Numbers 22:4-7 in English

⁴ And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.

⁶ Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Madiam, Now shall this assembly lick up all that are round about us, as a calf would lick up the green herbs of the field:—and Balac son of Sepphor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent ambassadors to Balaam the son of Beor, to Phathura, which is on a river of the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people is come out of Egypt, and behold it has covered the face of the earth, and it has encamped close to me.

⁶ And now come, curse me this people, for it is stronger than we; if we may be able to smite some of them, and I will cast them out of the land: for I know that whomsoever thou dost bless, they are blessed, and whomsoever thou dost curse, they are cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab went, and the elders of Madiam, and their divining instruments were in their hands; and they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balac.

⁴ And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

⁶ Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

⁶ Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Madiam, Now shall this assembly lick up all that are round about us, as a calf would lick up the green herbs of the field:—and Balac son of Sepphor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent ambassadors to Balaam the son of Beor, to Phathura, which is on a river of the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people is come out of Egypt, and behold it has covered the face of the earth, and it has encamped close to me.

⁶ And now come, curse me this people, for it is stronger than we; if we may be able to strike some of them, and I will cast them out of the land: for I know that whoever you do bless, they are blessed, and whoever you do curse, they are cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab went, and the elders of Madiam, and their divining instruments were in their hands; and they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balac.

⁴ And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

⁶ come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

⁴ So the king of Moab went to the leaders of the Midian people-group and said to them, “This huge group of Israelis will ◄wipe out/destroy► everything around them, like an ox devours grass!” Balak was the king of Moab.

⁵ He sent messengers to a prophet named Balaam, who was living in his own area, in Pethor town, near the Euphrates River. He sent this message to request that Balaam would come to help him: “A huge group of people has arrived here from Egypt. It looks like they are covering the entire land! And they have begun to live close to us.

⁶ Because they are very powerful/numerous, we are afraid of them. So please come and curse them for me. Then my army may be able to defeat them and expel them from the land where they are now living. I know that good things will happen to the people whom you bless, and disasters will happen to the people whom you curse.”

⁷ Balak's messengers, who were leaders of both the Moab and Midian people-groups, took money with them to pay Balaam in order that he would come and curse the Israelis. They went to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.

⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Madiam, Now shall this assembly lick up all that are round about us, as a calf would lick up the green herbs of the field:—and Balac son of Sepphor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent ambassadors to Balaam the son of Beor, to Phathura, which is on a river of the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people is come out of Egypt, and behold it has covered the face of the earth, and it has encamped close to me.

⁶ And now come, curse me this people, for it is stronger than we; if we may be able to strike some of them, and I will cast them out of the land: for I know that whoever you do bless, they are blessed, and whoever you do curse, they are cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab went, and the elders of Madiam, and their divining instruments were in their hands; and they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balac.

⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.

⁶ Please come now therefore, and curse this people for me; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.

⁶ Please come now therefore, and curse this people for me; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.

⁶ Please come now therefore, and curse this people for me; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ Then Moab said to the responsible men of Midian, It is clear that this great people will be the destruction of everything round us, making a meal of us as the ox does of the grass of the field. At that time Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of Moab.

⁵ So he sent men to Balaam, son of Beor, at Pethor by the River in the land of the children of his people, saying to him, See, a people has come out of Egypt, covering all the face of the earth, and they have put up their tents opposite to me:

⁶ Come now, in answer to my prayer, and put a curse on this people, for they are greater than I: and then I may be strong enough to overcome them and send them out of the land: for it is clear that good comes to him who has your blessing, but he on whom you put your curse is cursed.

⁷ So the responsible men of Moab and Midian went away, taking in their hands rewards for the prophet; and they came to Balaam and said to him what Balak had given them orders to say.

⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now will this company lick up all that is round about us, as an ox licks up the green herb of the field. Now Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is on the river in the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people is come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the land, and they abide over against me.

⁶ And now come, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are mightier than I: perhaps I may be able to smite them, and drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed, having the rewards of divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ He said to the elders of Madian: So will this people destroy all that dwell in our borders, as the ox is wont to eat the grass to the very roots. Now he was at that time king in Moab.

⁵ He sent therefore messengers to Balaam the son of Beer, a soothsayer, who dwelt by the river of the land of the children of Ammon, to call him, and to say: Behold a people is come out of Egypt, that hath covered the face of the earth, sitting over against me.

⁶ Come therefore, and curse this people, because it is mightier than I: if by any means I may beat them and drive them out of my land: for I know that he whom thou shalt bless is blessed, and he whom thou shalt curse is cursed.

