Beginning
Nehushtan: Snake on a Pole
21 When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked Israel and captured some of them. 2 Then Israel vowed to Adonai and stated, “If you deliver this people into our hand, we will put their cities under the ban of destruction!” 3 Adonai listened to Israel’s plea and delivered up the Canaanites. They put them and their cities under the ban of destruction. So the name of the place was called Hormah.
4 They travelled from Mount Hor along the route to the Sea of Reeds in order to go around the land of Edom. The spirit of the people became impatient along the way.
5 The people spoke against God and Moses: “Why have you brought us from Egypt to die in the wilderness, because there is no bread, no water, and our very spirits detest the despicable food? 6 So Adonai sent poisonous serpents among the people,[a] and they bit the people and many of the people of Israel died.
7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against Adonai and you! Pray to Adonai for us, that He may take away the snakes!” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Adonai said to Moses, “Make yourself a fiery snake and put it on a pole. Whenever anyone who has been bitten will look at it, he will live.”[b]
9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole, and it happened that whenever a snake bit anyone and he looked at the bronze snake, he lived.
Journey to Moab
10 Bnei-Yisrael moved on and encamped at Oboth. 11 Then they set out from Oboth and camped in Ije-abarim, in the wilderness facing Moab toward the sunrise. 12 From there they set out and camped in the Wadi Zered. 13 They set out from there and camped along the Arnon, which is in the wilderness extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is also the border between Moab and the Amorites. 14 Therefore, it is said in the Book of the Wars of Adonai, “...Vaheb in Suphah and the wadis of the Arnon, 15 and the slope of the wadis that leads to the site of Ar and lie along the border of Moab—” 16 And from there—on to Beer.
This is the well where Adonai said to Moses, “Gather the people and I will give them water.”
17 Then Israel sang this song,
“Spring up, O well! Sing about it!”
18 The well the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank
with their scepter and their staffs.”
From the wilderness they went on to Mattanah. 19 From Mattanah they went on to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20 and from Bamoth to the valley in the field of Moab where the peak of Pisgah overlooks the wasteland.
Defeat of Sihon and Og
21 Israel sent messengers to King Sihon of the Amorites saying, 22 “Permit us to pass through your land. We will not turn aside into field or vineyard nor drink water from the wells. We will travel on the king’s highway until we will have passed through your territory.”
23 But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. Instead, Sihon called out his entire army and marched out into the desert to oppose Israel. When he came to Jahaz, he fought against Israel. 24 But Israel struck him by the sword’s edge and conquered his land from Arnon to Jabbok as far as the Ammonites, because the border of the sons of Ammon was fortified.
25 Israel conquered all these cities and occupied all the Amorite cities, Heshbon and all its towns. 26 Heshbon was the city of King Sihon of the Amorites, who had fought with the former king of Moab and had taken from his control all the land as far as the Arnon. 27 Therefore the poets say,
“Come to Heshbon! Let her be rebuilt!
Let the city of Sihon be restored!
28 For fire went out from Heshbon,
a blaze from the city of Sihon!
It consumed Ar of Moab,
the masters of Arnon’s heights!
29 Woe to you, O Moab!
You have been destroyed, people of Chemosh!
He has given up his sons as refugees
and his daughters as captives
to Sihon, king of the Amorites.
30 But we overthrew them!
Heshbon as far as Dibon is destroyed!
We have demolished them
as far as Nophah up to Medeba.”
31 So Israel was living in the land of the Amorites. 32 After Moses sent spies to Jazer, they captured her towns and drove out the Amorites who were there.
33 Then they turned and went up the road to the Bashan. Og, king of the Bashan, went out to confront them, he and all his people, in battle at Edrei.
34 Adonai said to Moses, “Do not fear him. I have given him with all his people and his land into your hand. You are to do to him just as you did to Sihon, the Amorite king who was living in Heshbon.”
35 So they struck him and his sons and his entire army until no survivor was left to him, and they possessed his land.
A Donkey Rebukes Balaam
22 Then Bnei-Yisrael set out and camped in the plains of Moab alongside the Jordan across from Jericho.
Parashat Balak
2 When Balak son of Zippor, realized all that Bnei-Yisrael had done to the Amorites, 3 Moab became terrified because there were so many people. Moab was filled with dread because of Bnei-Yisrael. 4 Moab said to the elders of Midian, “The multitude will lick up everything around us like the ox licks up the grass of the field.”
Now Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5 He sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, at Pethor near the River[c] in his native land, saying to him, “Look now, a people has come out of Egypt. See now, they cover the surface of the earth and are settling beside me. 6 Come now, curse this people for me, because they are too strong for me! Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them away from the country. I know that whoever you bless will be blessed and whoever you curse will be accursed!”
7 The elders of Moab and Midian left with divination fees in their hand. When they came to Balaam, they told him Balak’s words.
8 He said to them, “Spend the night here. I will give you an answer just as Adonai speaks to me.” So the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam.
9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these men with you?”
10 Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent word to me: 11 See, the people coming out of Egypt cover the surface of the land. Come now, curse them for me. Perhaps I will be able to fight against them and drive them away!”
12 God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them! Do not curse them, for they are blessed!”
13 So Balaam got up in the morning and said to the officials of Balak, “Go back to your country, for Adonai has refused to let me go with you.”
14 So the Moabite officials got up, went back to Balak, and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.” 15 Balak again sent other dignitaries, more numerous and honored than these previous ones.
16 They also came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor: Please let nothing keep you from coming to me! 17 I will richly reward you, and everything you tell me I will do! Just come now and curse this people for me!”
18 But Balaam answered Balak’s servants, “Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot cross beyond the mouth of Adonai my God, to do anything small or great! 19 But now, you may spend the night here, too. Then I may find out anything else Adonai may say to me.”
20 God came to Balaam by night and said to him, “Since the men came to you to summon you, arise and go with them. However, only the word I tell you are you to do!”
21 So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the Moabite princes. 22 But the anger of God burned because he was going. The angel of Adonai stood in the road to oppose him—he was riding on his donkey and two of his servants were with him— 23 when the donkey saw the angel of Adonai standing in the road with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off the road and went into the field. So Balaam beat the donkey to get her back onto the road.
24 Then the angel of Adonai stood in a narrow path between two vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of Adonai, she pressed against the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam continued beating her.
26 The angel again moved. He stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, right or left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of Adonai, she lay down under Balaam. Balaam was very angry and beat the donkey with his staff.
28 Then Adonai opened the donkey’s mouth and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”[d]
29 Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you’ve made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you now!”
30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey which you have ridden as always to this day? Have I ever been in the habit of doing this to you?”
“No,” he said.
31 Then Adonai opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of Adonai standing in the road with his drawn sword in his hand. So he fell on his face.
32 The angel of Adonai said to him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I came as an adversary because your way before Me is a reckless one! 33 The donkey saw Me and turned away from Me these three times. If she had not turned away from Me, by now I would have killed you indeed, but let her live!”
34 Balaam said to the angel of Adonai, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now, if this is displeasing in your eyes, I will go back home.”
35 The angel of Adonai said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s princes.
36 When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to greet him at the Moabite city on the border of the Arnon, the frontier of the territory. 37 Balak said to Balaam, “Didn’t I send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really unable to reward you?”
38 “Look, I have come to you now!” Balaam said to Balak. “Can I just say anything? I must speak only the message which God puts into my mouth.” 39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-huzoth. 40 Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and sent some to Balaam and the princes who were with him.
41 In the morning, Balak took Balaam with him to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw part of the people.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.