| Chapter
22 |
| 1 | And
the children of Israel set forward, and pitched in the plains of Moab on this
side Jordan by Jericho. |
| 2 |
And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. |
| 3 | And Moab was sore afraid of
the people, because they were many: and Moab was distressed because of the
children of Israel. |
| 4 | And
Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that
are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the
son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time. |
| 5 | He sent messengers therefore unto Balaam
the son of Beor to Pethor, which is by the river of the land of the children of
his people, to call him, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt:
behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me: |
| 6 | Come now therefore, I pray
thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I
shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the
land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest
is cursed. |
| 7 | And the
elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the rewards of divination
in their hand; and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the words of
Balak. |
| 8 | And he said unto
them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, as the LORD shall
speak unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. |
| 9 | And God came unto Balaam, and said, What
men are these with thee? |
| 10 |
And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent
unto me, saying, |
| 11 |
Behold, there is a people come out of Egypt, which covereth the face of the
earth: come now, curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them,
and drive them out. |
| 12 |
And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the
people: for they are blessed. |
| 13
| And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak,
Get you into your land: for the LORD refuseth to give me leave to go with
you. |
| 14 | And the princes
of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, Balaam refuseth to come
with us. |
| 15 | And Balak
sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they. |
| 16 | And they came to Balaam, and said to
him, Thus saith Balak the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee
from coming unto me: |
| 17 |
For I will promote thee unto very great honor, and I will do whatsoever thou
sayest unto me: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people. |
| 18 | And Balaam answered and said unto
the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and
gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more. |
| 19 | Now therefore, I pray
you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto
me more. |
| 20 | And God came
unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up,
and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou
do. |
| 21 | And Balaam rose
up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. |
| 22 | And God's anger was
kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an
adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants
were with him. |
| 23 | And
the ass saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in
his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and
Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way. |
|
24 | But the angel of the LORD stood in a path of the
vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. |
| 25 | And when the ass saw the angel of the
LORD, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the
wall: and he smote her again. |
| 26
| And the angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place,
where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. |
| 27 | And when the ass saw the angel of
the LORD, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he
smote the ass with a staff. |
| 28
| And the LORD opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam,
What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times? |
| 29 | And Balaam said unto the
ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for
now would I kill thee. |
| 30 |
And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast
ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto
thee? And he said, Nay. |
| 31 |
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD
standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his
head, and fell flat on his face. |
|
32 | And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou
smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee,
because thy way is perverse before me: |
| 33 | And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three
times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and
saved her alive. |
| 34 | And
Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou
stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get
me back again. |
| 35 | And
the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that
I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes
of Balak. |
| 36 | And when
Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab,
which is in the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. |
| 37 | And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not
earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I
not able indeed to promote thee to honor? |
| 38 | And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee:
have I now any power at all to say any thing? the word that God putteth in my
mouth, that shall I speak. |
| 39
| And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kirjathhuzoth. |
| 40 | And Balak offered oxen and
sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. |
| 41 | And it came to pass on the morrow,
that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal, that
thence he might see the utmost part of the people. |
