Balak Summons Balaam

22 The Israelis continued their travels, eventually^[a] encamping on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River^[b] opposite Jericho. ² Zippor’s son Balak saw everything that Israel had done to the Amorites. ³ As a result, Moab greatly feared the people, because they were so numerous. Because a sense of impending doom was afflicting the Moabites as they faced the Israelis, ⁴ the Moabites told the elders of Midian, “This horde of people is about to lick up everything around us, like an ox licks up the green ground.”

At that time, Zippor’s son Balak was the king of Moab. ⁵ He sent messengers to Beor’s son Balaam in Pethor, near the Euphrates^[c] River, the land where the descendants of his people originated,^[d] to summon his aid. He said, “Look! A group of^[e] people have escaped from Egypt. They cover the surface of the whole earth, and are sitting here right in front of me. ⁶ So come right now and curse this people for me, because there are too many of them for me to handle.^[f] Perhaps I’ll be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land, since I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed.”