unto God, "Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, 'Behold, the people that is come out of Egypt, it covereth the face of the earth: now, come curse me them; peradventure I shall be able to fight against them, and shall drive them out.' And God said unto Balaam, "Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed." And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said unto the princes of Balak, "Get you into your land; for Yahweh refuseth to give me leave to go with you." And the princes of Moab rose up, and they went unto Balak, and said, "Balaam refuseth to come with us."

And Balak sent yet again princes, more, and more honorable than they. 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: for I will promote thee unto very great honor, and whatsoever thou sayest unto me I will do: come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people." 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 Yahweh my God, to do less or more. Now therefore, I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what Yahweh will speak unto me more." And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, " If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do."

And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab. And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of Yahweh placed himself in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the way, with 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. Then the angel of Yahweh stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side. And the ass saw the angel of Yahweh, and she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again. And the angel of Yahweh went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left. And the ass saw the angel of Yahweh, and she lay down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff. And Yahweh 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?" And Balaam said unto the ass, "Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in my hand, for now I had killed thee." And the ass said unto Balaam, "Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden all thy life long unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?" And he said, "Nay."

Then Yahweh opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed his head, and fell on his face. And the angel of Yahweh said unto him, "Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I am come forth for an adversary, because thy way is perverse before me: and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive." And Balaam said unto the angel of Yahweh, "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." And the angel of Yahweh 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.

And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto the City of Moab, which is on the border of the Arnon, which is in the utmost part of the border. 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?" And Balaam said unto Balak, "Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to speak any thing? the word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak." And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto Kiriath-huzoth. And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

And it came to pass in the morning, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the high places of Baal; and he saw from thence the utmost part of the people.... And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams." And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram. And Balaam said unto Balak, "Stand by thy burntoffering, and I will go: peradventure Yahweh will come to meet me; and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee." And he went to a bare height. And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, "I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar." And Yahweh put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, "Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. And he returned unto him, and, lo, he was standing by his burnt-offering, he, and all the princes of Moab. And he took up his parable, and said,

"From Aram hath Balak brought me,

The king of Moab from the mountains of the East:
Come, curse me Jacob,

And come, defy Israel.

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?

And how shall I defy, whom Yahweh hath not defied?

For from the top of the rocks I see him,

And from the hills I behold him:

Lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone,

And shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob,

Or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,

And let my last end be like his!"

And Balak said unto Balaam, "What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether." And he answered and said, "Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh putteth in my mouth?"

And Balak said unto him, "Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and of Israel.

What hath God wrought!

Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness,
And as a lion doth he lift himself up:
He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,
And drink the blood of the slain."

And Balak said unto Balaam, "Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all." But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, "Told not I thee, saying, 'All that Yahweh speaketh, that I must do?'"

And Balak said unto Balaam, "Come now, I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence." And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the desert. And Balaam said unto Balak, "Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams." And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

And when Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he went not, as at the other times, to meet with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his parable, and said,

"Balaam the son of Beor saith,

And the man whose eye was closed saith:
He saith, who heareth the words of God,
Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, and having his eyes open:
How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,
Thy tabernacles, O Israel!
As valleys are they spread forth,
As gardens by the river-side,

As lign-aloes which Yahweh hath planted,
As cedar-trees beside the waters.

Water shall flow from his buckets,
And his seed shall be in many waters,
And his king shall be higher than Agag,
And his kingdom shall be exalted.
God bringeth him forth out of Egypt;
He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox:
He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,
And shall break their bones in pieces,

And smite them through with his arrows.
He couched, he lay down as a lion,
And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up?
Blessed be every one that blesseth thee,
And cursed be every one that curseth thee."

And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together; and Balak said unto Balaam, "I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour: but, lo, Yahweh hath kept thee back from honor." And Balaam said unto Balak, "Spake I not also to thy messengers that thou sentest unto me, saying, 'If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Yahweh, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what Yahweh speaketh, that will I speak?' And now, behold, I go unto my people: come, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days." And he took up his parable, and said,

"Balaam the son of Beor saith,

And the man whose eye was closed saith:
He saith, who heareth the words of God,
And knoweth the knowledge of the Most High,
Who seeth the vision of the Almighty,
Falling down, and having his eyes open:
I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not nigh:

There shall come forth a star out of Jacob,
And a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,

And shall smite through the corners of Moab,

And break down all the sons of tumult.

And Edom shall be a possession,

Seir also shall be a possession, which were his enemies;

While Israel doeth valiantly.

And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,

And shall destroy the remnant from the city.

And he looked on Amalek, and took up his parable, and said,

Amalek was the first of the nations;

But his latter end shall come to destruction.