹⁰⁸  as king is among them.

23:22 God brought them ¹⁰⁹  out of Egypt.

They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull. ¹¹⁰ 

23:23 For there is no spell against ¹¹¹  Jacob,

nor is there any divination against Israel.

At this time ¹¹²  it must be said ¹¹³  of Jacob

and of Israel, ‘Look at ¹¹⁴  what God has done!’

23:24 Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness,

and like a lion raises himself up;

they will not lie down until they eat their ¹¹⁵  prey,

and drink the blood of the slain.” ¹¹⁶ 

23:25 Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all ¹¹⁷  nor bless them at all!” ¹¹⁸  23:26 But Balaam replied ¹¹⁹  to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord speaks, ¹²⁰  I must do’?”

23:27 Balak said to Balaam, “Come, please; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God ¹²¹  to let you curse them for me from there.” ¹²²  23:28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks toward the wilderness. ¹²³  23:29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.” 23:30 So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

24:1 ¹²⁴ 

When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, ¹²⁵  he did not go as at the other times ¹²⁶  to seek for omens, ¹²⁷  but he set his face ¹²⁸  toward the wilderness. 24:2 When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; ¹²⁹  and the Spirit of God came upon him. 24:3 Then he uttered this oracle: ¹³⁰ 

“The oracle ¹³¹  of Balaam son of Beor;

the oracle of the man whose eyes are open; ¹³² 

24:4 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,

who sees a vision from the Almighty,

although falling flat on the ground ¹³³  with eyes open: ¹³⁴ 

24:5 ‘How ¹³⁵  beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,

and your dwelling places, O Israel!

24:6 They are like ¹³⁶  valleys ¹³⁷  stretched forth,

like gardens by the river’s side,

like aloes ¹³⁸  that the Lord has planted,

and like cedar trees beside the waters.

24:7 He will pour the water out of his buckets, ¹³⁹ 

and their descendants will be like abundant ¹⁴⁰  water; ¹⁴¹ 

their king will be greater than Agag, ¹⁴² 

and their kingdom will be exalted.

24:8 God brought them out of Egypt.

They have, as it were, the strength of a young bull;

they will devour hostile people ¹⁴³ 

and will break their bones

and will pierce them through with arrows.

24:9 They crouch and lie down like a lion,

and as a lioness, ¹⁴⁴  who can stir him?

Blessed is the one who blesses you,

and cursed is the one who curses you!’”

24:10 Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together. ¹⁴⁵  Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have done nothing but bless ¹⁴⁶  them these three times! 24:11 So now, go back where you came from! ¹⁴⁷  I said that I would greatly honor you; but now the Lord has stood in the way of your honor.”

24:12 Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 24:13 ‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond ¹⁴⁸  the commandment ¹⁴⁹  of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will, ¹⁵⁰  but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak’? 24:14 And now, I am about to go ¹⁵¹  back to my own people. Come now, and I will advise you as to what this people will do to your people in the future.” ¹⁵² 

24:15 Then he uttered this oracle: ¹⁵³ 

“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor;

the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;

24:16 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,

and who knows the knowledge of the Most High,

who sees a vision from the Almighty,

although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:

24:17 ‘I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not close at hand. ¹⁵⁴ 

A star ¹⁵⁵  will march forth ¹⁵⁶  out of Jacob,

and a scepter ¹⁵⁷  will rise out of Israel.

He will crush the skulls ¹⁵⁸  of Moab,

and the heads ¹⁵⁹  of all the sons of Sheth. ¹⁶⁰ 

24:18 Edom will be a possession,

Seir, ¹⁶¹  his enemies, will also be a possession;

but Israel will act valiantly.

24:19 A ruler will be established from Jacob;

he will destroy the remains of the city.’” ¹⁶² 

24:20 Then Balaam ¹⁶³  looked on Amalek and delivered this oracle: ¹⁶⁴ 

“Amalek was the first ¹⁶⁵  of the nations,

but his end will be that he will perish.”

24:21 Then he looked on the Kenites and uttered this oracle:

“Your dwelling place seems strong,

and your nest ¹⁶⁶  is set on a rocky cliff.

24:22 Nevertheless the Kenite will be consumed. ¹⁶⁷ 

How long will Asshur take you away captive?”

24:23 Then he uttered this oracle:

“O, who will survive when God does this! ¹⁶⁸ 

24:24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim, ¹⁶⁹ 

and will afflict Asshur, ¹⁷⁰  and will afflict Eber,

and he will also perish forever.” ¹⁷¹ 

24:25 Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home, ¹⁷²  and Balak also went his way.

25:1 ¹⁷³ 

When ¹⁷⁴  Israel lived in Shittim, the people began to commit sexual immorality ¹⁷⁵  with the daughters of Moab. 25:2 These women invited ¹⁷⁶  the people to the sacrifices of their gods; then the people ate and bowed down to their gods. ¹⁷⁷  25:3 When Israel joined themselves to Baal-peor, ¹⁷⁸  the anger of the Lord flared up against Israel.

25:4 The Lord said to Moses, “Arrest all the leaders ¹⁷⁹  of the people, and hang them up ¹⁸⁰  before the Lord in broad daylight, ¹⁸¹  so that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel.” 25:5 So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you must execute those of his men ¹⁸²  who were joined to Baal-peor.”

25:6 Just then ¹⁸³  one of the Israelites came and brought to his brothers ¹⁸⁴  a Midianite woman in the plain view of Moses and of ¹⁸⁵  the whole community of the Israelites, while they ¹⁸⁶  were weeping at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 25:7 When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, ¹⁸⁷  he got up from among the assembly, took a javelin in his hand, 25:8 and went after the Israelite man into the tent ¹⁸⁸  and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman’s abdomen. ¹⁸⁹  So the plague was stopped from the Israelites. ¹⁹⁰  25:9 Those that died in the plague were 24,000.

25:10 The Lord spoke to Moses: 25:11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites, when he manifested such zeal ¹⁹¹  for my sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in my zeal. ¹⁹²  25:12 Therefore, announce: ¹⁹³  ‘I am going to give ¹⁹⁴  to him my covenant of peace. ¹⁹⁵  25:13 So it will be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of a permanent priesthood, because he has been zealous for his God, ¹⁹⁶  and has made atonement ¹⁹⁷  for the Israelites.’”

25:14 Now the name of the Israelite who was stabbed – the one who was stabbed with the Midianite woman – was Zimri son of Salu, a leader of a clan ¹⁹⁸  of the Simeonites. 25:15 The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi daughter of Zur. He was a leader ¹⁹⁹  over the people of a clan of Midian. ²⁰⁰ 

25:16 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 25:17 “Bring trouble ²⁰¹  to the Midianites, and destroy them, 25:18 because they bring trouble to you by their treachery with which they have deceived ²⁰²  you in the matter of Peor, and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a prince of Midian, ²⁰³  their sister, who was killed on the day of the plague that happened as a result of Peor.”