Balak

Now Balak the son of Tzippor saw all that Isra'el had done to the Emori.

So Mo'av said to the leaders of Midyan, "This horde will lick up everything around us, the way an ox licks up grass in the field." Balak the son of Tzippor was king of Mo'av at that time.

The leaders of Mo'av and Midyan left, taking with them the payment for divining, came to Bil'am and spoke to him the words of Balak.

Bil'am said to God, "Balak the son of Tzippor, king of Mo'av, has sent me this message:

Bil'am got up in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Return to your own land, because ADONAI refuses to give me permission to go with you."

The princes of Mo'av got up, returned to Balak and said, "Bil'am refuses to come with us."

Balak again sent princes, more of them and of higher status than the first group.

They went to Bil'am and said to him, "Here is what Balak the son of Tzippor says: 'Please don't let anything keep you from coming to me.

Bil'am answered the servants of Balak, "Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of ADONAI my God to do anything, great or small.

But the angel of ADONAI said to Bil'am, "No, go on with the men; but you are to say only what I tell you to say." So Bil'am went along with the princes of Balak.

When Balak heard that Bil'am had come, he went out to meet him in the city of Mo'av at the Arnon border, in the farthest reaches of the territory.

Balak said to Bil'am, "I sent more than once to summon you! Why didn't you come to me? Did you think I couldn't pay you enough?"

Bil'am replied to Balak, "Here, I've come to you! But I have no power of my own to say anything. The word that God puts in my mouth is what I will say."

Bil'am went with Balak. When they arrived at Kiryat-Hutzot,

Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, then sent to Bil'am and the princes with him.

In the morning Balak took Bil'am and brought him up to the high places of Ba'al; from there he could see a portion of the people.

Bil'am said to Balak, "Build me seven altars here, and prepare me seven bulls and seven rams here."

Balak did as Bil'am said; then Balak and Bil'am offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Bil'am said to Balak, "Stand by your burnt offering while I go off; maybe ADONAI will come and meet me; and whatever he shows me I will tell you." He went off to a bare hill.

Then ADONAI put a word in Bil'am's mouth and said, "Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you."

he made his pronouncement: "Balak, the king of Mo'av, brings me from Aram, from the eastern hills, saying, 'Come, curse Ya'akov for me; come and denounce Isra'el.'

Balak said to Bil'am, "What have you done to me?! To curse my enemies is why I brought you; and, here, you have totally blessed them!"

Balak said to him, "All right, come with me to another place where you can see them. You will see only some of them, not all; but you can curse them for me from there."

Bil'am said to Balak, "Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go over there for a meeting."

ADONAI met Bil'am, put a word in his mouth and said, "Go on back to Balak, and speak as I tell you."