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Numbers 22

New International Reader’s Version



1 Then the Israelites travelled to the plains of Moab. They camped along the River Jordan opposite Jericho. 2 Balak saw everything that Israel had done to the Amorites. Balak was the son of Zippor. 3 The Moabites were terrified because there were so many Israelites. In fact, the Moabites were filled with panic because of the Israelites. 4 The Moabites spoke to the elders of Midian. They said, ‘This huge mob is going to destroy everything around us. They’ll lick it up as an ox licks up all the grass in the fields.’ Balak, the son of Zippor, was the king of Moab at that time. 5 He sent messengers to get Balaam. Balaam was the son of Beor. Balaam was at the city of Pethor near the River Euphrates. Pethor was in the land where Balaam had been born. Balak told the messengers to say to Balaam, ‘A nation has come out of Egypt. They are covering the face of the land. They’ve set up camp next to me. 6 So come and put a curse on these people. They are too powerful for me. Maybe I’ll be able to win the battle over them. Maybe I’ll be able to drive them out of the land. I know that whoever you bless is blessed. And I know that whoever you curse is cursed.’ 7 The elders of Moab and Midian left. They took with them the money they knew Balaam would ask for. They wanted him to use evil magic to figure things out for them. They came to where Balaam was. And they told him what Balak had said. 8 ‘Spend the night here,’ Balaam said to them. ‘I’ll report back to you with the answer the LORD gives me.’ So the Moabite officials stayed with him. 9 God came to Balaam. He asked, ‘Who are these men with you?’ 10 Balaam said to God, ‘Balak king of Moab, the son of Zippor, sent me a message. 11 He said, “A nation has come out of Egypt. They are covering the whole surface of the land. So come and put a curse on them for me. Maybe I’ll be able to fight them. Maybe I’ll be able to drive them away.” ’ 12 But God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people. I have blessed them.’ 13 The next morning Balaam got up. He said to Balak’s officials, ‘Go back to your own country. The LORD won’t let me go with you.’ 14 So the Moabite officials returned to Balak. They said, ‘Balaam wouldn’t come with us.’ 15 Then Balak sent other officials. They were more important than the first ones. And there were more of them. 16 They came to Balaam. They said, ‘Balak, the son of Zippor, says, “Don’t let anything keep you from coming to me. 17 I’ll make you very rich. I’ll do anything you say. So come and put a curse on those people for me.” ’ 18 But Balaam gave them his answer. He said, ‘Balak could give me all the silver and gold in his palace. Even then, I still couldn’t do anything at all that goes beyond what the LORD my God commands. 19 Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the LORD will tell me.’ 20 That night God came to Balaam. He said, ‘These men have come to get you. So go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.’ 



21 Balaam got up in the morning. He put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry when Balaam went. So the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey. His two servants were with him. 23 The donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road. The angel was holding a sword. He was ready for battle. So the donkey left the road and went into a field. Balaam hit the donkey. He wanted to get it back on the road. 24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path. The path went through the vineyards. There were walls on both sides. 25 The donkey saw the angel of the LORD. So it moved close to the wall. It crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he hit the donkey again. 26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead. He stood in a narrow place. There was no room to turn, either right or left. 27 The donkey saw the angel of the LORD. So it lay down under Balaam. That made him angry. He hit the donkey with his walking stick. 28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth. It said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you? Why did you hit me these three times?’ 29 Balaam answered the donkey. He said, ‘You have made me look foolish! I wish I had a sword in my hand. If I did, I’d kill you right now.’ 30 The donkey said to Balaam, ‘I’m your own donkey. I’m the one you have always ridden. Haven’t you been riding me to this very day? Have I ever made you look foolish before?’ ‘No’, he said. 31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes. He saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road. He saw that the angel was holding a sword. The angel was ready for battle. So Balaam bowed down. He fell with his face to the ground. 32 The angel of the LORD spoke to him. He asked him, ‘Why have you hit your donkey three times? I have come here to oppose you. What you are doing is foolish. 33 The donkey saw me. It turned away from me three times. Suppose it had not turned away. Then I would certainly have killed you by now. But I would have spared the donkey.’ 34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, ‘I have sinned. I didn’t realise you were standing in the road to oppose me. Tell me whether you are pleased with me. If you aren’t, I’ll go back.’ 35 The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men. But say only what I tell you to say.’ So Balaam went with Balak’s officials. 36 Balak heard that Balaam was coming. So he went out to meet him. They met at a Moabite town near the River Arnon. The town was on the border of Balak’s territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, ‘Didn’t I send messengers to you? I wanted you to come quickly. So why didn’t you come? I can make you very rich.’ 38 ‘Well, I’ve come to you now,’ Balaam replied. ‘But I can’t say whatever I please. I can only speak the words God puts in my mouth.’ 39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep. He gave some to Balaam. He also gave some to the officials with him. 41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal. From there he could see the outer edges of the Israelite camp. 

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Numbers 22

English Standard Version



1 Then the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. (Nu 26:3; Nu 26:63; Nu 31:12; Nu 33:48; Nu 33:50; Nu 35:1; Nu 36:13) 2 And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. (Jud 11:25) 3 And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. (Ex 15:15) 4 And Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, (Nu 31:8; Jos 13:21) 5 sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor at Pethor, which is near the River[1] in the land of the people of Amaw,[2] to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. (Nu 23:7; De 23:4; Jos 24:9; Ne 13:2; Mic 6:5; 2Pe 2:15; Jud 1:11; Re 2:14) 6 Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.” (Nu 23:7) 7 So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak’s message. (Nu 22:4; 1Sa 9:7; Mic 3:11) 8 And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9 And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” (Ge 20:3; Job 33:15) 10 And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, 11 ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12 God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” (Nu 23:20) 13 So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” 14 So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.” 15 Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. 16 And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, 17 for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’” (Nu 22:11; Nu 22:37; Nu 24:11) 18 But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. (Nu 22:38; Nu 23:26; Nu 24:13; 1Ki 22:14; 2Ch 18:13) 19 So you, too, please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.” (Nu 22:8) 20 And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.” (Nu 22:9; Nu 22:35; Nu 23:12; Nu 23:26; Nu 24:13) 21 So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab. 



22 But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. (Ex 4:24; Nu 22:32; 1Ch 21:16) 23 And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. 24 Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. 25 And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again. 26 Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. 28 Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” (2Pe 2:16) 29 And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” 30 And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.” 31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. (Ge 21:19; 2Ki 6:17; Lu 24:16; Lu 24:31) 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse[3] before me. (Nu 22:22) 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” (1Sa 15:24; 1Sa 26:21; 2Sa 12:13; Job 34:31) 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak. (Nu 22:20) 36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border. (Nu 21:13) 37 And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?” (Nu 22:17; Nu 24:11) 38 Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.” (Nu 22:18) 39 Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him. 41 And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people. 

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