Numbers 22:15-34

¹⁵And Balak addeth yet to send princes, more numerous and honoured than these,

¹⁶and they come in unto Balaam, and say to him, 'Thus said Balak son of Zippor, Be not, I pray thee, withheld from coming unto me,

¹⁷for very greatly I honour thee, and all that thou sayest unto me I do; and come, I pray thee, pierce for me this people.'

¹⁸And Balaam answereth and saith unto the servants of Balak, 'If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah my God, to do a little or a great thing;

¹⁹and, now, abide, I pray you, in this place, you also, to-night; and I know what Jehovah is adding to speak with me.'

²⁰And God cometh in unto Balaam, by night, and saith to him, 'If to call for thee the men have come, rise, go with them, and only the thing which I speak unto thee — it thou dost do.'

²¹And Balaam riseth in the morning, and saddleth his ass, and goeth with the princes of Moab,

²²and the anger of God burneth because he is going, and a messenger of Jehovah stationeth himself in the way for an adversary to him, and he is riding on his ass, and two of his servants are with him,

²³and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing in the way, and his drawn sword in his hand, and the ass turneth aside out of the way, and goeth into a field, and Balaam smiteth the ass to turn it aside into the way.

²⁴And the messenger of Jehovah standeth in a narrow path of the vineyards — a wall on this side and a wall on that —

²⁵and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah, and is pressed unto the wall, and presseth Balaam's foot unto the wall, and he addeth to smite her;

²⁶and the messenger of Jehovah addeth to pass over, and standeth in a strait place where there is no way to turn aside — right or left —

²⁷and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah, and croucheth under Balaam, and the anger of Balaam burneth, and he smiteth the ass with a staff.

²⁸And Jehovah openeth the mouth of the ass, and she saith to Balaam, 'What have I done to thee that thou hast smitten me these three times?'

²⁹and Balaam saith to the ass, 'Because thou hast rolled thyself against me; oh that there were a sword in my hand, for now I had slain thee;'

³⁰and the ass saith unto Balaam, 'Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden since I was thine unto this day? have I at all been accustomed to do to thee thus?' and he saith, 'No.'

³¹And Jehovah uncovereth the eyes of Balaam, and he seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing in the way, and his drawn sword in his hand, and he boweth and doth obeisance, to his face;

³²and the messenger of Jehovah saith unto him, 'Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? lo, I — I have come out for an adversary, for thy way hath been perverse before me,

³³and the ass seeth me, and turneth aside at my presence these three times; unless she had turned aside from my presence, surely now also, thee I had slain, and her kept alive.'

³⁴And Balaam saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, 'I have sinned, for I did not know that thou art standing to meet me in the way; and now, if evil in thine eyes — I turn back by myself.'