The Wilderness Years

"When they lie down they crouch like a lion, or like a lioness - who dares to rouse it? Blessed be all who bless you! Cursed be all who curse you!"

Balak blazed with fury against Bil'am. He struck his hands together and said to Bil'am, "I summoned you to curse my enemies. But here, you have done nothing but bless them - three times already!

Now you had better escape to your own place! I had planned to reward you very well, but now ADONAI has deprived you of payment."

Bil'am answered Balak, "Didn't I tell the messengers you sent me

that even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not of my own accord go beyond the word of ADONAI to do either good or bad? that what ADONAI said is what I would say?

But now that I am going back to my own people, come, I will warn you what this people will do to your people in the acharit-hayamim.

So he made his pronouncement: "This is the speech of Bil'am, son of B'or; the speech of the man whose eyes have been opened;

the speech of him who hears God's words; who knows what 'Elyon knows, who sees what Shaddai sees, who has fallen, yet has open eyes:

"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not soon -a star will step forth from Ya'akov, a scepter will arise from Isra'el, to crush the corners of Mo'av and destroy all descendants of Shet.

His enemies will be his possessions -Edom and Se'ir, possessions. Isra'el will do valiantly,

From Ya'akov will come someone who will rule, and he will destroy what is left of the city."

He saw 'Amalek and made this pronouncement: "First among nations was 'Amalek, but destruction will be its end."

He saw the Keini and made this pronouncement: "Though your dwelling is firm, your nest set on rock,

Kayin will be wasted while captive to Ashur."

Finally, he made this pronouncement: "Oh no! Who can live when God does this?

But ships will come from the coast of Kittim to subdue Ashur and subdue 'Ever, but they too will come to destruction."

Then Bil'am got up, left and returned to his home; and Balak too went his way.

Isra'el stayed at Sheetim, and there the people began whoring with the women of Mo'av.

These women invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, where the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

With Isra'el thus joined to Ba'al-P'or, the anger of ADONAI blazed up against Isra'el.

ADONAI said to Moshe, "Take all the chiefs of the people, and hang them facing the sun before ADONAI, so that the raging fury of ADONAI will turn away from Isra'el."

Moshe said to the judges of Isra'el, "Each of you is to put to death those in his tribe who have joined themselves to Ba'al-P'or."

Just then, in the sight of Moshe and the whole community of Isra'el, as they were weeping at the entrance to the tent of meeting, a man from Isra'el came by, bringing to his family a woman from Midyan.

When Pinchas the son of El'azar, the son of Aharon the cohen, saw it, he got up from the middle of the crowd, took a spear in his hand,

and pursued the man from Isra'el right into the inner part of the tent, where he thrust his spear through both of them -the man from Isra'el and the woman through her stomach. Thus was the plague among the people of Isra'el stopped;