⁷ And the ancients of Moab, and the elders of Madian, went with the price of divination in their hands. And when they were come to Balaam, and had told him all the words of Balac:

⁴ and told the leaders of Midian, “This horde will eat up everything we have, just like an ox eats up grass in the field!” (Balak son of Zippor, was king of Moab at that time.)

⁵ He sent messengers to call Balaam, son of Beor, who lived in Pethor near the Euphrates River in his own country. “Listen, a group of people has arrived here who came from Egypt,” Balak said in his message to Balaam. “There are hordes of them and they present a real threat to me.

⁶ Please come immediately and curse these people for me, because they are stronger than me. Maybe then I'll be able to attack them and drive them out of my country because I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The Moabite and Midianite leaders departed, taking payment for the fortune-telling with them. When they arrived they gave Balaam the message from Balak.

⁴ Therfore Moab said vnto the Elders of Midian, Nowe shall this multitude licke vp all that are round about vs, as an oxe licketh vp ye grasse of the fielde: and Balak the sonne of Zippor was King of the Moabites at that time.

⁵ Hee sent messengers therefore vnto Balaam the sonne of Beor to Pethor (which is by the riuer of the lande of the children of his folke) to call him, saying, Beholde, there is a people come out of Egypt, which couer the face of the earth, and lye ouer against me.

⁶ Come now therefore, I pray thee, and curse me this people (for they are stronger then I) so it may be that I shall be able to smite them, and to driue them out of the land: for I knowe that hee, whome thou blessest, is blessed, and he whom thou cursest, shall be cursed.

⁷ And the Elders of Moab, and the Elders of Midian departed, hauing the reward of the soothsaying in their hande, and they came vnto Balaam, and tolde him the wordes of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said unto the elders of Midian: 'Now will this multitude lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field.' — And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. —

⁵ And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying: 'Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me.

⁶ Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me; peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.'

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spoke unto him the words of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

⁶ come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now will this assemblage devour all that is round about us, as the ox devoureth the grass of the field; and Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent messengers unto Bil'am the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river, in the land of the children of his people, to have him called; saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt; behold, it covereth the surface of the earth, and it is abiding opposite to me:

⁶ And now do but come, curse me this people; for it is too mighty for me; peradventure I may be able to smite it, that I may drive it out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came unto Bil'am, and spoke unto him the words of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now shall this assembly lick up all that are round about us, as a calf would lick up the green herbs of the field—and Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent ambassadors to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is on a river of the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people is come out of Egypt, and behold it has covered the face of the earth, and it has encamped close to me.

⁶ And now come, curse me this people, for it is stronger than we; if we may be able to smite some of them, and I will cast them out of the land: for I know that whomsoever thou dost bless, they are blessed, and whomsoever thou dost curse, they are cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab went, and the elders of Midian, and their divining instruments were in their hands; and they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now will this host consume all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the herbage of the field. And Balak bar Zippor was the king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent messengers to Bileam bar Beor unto Pethor Aram which is upon the Phrat, the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying: Behold, a people hath come out of Mizraim; lo, they cover the sunshine from the earth, and they are dwelling over against me.

⁶ Come now, I entreat, curse this people for me, for they are stronger than I: if perhaps I may become able to fight with him, and drive him from the land: for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou dost curse is accursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and of Midian went, with the (price of) divinations in their hands, and came to Bileam, and told him the words of Balak.

⁴ Moab From father said to the elders of Midian Strife, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab From father at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam Not people, Destroyer of people the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt Abode of slavery. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.

⁶ Please come now therefore curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may divorce them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab From father and the elders of Midian Strife departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam Not people, Destroyer of people, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This multitude will eat up all that is around us as an ox eats up the grass in a field.” Now Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor, at Pethor which is by the Euphrates River, in the land of his nation and his people. He called him and said, “Look, a nation has come here from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and they are right now next to me.

⁶ So please come now and curse this nation for me, because they are too strong for me. Perhaps then I can manage to attack them and drive them out of the land. I know that whomever you bless will be blessed, and whomever you curse will be cursed.”

⁷ So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian left, taking payment for divination. They came to Balaam and spoke to him Balak's words.

⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.

⁶ Please come now therefore, and curse this people for me; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.

⁶ Please come now therefore, and curse this people for me; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are around us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers therefore to Balaam the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there has a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me:

⁶ Come now therefore, I pray thee, Curse for me this people; for they are too mighty for me: it may be I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.

