Numbers 22:11-33

¹¹Lo! a people that is gone out of Egypt hath covered the face of the earth; come thou, and curse them, if in any manner I may fight with them, and drive them away.

¹²And God said to Balaam, Do not thou go with them, neither curse thou the people, for it is blessed.

¹³And Balaam rose early, and said to the princes, Go ye into your land, for God hath forbade me to come with you.

¹⁴The princes turned again, and said to Balak, Balaam would not come with us.

¹⁵Again Balak sent many more, and nobler, men, than he had sent before;

¹⁶which said, when they had come to Balaam, Balak, the son of Zippor, saith thus, Tarry thou not to come to me,

¹⁷ready to honour thee; and what-ever thing thou wilt, I shall give to thee; come thou, and curse this people.

¹⁸Balaam answered, Though Balak shall give to me his house full of silver and of gold, I shall not be able to change the word of my God, that I speak either more or less.

¹⁹I beseech you, that ye dwell here also in this night, that I may know what the Lord shall answer again to me.

²⁰Therefore the Lord came to Balaam in that night, and said to him, If these men come to call thee, rise thou, and go with them, so only that thou do that that I shall command to thee.

²¹Balaam rose early, and when his she-ass was saddled, he went forth with them.

²²And God was wroth with Balaam. And the angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, that sat upon the she-ass, and had two servants with him.

²³The she-ass saw the angel standing in the way, with sword drawn, and the ass turned herself from the way, and went by the field. And when Balaam beat her, and would lead her again to the path,

²⁴the angel stood in the straitness of two walls with which the vineries or vines were encompassed.

²⁵And the female ass saw the angel, and she went herself nigh to the wall, and she hurtled the foot of the sitter upon her; and he beat again her.

²⁶And nevertheless the angel went to a strait place, where was no going out of the way, neither to the right side, nor to the left, and stood against Balaam

²⁷And when the she-ass saw the angel standing, she felled down under the feet of the sitter upon her, the which was wroth full greatly, and he beat her sides with a staff.

²⁸And the Lord opened the mouth of the she-ass, and she spake, What have I done to thee? why smitest thou me, lo! now the third time?

²⁹Balaam answered, For thou hast dis-served, and hast scorned me; I would that I had a sword to slay thee.

³⁰And the she-ass said, Whether I am not thy beast upon which thou were wont to ride evermore till into this present day? say thou, what like thing to this I did ever to thee? And Balaam said, Never thus thou servedest me.

³¹Anon the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way, holding a drawn sword in his hand; and Balaam worshipped him lowly into the earth.

³²To whom the angel said, Why hast thou thrice beaten thine she-ass? I came to be adversary to thee, for thy way is wayward, and contrary to me;

³³and if the she-ass had not bowed away from the way, and given place to the against-stander, I had slain thee, and the ass should have lived.