The Daily Audio Bible
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21 Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them.
22 And God was angry. And an angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat on the ass, and had two servants with him.
23 The ass seeing the angel standing in the way, with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the way,
24 The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were enclosed.
25 And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again:
26 And nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him.
27 And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider: who being angry beat her sides more vehemently with a staff.
28 And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?
29 Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.
30 The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee. But he said: Never.
31 Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him falling flat on the ground.
32 And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me:
33 And unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived.
34 Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return.
35 The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee. He went therefore with the princes.
36 And when Balac heard it he came forth to meet him in a town of the Moabites, that is situate in the uttermost borders of Arnon.
37 And he said to Balaam: I sent messengers to call thee, why didst thou not come immediately to me? was it because I am not able to reward thy coming?
38 He answered him: Lo, here I am: shall I have power to speak any other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth?
39 So they went on together, and came into a city, that was in the uttermost borders of his kingdom.
40 And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
41 And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.
23 And Balaam said to Balac: Build me here seven altars, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.
2 And when he had done according to the word of Balaam, they laid together a calf and a ram upon every altar.
3 And Balaam said to Balac: Stand a while by thy burnt offering, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet me, and whatsoever he shall command, I will speak to thee.
4 And when he was gone with speed, God met him. And Balaam speaking to him, said: I have erected seven altars, and have laid on everyone a calf and a ram.
5 And the Lord put the word in his mouth, and said: Return to Balac, and thus shalt thou speak.
6 Returning he found Balac standing by his burnt offering, with all the princes of the Moabites:
7 And taking up his parable, he said: Balac king of the Moabites hath brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east: Come, said he, and curse Jacob: make haste and detest Israel.
8 How shall I curse him, whom God hath not cursed? By what means should I detest him, whom the Lord detesteth not?
9 I shall see him from the tops of the rocks, and shall consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and know the number of the stock of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the just, and my last end be like to them.
11 And Balac said to Balaam: What is this that thou dost? I sent for thee to curse my enemies: and thou contrariwise blessest them.
12 He answered him: Call I speak any thing else but what the Lord commandeth?
13 Balac therefore said: Come with me to another place from whence thou mayest see part of Israel, and canst not see them all: curse them from thence.
14 And when he had brought him to a high place, upon the top of mount Phasga, Balaam built seven altars, and laying on every one a calf and a ram,
15 He said to Balac: Stand here by thy burnt offering while I go to meet him.
16 And when the Lord had met him, and had put the word in his mouth, he said: Return to Balac, and thus shalt thou say to him.
17 Returning he found him standing by his burnt sacrifice, and the princes of the Moabites with him. And Balac said to him: What hath the Lord spoken?
18 But he taking up his parable, said: Stand, O Balac, and give ear: hear, thou son of Sephor:
19 God is not a man, that he should lie, nor as the son of man, that he should be changed. Hath he said then, and will he not do? hath he spoken, and will he not fulfill?
20 I was brought to bless, the blessing I am not able to hinder.
21 There is no idol in Jacob, neither is there an image god to be seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the sound of the victory of the king in him.
22 God hath brought him out of Egypt, whose strength is like to the rhinoceros.
23 There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor divination in Israel. In their times it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what God hath wrought.
24 Behold the people shall rise up as a lioness, and shall lift itself up as a lion: it shall not lie down till it devour the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
25 And Balac said to Balaam: Neither curse, nor bless him.
26 And he said: Did I not tell thee, that whatsoever God should command me, that I would do?
27 And Balac said to him: Come and I will bring thee to another place; if peradventure it please God that thou mayest curse them from thence.
28 And when he had brought him upon the top of mount Phogor, which looketh towards the wilderness,
29 Balaam said to him: Build me here seven altars, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.
30 Balac did as Balaam had said: and he laid on every altar, a calf and a ram.
57 Now Elizabeth's full time of being delivered was come, and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbours and kinsfolks heard that the Lord had shewed his great mercy towards her, and they congratulated with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called him by his father's name Zachary.
60 And his mother answering, said: Not so; but he shall be called John.
61 And they said to her: There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63 And demanding a writing table, he wrote, saying: John is his name. And they all wondered.
64 And immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
65 And fear came upon all their neighbours; and all these things were noised abroad over all the hill country of Judea.
66 And all they that had heard them laid them up in their heart, saying: What an one, think ye, shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And Zachary his father was filled with the Holy Ghost; and he prophesied, saying:
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people:
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:
70 As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who are from the beginning:
71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:
72 To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,
73 The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
74 That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and justice before him, all our days.
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
77 To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins:
78 Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
79 To enlighten them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and was strengthened in spirit; and was in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
58 Unto the end, destroy not, for David for an inscription of It title, when Saul sent and watched his house to kill him.
2 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; and defend me from them that rise up against me.
3 Deliver me from them that work iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
4 For behold they have caught my soul: the mighty have rushed in upon me:
5 Neither is it my iniquity, nor my sin, O Lord: without iniquity have I run, and directed my steps.
6 Rise up thou to meet me, and behold: even thou, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. Attend to visit all the nations: have no mercy on all them that work iniquity.
7 They shall return at evening, and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.
8 Behold they shall speak with their mouth, and a sword is in their lips: for who, say they, hath heard us?
9 But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them: thou shalt bring all the nations to nothing.
10 I will keep my strength to thee: for thou art my protector:
11 My God, his mercy shall prevent me.
12 God shall let me see over my enemies: slay them not, lest at any time my people forget. Scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord, my protector:
13 For the sin of their mouth, and the word of their lips: and let them be taken in their pride. And for their cursing and lying they shall be talked of,
14 When they are consumed: when they are consumed by thy wrath, and they shall be no more. And they shall know that God will rule Jacob, and all the ends of the earth.
15 They shall return at evening and shall suffer hunger like dogs: and shall go round about the city.
16 They shall be scattered abroad to eat, and shall murmur if they be not filled.
17 But I will sing thy strength: and will extol thy mercy in the morning. For thou art become my support, and my refuge, in the day of my trouble.
18 Unto thee, O my helper, will I sing, for thou art God my defence: my God my mercy.
12 He that despiseth his friend, is mean of heart: but the wise man will hold his peace.
13 He that walketh deceitfully, revealeth secrets: but he that is faithful, concealeth the thing committed to him by his friend.
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