The Wilderness Years

He sent messengers to Bil'am the son of B'or, at P'tor by the [Euphrates] River in his native land, to tell him, "Listen, a people has come out of Egypt, spread over all the land and settled down next to me.

Therefore, please come, and curse this people for me, because they are stronger than I am. Maybe I will be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land, for I know that whomever you bless is in fact blessed, and whomever you curse is in fact cursed."

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.

He said to them, "Stay here tonight, and I will bring you back whatever answer ADONAI tells me." So the princes of Mo'av stayed with Bil'am.

God came to Bil'am and said, "Who are these men with you?"

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

'The people who came out of Egypt have spread over the land; now, come and curse them for me; maybe I will be able to fight against them and drive them out.'"

God answered Bil'am, "You are not to go with them; you are not to curse the people, because they are blessed."

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.

I will reward you very well, and whatever you say to me I will do. So please come, and curse this people for 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.

Now, please, you too, stay here tonight; so that I may find out what else ADONAI will say to me."

God came to Bil'am during the night and said to him, "If the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only what I tell you."

So Bil'am got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Mo'av.

But God's anger flared up because he went, and the angel of ADONAI stationed himself on the path to bar his way. He was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

The donkey saw the angel of ADONAI standing on the road, drawn sword in hand; so the donkey turned off the road into the field; and Bil'am had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road.

Then the angel of ADONAI stood on the road where it became narrow as it passed among the vineyards and had stone walls on both sides.

The donkey saw the angel of ADONAI and pushed up against the wall, crushing Bil'am's foot against the wall. So he beat it again.

The angel of ADONAI moved ahead and stood in a place so tight that there was no room to turn either right or left.

Again the donkey saw the angel of ADONAI and lay down under Bil'am, which made him so angry that he hit the donkey with his stick.

But ADONAI enabled the donkey to speak, and it said to Bil'am, "What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?"

Bil'am said to the donkey, "It's because you've been making a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand; I would kill you on the spot!"