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Balak Summons Balaam
Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.
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sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River, in his native land. Balak said: “A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me.
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The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.
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“Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.
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God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”
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Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message:
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But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”
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The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”
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So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
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They came to Balaam and said: “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Do not let anything keep you from coming to me,
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But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.
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That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”
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Balaam’s Donkey
Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials.
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But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
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When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.
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When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
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When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff.
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Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”
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Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”
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The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” “No,” he said.
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Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.
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Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”
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The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.
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When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory.
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Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”
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“Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”
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Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth.
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Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him.
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The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.
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Balaam’s First Message
Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”
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Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.
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God met with him, and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
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The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
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Then Balaam spoke his message: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.’
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Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!”
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Balaam’s Second Message
Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp. And from there, curse them for me.”
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Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”
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The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”
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Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
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Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”
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Balaam’s Third Message
Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.”
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And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, overlooking the wasteland.
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Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”
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Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not resort to divination as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.
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When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him
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and he spoke his message: “The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
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Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times.
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Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,
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Balaam’s Fourth Message
Then he spoke his message: “The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
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Balaam’s Fifth Message
Then Balaam saw Amalek and spoke his message: “Amalek was first among the nations, but their end will be utter destruction.”
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Balaam’s Sixth Message
Then he saw the Kenites and spoke his message: “Your dwelling place is secure, your nest is set in a rock;
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Balaam’s Seventh Message
Then he spoke his message: “Alas! Who can live when God does this?
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Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.
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Among their victims were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.
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“They were the ones who followed Balaam’s advice and enticed the Israelites to be unfaithful to the Lord in the Peor incident, so that a plague struck the Lord’s people.
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For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you.
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However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.
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In addition to those slain in battle, the Israelites had put to the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.
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When Balak son of Zippor, the king of Moab, prepared to fight against Israel, he sent for Balaam son of Beor to put a curse on you.
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But I would not listen to Balaam, so he blessed you again and again, and I delivered you out of his hand.
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because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam to call a curse down on them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)
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My people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord.”
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They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.
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Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
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Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: There are some among you who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin so that they ate food sacrificed to idols and committed sexual immorality.
