Numbers 16:26-23:23

English Standard Version

²⁶ And he spoke to the congregation, saying, ^(A)“Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins.” ²⁷ So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood ^(B)at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. ²⁸ And Moses said, “Hereby you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been ^(C)of my own accord. ²⁹ If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, ^(D)then the Lord has not sent me. ³⁰ But if the Lord creates something new, and ^(E)the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they ^(F)go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord.”

^31 (G)And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. ³² And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and ^(H)all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. ³³ So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and ^(I)they perished from the midst of the assembly. ³⁴ And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!” ³⁵ And ^(J)fire came out from the Lord and consumed ^(K)the 250 men offering the incense.

^36 [a] Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ³⁷ “Tell Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest to take up the censers out of the blaze. Then scatter the fire far and wide, for they have become holy. ³⁸ As for the censers of ^(L)these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. ^(M)Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel.” ³⁹ So Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers, which those who were burned had offered, and they were hammered out as a covering for the altar, ⁴⁰ to be a reminder to the people of Israel, so ^(N)that no outsider, who is not of the descendants of Aaron, should draw near to burn incense before the Lord, lest he become like Korah and his company—as the Lord said to him through Moses.

⁴¹ But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel ^(O)grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” ⁴² And when the congregation had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the tent of meeting. And behold, ^(P)the cloud covered it, and ^(Q)the glory of the Lord appeared. ⁴³ And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meeting, ⁴⁴ and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^45 (R)“Get away from the midst of this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment.” ^(S)And they fell on their faces. ⁴⁶ And Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire on it from off the altar and lay incense on it and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for ^(T)wrath has gone out from the Lord; the plague has begun.” ⁴⁷ So Aaron took it as Moses said and ran into the midst of the assembly. And behold, the plague had already begun among the people. And he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. ⁴⁸ And he stood between the dead and the living, and ^(U)the plague was stopped. ⁴⁹ Now those who died in the plague were 14,700, ^(V)besides those who died in the affair of Korah. ⁵⁰ And Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance of the tent of meeting, when the plague was stopped.

Aaron's Staff Buds

17 ^[b] The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^2 (W)“Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers' house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, ³ and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house. ⁴ Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, ^(X)where I meet with you. ⁵ And the staff of the man ^(Y)whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me ^(Z)the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” ⁶ Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. ⁷ And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in ^(AA)the tent of the testimony.

⁸ On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. ⁹ Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. ¹⁰ And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back ^(AB)the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept ^(AC)as a sign for the rebels, ^(AD)that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” ¹¹ Thus did Moses; as the Lord commanded him, so he did.

¹² And the people of Israel said to Moses, “Behold, we perish, we are undone, we are all undone. ^13 (AE)Everyone who comes near, who comes near to the tabernacle of the Lord, shall die. Are we all to perish?”

Duties of Priests and Levites

18 So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father's house with you shall ^(AF)bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, ^(AG)and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. ² And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may ^(AH)join you and ^(AI)minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. ³ They shall keep guard over you and ^(AJ)over the whole tent, ^(AK)but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar ^(AL)lest they, and you, die. ⁴ They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, ^(AM)and no outsider shall come near you. ⁵ And you shall ^(AN)keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, ^(AO)that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. ^6 (AP)And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. ^(AQ)They are a gift to you, given to the Lord, to do the service of the tent of meeting. ⁷ And ^(AR)you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and ^(AS)that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift,^[c] and ^(AT)any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.”

⁸ Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, “Behold, ^(AU)I have given you charge of the contributions made to me, all the consecrated things of the people of Israel. I have given them to you ^(AV)as a portion and to your sons as a perpetual due. ⁹ This shall be yours of the most holy things, reserved from the fire: every offering of theirs, every grain offering of theirs and every ^(AW)sin offering of theirs and every ^(AX)guilt offering of theirs, which they render to me, shall be most holy to you and to your sons. ¹⁰ In a most holy place shall you eat it. Every male may eat it; it is holy to you. ¹¹ This also is yours: the contribution of their gift, all the ^(AY)wave offerings of the people of Israel. I have given them to ^(AZ)you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. ^(BA)Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. ^12 (BB)All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, ^(BC)the firstfruits of what they give to the Lord, I give to you. ¹³ The first ripe fruits of all that is in their land, ^(BD)which they bring to the Lord, shall be yours. ^(BE)Everyone who is clean in your house may eat it. ^14 (BF)Every devoted thing in Israel shall be yours. ^15 (BG)Everything that opens the womb of all flesh, whether man or beast, which they offer to the Lord, shall be yours. Nevertheless, ^(BH)the firstborn of man you shall redeem, and the firstborn of unclean animals you shall redeem. ¹⁶ And their redemption price ^(BI)(at a month old you shall redeem them) you shall fix at five shekels^[d] in silver, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, ^(BJ)which is twenty gerahs. ^17 (BK)But the firstborn of a cow, or the firstborn of a sheep, or the firstborn of a goat, you shall not redeem; they are holy. You shall sprinkle their blood on the altar and shall burn their fat as a food offering, with a pleasing aroma to the Lord. ¹⁸ But their flesh shall be yours, as ^(BL)the breast that is waved and as the right thigh are yours. ^19 (BM)All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. ^(BN)It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.” ²⁰ And the Lord said to Aaron, “You shall have no inheritance in their land, neither shall you have any portion among them. ^(BO)I am your portion and your inheritance among the people of Israel.

