Numbers 21-22 (Darby Translation)

Numbers 21

 ¹And the Canaanite king of Arad, who dwelt in the south, heard that Israel came by the way of Atharim, and he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

 ²Then Israel vowed a vow to Jehovah, and said, If thou give this people wholly into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

 ³And Jehovah listened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them, and their cities. And they called the name of the place Hormah.

 ⁴And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to go round the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became impatient on the way;

 ⁵and the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Why have ye brought us up out of Egypt that we should die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, and no water, and our soul loathes this light bread.

 ⁶Then Jehovah sent fiery serpents among the people, which bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

 ⁷And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, in that we have spoken against Jehovah, and against thee: pray to Jehovah that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

 ⁸And Jehovah said to Moses, Make thee a fiery [serpent], and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, and looketh upon it, shall live.

 ⁹And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass, if a serpent had bitten any man, and he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

 ¹⁰And the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in Oboth.

 ¹¹And they removed from Oboth, and encamped at Ijim-Abarim, in the wilderness that is before Moab, toward the sun-rising.

 ¹²From thence they removed, and encamped at the torrent Zered.

 ¹³From thence they removed, and encamped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites. For the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites.

 ¹⁴Therefore it is said in the book of the wars of Jehovah, Vaheb in Suphah, and the brooks of Arnon;

 ¹⁵And the stream of the brooks which turneth to the dwelling of Ar, And inclineth toward the border of Moab.

 ¹⁶And from thence to Beer: that is the well of which Jehovah spoke to Moses, Assemble the people, and I will give them water.

 ¹⁷Then Israel sang this song, Rise up, well! sing unto it:

 ¹⁸Well which princes digged, which the nobles of the people hollowed out at [the word of] the lawgiver, with their staves. And from the wilderness [they went] to Mattanah;

 ¹⁹and from Mattanah to Nahaliel; and from Nahaliel to Bamoth;

 ²⁰and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the fields of Moab, to the top of Pisgah, which looks over the surface of the waste.

 ²¹And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying,

 ²²Let us pass through thy land; we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink water out of the wells; on the king's road will we go until we have passed thy border.

 ²³But Sihon would not suffer Israel to go through his border; and Sihon gathered all his people, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz, and fought against Israel.

 ²⁴And Israel smote him with the edge of the sword, and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon; for the border of the children of Ammon was strong.

 ²⁵And Israel took all these cities, and Israel dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, at Heshbon, and in all its dependent villages.

 ²⁶For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites; and he had fought against the former king of Moab, and had taken all his land out of his hand, even unto the Arnon.

 ²⁷Therefore the poets say, Come to Heshbon; let the city of Sihon be built and established.

 ²⁸For there went forth fire from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon; It consumed Ar of Moab, the lords of the high places of the Arnon.

 ²⁹Woe to thee, Moab! thou art undone, people of Chemosh: He gave his sons that had escaped, and his daughters into captivity to Sihon the king of the Amorites.

 ³⁰And we have shot at them; Heshbon is perished even unto Dibon; and we have laid [them] waste even unto Nophah, which reacheth unto Medeba.

 ³¹And Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorites.

 ³²And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took its dependent villages, and he dispossessed the Amorites that were there.

 ³³And they turned and went up by the way to Bashan; and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people, for battle to Edrei.

 ³⁴And Jehovah said to Moses, Fear him not! for into thy hand have I given him, and all his people, and his land; and thou shalt do to him as thou didst unto Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon.

 ³⁵And they smote him, and his sons, and all his people, so that they left him none remaining, and took possession of his land.

Numbers 22

 ¹And the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan from Jericho.

 ²And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.

 ³And Moab was much afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

 ⁴And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now will this company lick up all that is round about us, as an ox licks up the green herb of the field. Now Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

 ⁵And he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is on the river in the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people is come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the land, and they abide over against me.

 ⁶And now come, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are mightier than I: perhaps I may be able to smite them, and drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

 ⁷And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed, having the rewards of divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

 ⁸And he said to them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, according as Jehovah shall speak unto me. And the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

 ⁹And God came to Balaam, and said, Who are these men with thee?

 ¹⁰And Balaam said to God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me,

 ¹¹Behold, a people is come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the land. Now come, curse me them: perhaps I may be able to fight against them, and drive them out.

 ¹²And God said to Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed.

 ¹³And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, Go into your land; for Jehovah refuses to give me leave to go with you.

 ¹⁴And the princes of Moab rose up; and they went to Balak, and said, Balaam has refused to come with us.

 ¹⁵Then sent Balak yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.

 ¹⁶And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: Suffer not thyself, I pray thee, to be restrained from coming to me;

 ¹⁷for very highly will I honour thee, and whatever thou shalt say to me will I do; come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

 ¹⁸And Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, If Balak give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the commandment of Jehovah my God, to do less or more.

 ¹⁹And now, I pray you, abide ye also here this night, and I shall know what Jehovah will say to me further.

 ²⁰Then God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, If the men have come to call thee, rise up, [and] go with them; but only what I shall say unto thee shalt thou do.

 ²¹And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

 ²²And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the Angel of Jehovah set himself in the way to withstand him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two young men were with him.

 ²³And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah 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.

 ²⁴And the Angel of Jehovah stood in a hollow of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

 ²⁵And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah, and she pressed herself against the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; and he smote her again.

 ²⁶Then the Angel of Jehovah went still further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

 ²⁷And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah, and lay down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff.

 ²⁸And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

 ²⁹And Balaam said to the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in my hand, for now would I kill thee!

 ³⁰And the ass said to Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine to this day? was I ever wont to do so to thee? And he said, No.

 ³¹Then Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of Jehovah standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed and prostrated himself on his face.

 ³²And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, it was I who came forth to withstand thee, for the way [thou walkest in] is for ruin before me.

 ³³And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times; had she not turned from me, I had now certainly slain thee, and saved her alive.

 ³⁴And Balaam said to the Angel of Jehovah, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me; and now, if it be evil in thine eyes, I will get me back again.

 ³⁵And the Angel of Jehovah said to Balaam, Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that shalt thou speak. And Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

 ³⁶And when Balak heard that Balaam came, he went out to meet him, to the city of Moab, which is on the border of the Arnon, which is at the extremity of the border.

 ³⁷And Balak said to Balaam, Did I not earnestly send to thee to call thee? why didst thou not come to me? am I not surely able to honour thee?

 ³⁸And Balaam said to Balak, Lo, I am come to thee; but shall I now be able at all to say anything? the word that God puts in my mouth, that shall I speak.

 ³⁹And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kirjath-huzoth.

 ⁴⁰And Balak offered oxen and small cattle, and sent to Balaam and to the princes that were with him.

 ⁴¹And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to the high places of Baal, and he saw from thence the extremity of the people.