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¹The Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan across from Jericho.

²Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.

³Moab was terrified of the people because they were numerous, and Moab dreaded the Israelites.

⁴So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, “This horde will devour everything around us like an ox eats up the green plants in the field.” Since Balak son of Zippor was Moab’s king at that time,

⁵he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people. Balak said to him: “Look, a people has come out of Egypt; they cover the surface of the land and are living right across from me.

⁶Please come and put a curse on these people for me because they are more powerful than I am. I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land, for I know that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are cursed.”

⁷The elders of Moab and Midian departed with fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and reported Balak’s words to him.

⁸He said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will give you the answer the LORD tells me.” So the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam.

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

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

¹¹‘Look, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.’”

¹²Then God said to Balaam, “You are not to go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”

¹³So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your land, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you.”

¹⁴The officials of Moab arose, returned to Balak, and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

¹⁵Balak sent officials again who were more numerous and higher in rank than the others.

¹⁶They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Let nothing keep you from coming to me,

¹⁷for I will greatly honor you and do whatever you ask me. So please come and put a curse on these people for me! ’”

¹⁸But Balaam responded to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the LORD my God to do anything small or great.

¹⁹Please stay here overnight as the others did, so that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me.”

²⁰God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”

²¹When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab.

²²But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the angel of the LORD took his stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

²³When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing on the path with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path.

²⁴Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a stone wall on either side.

²⁵The donkey saw the angel of the LORD and pressed herself against the wall, squeezing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her once again.

²⁶The angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left.

²⁷When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she crouched down under Balaam. So he became furious and beat the donkey with his stick.

²⁸Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”

²⁹Balaam answered the donkey, “You made me look like a fool. If I had a sword in my hand, I’d kill you now!”

³⁰But the donkey said, “Am I not the donkey you’ve ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?” “No,” he replied.

³¹Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the path with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam knelt low and bowed in worship on his face.

³²The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Look, I came out to oppose you, because I consider what you are doing to be evil.

³³The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.”

³⁴Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the path to confront me. And now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go back.”

³⁵Then the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

³⁶When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border at the edge of his territory.

³⁷Balak asked Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”

³⁸Balaam said to him, “Look, I have come to you, but can I say anything I want? I must speak only the message God puts in my mouth.”

³⁹So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.

⁴⁰Balak sacrificed cattle, sheep, and goats and sent for Balaam and the officials who were with him.

⁴¹In the morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him to Bamoth-baal. From there he saw the outskirts of the people’s camp.

¹Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”

²So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

³Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the LORD will meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So he went to a barren hill.

⁴God met with him and Balaam said to him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.”

⁵Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”

⁶So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.

⁷Balaam proclaimed his poem: Balak brought me from Aram; the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains: “Come, put a curse on Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel!”

⁸How can I curse someone God has not cursed? How can I denounce someone the LORD has not denounced?

⁹I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. There is a people living alone; it does not consider itself among the nations.

¹⁰Who has counted the dust of Jacob or numbered even one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright; let the end of my life be like theirs.

¹¹“What have you done to me?” Balak asked Balaam. “I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them!”

¹²He answered, “Shouldn’t I say exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

¹³Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.”

¹⁴So Balak took him to Lookout Field on top of Pisgah, built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹⁵Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I seek the LORD over there.”

¹⁶The LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then he said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”

¹⁷So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the LORD say?”

¹⁸Balaam proclaimed his poem: Balak, get up and listen; son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!

¹⁹God is not a man, that he might lie, or a son of man, that he might change his mind. Does he speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?

²⁰I have indeed received a command to bless; since he has blessed, I cannot change it.

²¹He considers no disaster for Jacob; he sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and there is rejoicing over the King among them.

²²God brought them out of Egypt; he is like the horns of a wild ox for them.

²³There is no magic curse against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said about Jacob and Israel, “What great things God has done!”

²⁴A people rise up like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion. They will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.

²⁵Then Balak told Balaam, “Don’t curse them and don’t bless them!”

²⁶But Balaam answered him, “Didn’t I tell you: Whatever the LORD says, I must do?”

²⁷Again Balak said to Balaam, “Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.”

²⁸So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.

²⁹Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”

³⁰So Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹Since Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go to seek omens as on previous occasions, but turned toward the wilderness.

²When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him,

³and he proclaimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened,

⁴the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:

⁵How beautiful are your tents, Jacob, your dwellings, Israel.

⁶They stretch out like river valleys, like gardens beside a stream, like aloes the LORD has planted, like cedars beside the water.

⁷Water will flow from his buckets, and his seed will be by abundant water. His king will be greater than Agag, and his kingdom will be exalted.

⁸God brought him out of Egypt; he is like the horns of a wild ox for them. He will feed on enemy nations and gnaw their bones; he will strike them with his arrows.

⁹He crouches, he lies down like a lion or a lioness — who dares to rouse him? Those who bless you will be blessed, and those who curse you will be cursed.

¹⁰Then Balak became furious with Balaam, struck his hands together, and said to him, “I summoned you to put a curse on my enemies, but instead, you have blessed them these three times.

¹¹Now go to your home! I said I would reward you richly, but look, the LORD has denied you a reward.”

¹²Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I previously tell the messengers you sent me:

¹³If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the LORD’s command, to do anything good or bad of my own will? I will say whatever the LORD says.

¹⁴Now I am going back to my people, but first, let me warn you what these people will do to your people in the future.”

¹⁵Then he proclaimed his poem: The oracle of Balaam son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened;

¹⁶the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God and has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:

¹⁷I see him, but not now; I perceive him, but not near. A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will smash the forehead of Moab and strike down all the Shethites.

¹⁸Edom will become a possession; Seir will become a possession of its enemies, but Israel will be triumphant.

¹⁹One who comes from Jacob will rule; he will destroy the city’s survivors.

²⁰Then Balaam saw Amalek and proclaimed his poem: Amalek was first among the nations, but his future is destruction.

²¹Next he saw the Kenites and proclaimed his poem: Your dwelling place is enduring; your nest is set in the cliffs.

²²Kain will be destroyed when Asshur takes you captive.

²³Once more he proclaimed his poem: Ah, who can live when God does this?

²⁴Ships will come from the coast of Kittim; they will carry out raids against Asshur and Eber, but they too will come to destruction.

²⁵Balaam then arose and went back to his homeland, and Balak also went his way.