⁶ Please come now therefore, and curse this people for me; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “Now this multitude will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ He sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River, to the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt. Behold, they cover the surface of the earth, and they are staying opposite me.

⁶ Please come now therefore, and curse this people for me; for they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall prevail, that we may strike them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination in their hand. They came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁴ And he said to the greater men in birth of Midian, So this people shall do away all men that dwell in our coasts, as an ox is wont to do away an herb till to the roots. Forsooth he, that is, Balak, was king in that time in Moab.

⁵ Therefore he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, a false diviner, that dwelled on, or nigh, the flood of the land of the sons of Amaw, that they should call him, and should say, Lo! a people went out of Egypt, which people covered the face of the earth, and sitteth against me.

⁶ Therefore come thou, and curse this people, that is stronger than I, if in any manner I may smite and drive him out of my land; for I know, that he is blessed whom thou blessest, and he is cursed whom thou hast cursed.

⁷ The elder men of Moab and the elder men of Midian went forth, having in their hands the price of false divining; and when they had come to Balaam, and had told to him all the words of Balak,

⁴ And he said to the greater men in birth of Midian, So this people shall do away all men that dwell in our coasts, as an ox is wont to do away an herb till to the roots. Forsooth he, that is, Balak, was king in that time in Moab. (And the Moabites said to the men of great age, that is, the elders, of Midian, These people shall do away all the men who live in our land, as easily as an ox is wont to do away grass unto its roots. And he, that is, Balak, was king at that time in Moab.)

⁵ Therefore he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, a false diviner, that dwelled (in Pethor) on, or nigh, the flood of the land of the sons of Amaw, that they should call him, and should say, Lo! a people went out of Egypt, which people covered the face of the earth, and sitteth against me. (And so he sent messengers to Balaam, the son of Beor, a false diviner, who lived at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in the land of the sons of Amaw, and instructed the messengers to say to him, Behold! a people went out of Egypt, which people covered the face of the earth, and now they be ready to come against me.)

⁶ Therefore come thou, and curse this people, that is stronger than I, if in any manner I may smite and drive him out of my land; for I know, that he is blessed whom thou blessest, and he is cursed whom thou hast cursed. (And so come thou, and curse these people who be stronger than I, and then I may be able to fight against them, and drive them out of my land; for I know that he is blessed whom thou blessest, and he is cursed whom thou cursest.)

⁷ The elder men of Moab and the elder men of Midian went forth, having in their hands the price of false divining; and when they had come to Balaam, and had told to him all the words of Balak, (The elders of Moab and of Midian went forth, having in their hands the payment for the curse; and when they had come to Balaam, and had told him all of Balak’s words,)

⁴ And he seide to the grettere men in birthe of Madian, So this puple schal do a wei alle men that dwellen in oure coostis, as an oxe is wont to do awei an eerbe `til to the rootis. Forsothe he, `that is, Balaac, was kyng in that tyme in Moab.

⁵ Therfor he sente messangeris to Balaam, the sone of Beor, a fals diuynour, that dwellide on the flood of the lond of the sones of Amon, that thei schulden clepe hym, and schulden seie, Lo! a puple yede out of Egipt, `which puple hilide the face of erthe, and sittith ayens me.

⁶ Therfor come thou, and curse this puple, which is strongere than Y, if in ony maner Y may smyte and dryue hym out of my lond; for Y knowe, that he is blissid whom thou blissist, and he is cursid whom thou hast cursid.

⁷ The eldere men of Moab and the grettere men in birthe of Madian yeden forth, hauynge in hondis the prijs of fals dyuynyng; and whanne thei hadden come to Balaam, and hadden teld to hym alle the wordis of Balaach, he answeride,

⁴ and Moab saith unto the elders of Midian, 'Now doth the assembly lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the green thing of the field.' And Balak son of Zippor is king of Moab at that time,

⁵ and he sendeth messengers unto Balaam son of Beor, to Pethor, which is by the River of the land of the sons of his people, to call for him, saying, 'Lo, a people hath come out of Egypt; lo, it hath covered the eye of the land, and it is abiding over-against me;

⁶ and now, come, I pray thee, curse for me this people, for it is mightier than I; it may be I prevail — we smite it — and I cast it out from the land; for I have known — that which thou blessest is blessed, and that which thou cursest is cursed.'

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian go, and divinations in their hand, and they come in unto Balaam, and speak unto him the words of Balak,