Numbers 22:16-41

¹⁶Who, when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the son of Sephor, Delay not to come to me:

¹⁷For I am ready to honour thee, and will give thee whatsoever thou wilt: come and curse this people.

¹⁸Balaam answered: If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot alter the word of the Lord my God, to speak either more or less.

¹⁹I pray you to stay here this night also, that I may know what the Lord will answer me once more.

²⁰God therefore came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: It these men be come to call thee, arise and go with them: yet so, that thou do what I shall command thee.

²¹Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them.

²²And God was angry. And an angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat on the ass, and had two servants with him.

²³The ass seeing the angel standing in the way, with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the way,

²⁴The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were enclosed.

²⁵And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again:

²⁶And nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him.

²⁷And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider: who being angry beat her sides more vehemently with a staff.

²⁸And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?

²⁹Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.

³⁰The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee. But he said: Never.

³¹Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him falling flat on the ground.

³²And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me:

³³And unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived.

³⁴Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return.

³⁵The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee. He went therefore with the princes.

³⁶And when Balac heard it he came forth to meet him in a town of the Moabites, that is situate in the uttermost borders of Arnon.

³⁷And he said to Balaam: I sent messengers to call thee, why didst thou not come immediately to me? was it because I am not able to reward thy coming?

³⁸He answered him: Lo, here I am: shall I have power to speak any other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth?

³⁹So they went on together, and came into a city, that was in the uttermost borders of his kingdom.

⁴⁰And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

⁴¹And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.