²¹ So Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey, and he went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam and the Angel

²² But God became angry^[a] because he was going, and the angel of Yahweh stood in the road as an adversary to him; he was riding on his donkey, and two servants were with him. ²³ The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back to the road. ²⁴ The angel of Yahweh stood in the narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on either side.^{[b] 25} When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she pressed herself into the wall, and she pressed the foot of Balaam into the wall, so he struck her again. ²⁶ Then the angel of Yahweh went further ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was not a way to turn aside to the right or left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she lay down under Balaam, so Balaam became angry,^[c] and he struck the donkey with his staff. ²⁸ Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What did I do to you that you struck me these three times?” ²⁹ Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you made a mockery of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!” ³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life until this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” He said, “No.”

³¹ Then Yahweh exposed the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down and worshiped to his face. ³² The angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck this donkey three times? Look, I have come out as an adversary because your conduct is perverse before me. ³³ The donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from my face, then I would have killed you and kept her alive.” ³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “I have sinned because I did not know that you were standing to meet me in the road. Now, if it is displeasing to you,^[d] I will turn back.” ³⁵ The angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I will speak to you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.