Numbers 22:15-41

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

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

¹⁷(for I am) ready to honour thee; and whatever thing thou wilt, I shall give to thee; come thou, and curse this people, (or so then come thou, and curse these 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. (But Balaam answered, Even if Balak should give me all the gold and silver in his house, I could not change the word of my God, so that I speak something else, either more or less.)

¹⁹I beseech you, that ye dwell here also in this night, (or But I beseech you, stay ye here this night), (so) 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 (have) come to call thee, rise thou, and go with them, so only that thou do that that I shall command to thee (or but do only what I shall command thee to do).

²¹(So) Balaam 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. (But God was angry with Balaam for going. And so the angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who rode on his donkey, and had his two servants with him.)

²³The (she-)ass saw the angel standing in the way, with sword drawn, and the (she-)ass turned herself from the way, and went by the field, (or And the donkey saw the angel standing in the way, with his sword drawn, and she turned herself from the way, and went into a 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 were (en)compassed. (the angel stood in the narrowness between two walls which went all around, or enclosed, the vineyards on either side.)

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. (And the female donkey saw the angel again, and she brought herself near to the wall, and hurtled the foot of her rider against it; and so he beat her again.)

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 (Nevertheless the angel went to a narrow place, where there was no going out of the way, neither to the right side, nor to the left, and stood before Balaam.)

²⁷And when the (she-)ass saw the angel standing (there), she felled down under the feet of the sitter upon her, the which was wroth full greatly (or who then was greatly angered), and (once more) he beat her sides with a staff.

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

²⁹Balaam answered, For thou hast dis-served (me), 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. (And the donkey said, Am I not the beast upon which thou were always wont to ride until this present day? say thou, what thing like this have I ever done to thee before? And Balaam said, Never before hast thou served me thus.)

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. (And at once the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel standing in the way, holding a drawn sword in his hand; and Balaam worshipped, or honoured, him lowly on the ground.)

³²To whom the angel said, Why hast thou thrice beaten thine (she-)ass? I came (here) to be (an) 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 (she-)ass should have lived. (and if the donkey had not turned aside from the way, and given place to the one who stood against thee, I would have already killed thee, but the donkey would have lived.)

³⁴Balaam said, I have sinned, not witting that thou stoodest against me; and now, if it displeaseth thee that I go, I shall turn again. (And Balaam said, I have sinned, not knowing that thou stoodest against me; and now, if it displeaseth thee I shall turn back or I shall go back home.)

³⁵The angel said, (No), Go thou with these men, but beware, that thou speak not any other thing than (what) I shall command to thee. Therefore Balaam went with the princes (or And so Balaam went forth with Balak’s leaders).

³⁶And when Balak heard that Balaam was nigh, he went out into the coming of him, in (Ar), the city of Moabites, which is set in the last coast of (the) Arnon. (And when Balak heard that Balaam was near, he went out to meet him, at Ar, the city of the Moabites, which is set on their most distant border, by the Arnon River.)

³⁷And Balak said to Balaam, I sent messengers to call thee; why camest thou not anon to me? whether for I may not yield meed to thy coming? (And Balak said to Balaam, I sent messengers to call thee; why did thou not come at once to me? did you think that I would not reward thee for coming?)

³⁸To whom Balaam answered, Lo! I am present, (but) whether I shall be able to speak (any) other thing than that, that God shall put in my mouth? (To whom Balaam answered, Behold! I am present, but do not think that I shall speak anything, other than what God himself shall put in my mouth!)

³⁹Therefore they went forth together, and they came into a city, which was in the last coast of his realm (or which was Kiriathhuzoth, that is, the City of Huzoth).

⁴⁰And when Balak had slain sheep, and oxen, he sent (part of them as) gifts to Balaam and the princes that were with him.

⁴¹Forsooth when the morrowtide was made, Balak led Balaam (up) to the high places of Baal, (or Balak led Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, that is, to the Heights of Baal), and (there) he beheld (unto) the last part of the people, that is, (he saw) all the host (of the Israelites) till to the last part.