^21 (BP)“To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, ^22 (BQ)so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting, ^(BR)lest they bear sin and die. ²³ But ^(BS)the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, ^(BT)and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance. ²⁴ For the tithe of the people of Israel, which ^(BU)they present as a contribution to the Lord, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance ^(BV)among the people of Israel.”

²⁵ And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ²⁶ “Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, ‘When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the Lord, ^(BW)a tithe of the tithe. ^27 (BX)And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. ²⁸ So you shall also present a contribution to the Lord from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the Lord's contribution to Aaron the priest. ²⁹ Out of all the gifts to you, you shall present every contribution due to the Lord; from each its best part is to be dedicated.’ ³⁰ Therefore you shall say to them, ‘When you have offered from it the best of it, ^(BY)then the rest shall be counted to the Levites as produce of the threshing floor, and as produce of the winepress. ³¹ And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is ^(BZ)your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. ³² And you shall ^(CA)bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not ^(CB)profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die.’”

Laws for Purification

19 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ² “This is the statute of the law that the Lord has commanded: Tell the people of Israel to bring you a red heifer without defect, in which there is no blemish, ^(CC)and on which a yoke has never come. ³ And you shall give it to Eleazar the priest, and ^(CD)it shall be taken outside the camp and slaughtered before him. ⁴ And Eleazar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and ^(CE)sprinkle some of its blood toward the front of the tent of meeting seven times. ⁵ And the heifer shall be burned in his sight. ^(CF)Its skin, its flesh, and its blood, with its dung, shall be burned. ⁶ And the priest shall take ^(CG)cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn, and throw them into the fire burning the heifer. ⁷ Then the priest ^(CH)shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp. But the priest shall be unclean until evening. ^8 (CI)The one who burns the heifer ^(CJ)shall wash his clothes in water and bathe his body in water and shall be unclean until evening. ⁹ And a man who is clean shall gather up ^(CK)the ashes of the heifer and deposit them outside the camp in a ^(CL)clean place. And they shall be kept for the water for ^(CM)impurity for the congregation of the people of Israel; it is a sin offering. ¹⁰ And the one who gathers the ashes of the heifer ^(CN)shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And this shall be a perpetual statute for the people of Israel, and for the stranger who sojourns among them.

^11 (CO)“Whoever touches the dead body of any person shall be unclean seven days. ¹² He ^(CP)shall cleanse himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day, and so be clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not become clean. ¹³ Whoever touches a dead person, the body of anyone who has died, and does not cleanse himself, ^(CQ)defiles the tabernacle of the Lord, ^(CR)and that person shall be cut off from Israel; because the water for impurity was not thrown on him, he shall be unclean. His uncleanness is still on him.

¹⁴ “This is the law when someone dies in a tent: everyone who comes into the tent and everyone who is in the tent shall be unclean seven days. ¹⁵ And every ^(CS)open vessel that has no cover fastened on it is unclean. ^16 (CT)Whoever in the open field touches someone who was killed with a sword or who died naturally, or touches a human bone or a ^(CU)grave, shall be unclean seven days. ¹⁷ For the unclean they shall take ^(CV)some ashes of the burnt sin offering, and fresh^[e] water shall be added in a vessel. ¹⁸ Then a clean person shall take ^(CW)hyssop and dip it in the water and sprinkle it on the tent and on all the furnishings and on the persons who were there and on whoever touched the bone, or the slain or the dead or the grave. ¹⁹ And the clean person shall sprinkle it on the unclean ^(CX)on the third day and on the seventh day. ^(CY)Thus on the seventh day he shall cleanse him, and he shall ^(CZ)wash his clothes and bathe himself in water, and at evening he shall be clean.

