Numbers 22:11-23

¹¹Behold, a people has come forth out of Egypt, and has covered the face of the land, and it has encamped near to me; and now come, curse it for me, if indeed I shall be able to strike it, and cast it out of the land.

¹²And God said to Balaam, You shall not go with them, neither shall you curse the people; for they are blessed.

¹³And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balac, Depart quickly to your lord; God does not permit me to go with you.

¹⁴And the princes of Moab rose, and came to Balac, and said, Balaam will not come with us.

¹⁵And Balac yet again sent more princes and more honourable than they.

¹⁶And they came to Balaam, and they say to him, Thus says Balac the son of Sepphor: I beseech you, delay not to come to me.

¹⁷For I will greatly honour you, and will do for you whatever you shall say; come then, curse me this people.

¹⁸And Balaam answered and said to the princes of Balac, If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord God, to make it little or great in my mind.

¹⁹And now do you° also wait here this night, and I shall know what the Lord will yet say to me.

²⁰And God came to Balaam by night, and said to him, If these men are come to call you, rise and follow them; nevertheless the word which I shall speak to you, it shall you do.

²¹And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

²²And God was very angry because he went; and the angel of the Lord rose up to withstand him. Now he had mounted his ass, and his two servants were with him.

²³And when the ass saw the angel of God standing opposite in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand, then the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the ass with his staff to direct her in the way.