Numbers 22:8-19

⁸“Stay the night and I'll let you know the answer the Lord gives me,” Balaam told them. So the Moabite leaders stayed there with Balaam.

⁹God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men staying with you?”

¹⁰Balaam told God, “Balak, son of Zippor, the king of Moab, sent me this message:

¹¹‘Listen, a group of people has arrived here who came from Egypt. There are hordes of them. Please come immediately and curse these people for me. Maybe then I'll be able to fight them and drive them out of my country.’”

¹²But God told Balaam, “You are not to go back with them. You must not curse this people, for they are blessed.”

¹³In the morning Balaam got up and said to Balak's messengers, “Go back to where you came from because the Lord has refused to allow me to go with you.”

¹⁴The Moabite leaders left. They returned to Balak, and told him, “Balaam refused to come back with us.”

¹⁵Then Balak sent even more leaders who were more prestigious than before.

¹⁶When they arrived they told Balaam, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Please don't let anything stop you from coming to see me,

¹⁷because I will pay you a great deal and follow all the advice you give me. Please come and curse these people for me!’”

¹⁸But Balaam told Balak's officials, “Even if Balak gave me his whole palace full of silver and gold, I couldn't disobey the command of the Lord my God in any way.

¹⁹Now you should also stay the night so I can see if the Lord has anything else to tell me.”