²⁰ “If the man who is unclean does not cleanse himself, ^(DA)that person shall be cut off from the midst of the assembly, since he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord. Because the water for impurity has not been thrown on him, he is unclean. ²¹ And it shall be a statute forever for them. The one who sprinkles the water for impurity shall wash his clothes, and the one who touches the water for impurity shall be unclean until evening. ²² And ^(DB)whatever the unclean person touches shall be unclean, and anyone who touches it shall be unclean until evening.”

The Death of Miriam

20 And the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came ^(DC)into the wilderness of Zin in the first month, and the people stayed in Kadesh. And ^(DD)Miriam died there and was buried there.

The Waters of Meribah

^2 (DE)Now there was no water for the congregation. ^(DF)And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. ³ And the people ^(DG)quarreled with Moses and said, “Would that we had perished ^(DH)when our brothers perished before the Lord! ⁴ Why have you brought the assembly of the Lord into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle? ⁵ And ^(DI)why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.” ⁶ Then Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly to the entrance of the tent of meeting and ^(DJ)fell on their faces. ^(DK)And the glory of the Lord appeared to them, ⁷ and the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ^8 (DL)“Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So ^(DM)you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” ⁹ And Moses took the staff ^(DN)from before the Lord, as he commanded him.

Moses Strikes the Rock

¹⁰ Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, ^(DO)“Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” ¹¹ And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, ^(DP)and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. ¹² And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because ^(DQ)you did not believe in me, ^(DR)to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.” ^13 (DS)These are the waters of Meribah,^[f] where the people of Israel quarreled with the Lord, and through them he showed himself holy.

Edom Refuses Passage

^14 (DT)Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to ^(DU)the king of Edom: “Thus says ^(DV)your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: ^15 (DW)how our fathers went down to Egypt, ^(DX)and we lived in Egypt a long time. ^(DY)And the Egyptians dealt harshly with us and our fathers. ¹⁶ And ^(DZ)when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and ^(EA)sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory. ^17 (EB)Please let us pass through your land. We will not pass through field or vineyard, ^(EC)or drink water from a well. We will go along the King's Highway. We will not turn aside to the right hand or to the left until we have passed through your territory.” ¹⁸ But Edom said to him, “You shall not pass through, lest I come out with the sword against you.” ¹⁹ And the people of Israel said to him, “We will go up by the highway, ^(ED)and if we drink of your water, I and my livestock, ^(EE)then I will pay for it. Let me only pass through on foot, nothing more.” ²⁰ But he said, ^(EF)“You shall not pass through.” And Edom came out against them with a large army and with a strong force. ²¹ Thus Edom ^(EG)refused to give Israel passage through his territory, so Israel ^(EH)turned away from him.

The Death of Aaron

²² And they journeyed from ^(EI)Kadesh, and the people of Israel, the whole congregation, came to ^(EJ)Mount Hor. ²³ And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, on the border of the land of Edom, ^24 (EK)“Let Aaron be gathered to his people, for he shall not enter the land that I have given to the people of Israel, because ^(EL)you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. ²⁵ Take Aaron and Eleazar his son and bring them up to Mount Hor. ²⁶ And strip Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron ^(EM)shall be gathered to his people and shall die there.” ²⁷ Moses did as the Lord commanded. And they went up Mount Hor in the sight of all the congregation. ^28 (EN)And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them on Eleazar his son. And Aaron died there ^(EO)on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain. ²⁹ And when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished, ^(EP)all the house of Israel wept for Aaron thirty days.

Arad Destroyed

21 When ^(EQ)the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in ^(ER)the Negeb, heard that Israel was coming by the way of Atharim, he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive. ^2 (ES)And Israel vowed a vow to the Lord and said, “If you will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.”^{[g] 3} And the Lord heeded the voice of Israel and gave over the Canaanites, and they devoted them and their cities to destruction. So the name of the place was called ^(ET)Hormah.^[h]

The Bronze Serpent

⁴ From Mount Hor ^(EU)they set out by the way to the Red Sea, ^(EV)to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. ⁵ And the people ^(EW)spoke against God and against Moses, ^(EX)“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and ^(EY)we loathe this worthless food.” ^6 (EZ)Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and ^(FA)they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. ^7 (FB)And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. ^(FC)Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” ⁹ So ^(FD)Moses made a bronze^[i] serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

