Numbers:22

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* The Israelites moved and set up camp across from Jericho . They were on the plains of Moab east of the Jordan River . * Balak , son of Zippor , saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites . * The Moabites were very afraid because there were so many Israelites . Also , the Moabites did not like these people . * So the Moabites said to the leaders of Midian : »All those people will eventually eat up everything around us the same way cattle eat up the grass in a field . At that time Balak , son of Zippor , was king of Moab .« * 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 have spread out all over the countryside and are setting up their camp here in front of me . * »They outnumber us , so please come and put a curse on them for me . Then maybe we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land . I know that when you pronounce a blessing , people are blessed , and when you pronounce a curse , they are placed under a curse .« * The elders of Moab and Midian left . They took money with them to pay for Balaam ’s services . They came to Balaam and told him what Balak had said . * »Spend the night here ,« Balaam said to them , »and I will report to you what Jehovah tells me .« So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam . * God came to Balaam and asked : »Who are these men with you ?« * Balaam answered : »Balak , son of King Zippor of Moab , sent them with this message : * »Some people came from Egypt and are spreading out all over the countryside . Now come and curse them for me . Maybe I will be able to fight them and force them out .« * God said to Balaam : »Do not go with them ! Do not curse these people . They are blessed !« * When Balaam got up in the morning , he said to Balak ’s princes : »Go back to your own country . Jehovah has refused to let me go with you .« * The Moabite princes went back to Balak and said : »Balaam refused to come with us .« * Balak sent a larger group of more highly respected princes . * When they came to Balaam they said to him : »This is what Balak son of Zippor says : ‘Do not let anything keep you from coming to me . * »‘I will make sure you are richly rewarded . I will do whatever you ask . Please , come and curse these people for me .’« * Balaam answered Balak ’s servants : »Even if Balak gave me his palace filled with silver and gold , I could not disobey the command of Jehovah my God no matter whether the request was important or not . * »Now , please stay here tonight , as the others did , and I will find out what else Jehovah may have to tell me .« * That night God came to Balaam and said : »If these men have come to summon you , go with them , but do only what I tell you .« * Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey and left with the Moabite princes . * God became angry that he was going . So the angel of Jehovah stood in the road to stop him . Balaam was riding on his donkey , accompanied by his two servants . * The donkey saw the angel of Jehovah 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 . * Where the road went through the vineyards , it was narrow , with stonewalls on both sides . Now the angel of Jehovah stood there . * The donkey saw the angel and it moved over against the wall and crushed Balaam ’s foot against it . Again Balaam beat the donkey . * Once more the angel moved ahead . He stood in a narrow place where there was no room at all to pass on either side . * This time , when the donkey saw the angel , it lay down . Balaam lost his temper and began to beat the donkey with his stick . * Jehovah gave the donkey the power of speech . The donkey said to Balaam : »What have I done to you ? Why have you beaten me these three times ?« * Balaam answered : »It is because you have made a fool of me ! If I had a sword , I would kill you .« * The donkey replied : »Am I not the same donkey on which you have ridden all your life ? Have I ever treated you like this before ?« »No ,« he answered . * Then Jehovah let Balaam see the angel standing there with his sword . Balaam threw himself face down on the ground . * The angel demanded : »Why have you beaten your donkey three times like this ? I have come to bar your way , because you should not be making this journey . * »But your donkey saw me and turned aside three times . If it had not , I would have killed you and spared the donkey .« * Balaam replied : »I have sinned . I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me . Now if you think it is wrong for me to go on I will return home .« * But the angel said : »Go on with these men , but say only what I tell you to say .« Thus Balaam went on with them . * Balak heard that Balaam was coming . He went to meet him at Ar , a city on the Arnon River at the border of Moab . * Balak said to him : »Why did you not come when I sent for you the first time ? Did you think I was not able to reward you enough ?« * Balaam answered : »I am here now . But now , what power do I have ? I can say only what God tells me to say .« * Balaam went with Balak to the town of Huzoth . * Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him . * The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal , from where Balaam could see a part of the people of Israel .

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