The Wilderness Years

The donkey said to Bil'am, "I'm your donkey, right? You've ridden me all your life, right? Have I ever treated you like this before?""No," he admitted.

Then ADONAI opened Bil'am's eyes, so that he could see the angel of ADONAI standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and he bowed his head and fell on his face.

The angel of ADONAI said to him, "Why did you hit your donkey three times like that? I have come out here to bar your way, because you are rushing to oppose me.

The donkey saw me and turned aside these three times; and indeed, if she hadn't turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and saved it alive!"

Bil'am said to the angel of ADONAI, "I have sinned. I didn't know that you were standing on the road to block me. Now, therefore, if what I am doing displeases you, I will go back."

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.

God met Bil'am, who said to him, "I prepared the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

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

He went back to him, and there, standing by his burnt offering, he with all the princes of Mo'av,

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.'

"How am I to curse those whom God has not cursed? How am I to denounce those whom ADONAI has not denounced?

"From the top of the rocks I see them, from the hills I behold them yes, a people that will dwell alone and not think itself one of the nations.

"Who has counted the dust of Ya'akov or numbered the ashes of Isra'el? May I die as the righteous die! May my end be like theirs!"

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!"

He answered, "Mustn't I take care to say just what ADONAI puts in my mouth?"

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."