The Song of the Well

¹⁰ And the people of Israel set out and ^(FE)camped in Oboth. ^11 (FF)And they set out from Oboth and ^(FG)camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness that is opposite Moab, toward the sunrise. ¹² From there they set out and camped in ^(FH)the Valley of Zered. ¹³ From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that extends from the border of the Amorites, for the ^(FI)Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. ¹⁴ Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of the Lord,

¹⁶ And from there they continued ^(FK)to Beer;^[j] that is the well of which the Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together, so that ^(FL)I may give them water.” ¹⁷ Then Israel sang this song:

And from the wilderness they went on to Mattanah, ¹⁹ and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, ²⁰ and from Bamoth to the valley lying in the region of Moab by the top of Pisgah ^(FN)that looks down on the desert.^[k]

King Sihon Defeated

²¹ Then ^(FO)Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying, ^22 (FP)“Let me pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard. We will not drink the water of a well. We will go by the King's Highway until we have passed through your territory.” ^23 (FQ)But Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his territory. He gathered all his people together and went out against Israel to the wilderness and ^(FR)came to Jahaz and fought against Israel. ^24 (FS)And Israel defeated him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the ^(FT)Jabbok, as far as to the Ammonites, for the border of the Ammonites was strong. ²⁵ And Israel took all these cities, and Israel settled in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all its villages. ²⁶ For Heshbon was the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought against the former king of Moab and taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. ²⁷ Therefore the ^(FU)ballad singers say,

King Og Defeated

³¹ Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. ³² And Moses sent to spy out ^(GD)Jazer, and they captured its villages and dispossessed the Amorites who were there. ³³ Then they turned and went up by the way to Bashan. And Og the king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people, to battle ^(GE)at Edrei. ^34 (GF)But the Lord said to Moses, “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people, and his land. And ^(GG)you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” ³⁵ So they defeated him and his sons and all his people, until he had no survivor left. And they possessed his land.

Balak Summons Balaam

22 Then ^(GH)the people of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan at Jericho. ² And ^(GI)Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³ And ^(GJ)Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel. ⁴ And Moab said to ^(GK)the elders of Midian, “This horde will now lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” So Balak the son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, ^5 (GL)sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor ^(GM)at Pethor, which is near the River^[n] in the land of the people of Amaw,^[o] to call him, saying, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are dwelling opposite me. ^6 (GN)Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

⁷ So the elders of Moab and ^(GO)the elders of Midian departed with ^(GP)the fees for divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam and gave him Balak's message. ⁸ And he said to them, “Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. ^9 (GQ)And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” ¹⁰ And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me, saying, ¹¹ ‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” ¹² God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for ^(GR)they are blessed.” ¹³ So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” ¹⁴ So the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak and said, “Balaam refuses to come with us.”

¹⁵ Once again Balak sent princes, more in number and more honorable than these. ¹⁶ And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: ‘Let nothing hinder you from coming to me, ^17 (GS)for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. ^(GT)Come, curse this people for me.’” ¹⁸ But Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, ^(GU)“Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, ^(GV)I could not go beyond the command of the Lord my God to do less or more. ¹⁹ So you, too, ^(GW)please stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.” ^20 (GX)And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; ^(GY)but only do what I tell you.” ²¹ So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.

Balaam's Donkey and the Angel

²² But God's anger was kindled because he went, ^(GZ)and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way ^(HA)as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. ²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. ²⁵ And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. ²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. ²⁸ Then the Lord ^(HB)opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” ²⁹ And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.” ³⁰ And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”

³¹ Then the Lord ^(HC)opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. ³² And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out ^(HD)to oppose you because your way is perverse^[p] before me. ³³ The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” ³⁴ Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, ^(HE)“I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” ³⁵ And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, ^(HF)but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, ^(HG)on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border. ³⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to ^(HH)honor you?” ³⁸ Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? ^(HI)The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.” ³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. ⁴⁰ And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.

⁴¹ And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

Balaam's First Oracle

23 And Balaam said to Balak, ^(HJ)“Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” ² Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam ^(HK)offered on each altar a bull and a ram. ³ And Balaam said to Balak, ^(HL)“Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come ^(HM)to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height, ^4 (HN)and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” ⁵ And the Lord ^(HO)put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” ⁶ And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. ⁷ And Balaam ^(HP)took up his discourse and said,

¹¹ And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^(HY)I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” ¹² And he answered and said, ^(HZ)“Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

Balaam's Second Oracle

¹³ And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴ And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, ^(IA)and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ¹⁵ Balaam said to Balak, ^(IB)“Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord over there.” ¹⁶ And the Lord met Balaam and ^(IC)put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.” ¹⁷ And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” ¹⁸ And Balaam took up his discourse and said,