Balaam's Journey to Moab
21 When Balaam got up in the morning, he saddled his donkey and left with the Moabite princes.
22 God became angry that he was going. So the Messenger of the Lord 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 the Lord 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 the Lord stood there. 25 When the donkey saw the Messenger of the Lord, it moved over and pinned Balaam's foot against the wall. So Balaam hit the donkey again.
26 Then the Messenger of the Lord 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 the Lord, it lay down under Balaam. Balaam became so angry he hit the donkey with his stick. 28 Then the Lord 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 the Lord let Balaam see the Messenger of the Lord who was standing in the road with his sword drawn. So Balaam knelt, bowing with his face touching the ground.
32 The Messenger of the Lord 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. 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 the Lord, "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 the Lord 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 God 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.
Balaam's First Prophecy
23 Balaam said to Balak, "Build seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." 2 Balak did what Balaam told him, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offering while I'm gone. Maybe the Lord will come and meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me." Then Balaam went off to a higher place where there were no trees.
4 God came to him, and Balaam said, "I have set up seven altars, and I offered a bull and a ram on each altar."
5 The Lord told Balaam, "Go back to Balak, and give him my message."
6 So he went back to Balak and found him standing beside his burnt offering with all the princes of Moab. 7 Then Balaam delivered this message:
"Balak brought me from Aram.
The king of Moab summoned me from the eastern mountains.
'Come, curse Jacob for me,' he said.
'Come, condemn Israel.'
8 How can I curse those whom God hasn't cursed?
How can I condemn those whom the Lord hasn't condemned?
9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
I look at them from the hills.
I see a nation that lives by itself,
people who do not consider themselves
to be like other nations.
10 The descendants of Jacob are like specks of dust.
Who can count them
or number even one-fourth of the people of Israel?
Let me die the death of innocent people.
Let my end be like theirs."
11 Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but all you've done is bless them!"
12 Balaam answered, "I must say what the Lord tells me to say."
Balaam's Second Prophecy
13 Then Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place, where you can see the Israelites. You will see only some of them, not all of them. Curse them for me from there."
14 So he took him to the Field of Zophim on top of Mount Pisgah, where he built seven altars. He offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Then Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet with God over there."
16 The Lord came to Balaam and told him, "Go back to Balak, and give him my message."
17 He came to Balak and found him standing beside his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?" 18 Then Balaam delivered this message:
"Stand up, Balak, and listen!
Hear me, son of Zippor!
19 God is not like people. He tells no lies.
He is not like humans. He doesn't change his mind.
When he says something, he does it.
When he makes a promise, he keeps it.
20 I have received a command to bless.
He has blessed, and I can't change it.
21 He doesn't want any trouble for the descendants of Jacob.
He sees no misfortune for the people of Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
praised as their king.
22 The God who brought them out of Egypt
has the strength of a wild bull.
23 No spell can curse the descendants of Jacob.
No magic can harm the people of Israel.
Now it will be said of Jacob and Israel:
'See what God has done!'
24 Here is a nation that attacks like a lioness
and is as ferocious as a lion.
It doesn't lie down until it eats its prey
and drinks the blood of its victim."
25 Balak said to Balaam, "If you won't curse them, then at least don't bless them!"
26 Balaam answered, "Didn't I tell you that I must do whatever the Lord says?"
27 Balak said to Balaam, "Come, let me take you to another place. Maybe God wants you to curse them for me from there." 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which overlooks Jeshimon.
29 Balaam said to Balak, "Build seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me." 30 Balak did what Balaam told him, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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