⁴ For they did not come to meet you with bread and water^(A) on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam^(B) son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim^[a](C) to pronounce a curse on you.^(D)

² because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam^(A) to call a curse down on them.^(B) (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)^(C)

¹⁵ They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam^(A) son of Bezer,^[a] who loved the wages of wickedness.

⁴ While Jezebel^(A) was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden^(B) them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied^(C) them with food and water.)

²⁸ Sell us food to eat^(A) and water to drink for their price in silver. Only let us pass through on foot^(B)— ²⁹ as the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir, and the Moabites, who live in Ar, did for us—until we cross the Jordan into the land the Lord our God is giving us.”

⁵ sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor,^(A) who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River,^(B) in his native land. Balak said:

⁷ The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.^(F) When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.

⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice^(A) say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’^(A)

⁸ For this is what the Lord Almighty says: “After the Glorious One has sent me against the nations that have plundered you—for whoever touches you touches the apple of his eye^(A)—