Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

A psalm of David.

Balak Sends For Balaam

22 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab. They camped along the Jordan River across from Jericho.

² Balak saw everything that Israel had done to the Amorites. Balak was the son of Zippor. ³ The Moabites were terrified because there were so many Israelites. In fact, the Moabites were filled with panic because of the Israelites.

⁴ The Moabites spoke to the elders of Midian. They said, “This huge mob is going to destroy everything around us. They’ll lick it up as an ox licks up all the grass in the fields.”

Balak, the son of Zippor, was the king of Moab at that time. ⁵ He sent messengers to get Balaam. Balaam was the son of Beor. Balaam was at the city of Pethor near the Euphrates River. Pethor was in the land where Balaam had been born. Balak told the messengers to say to Balaam,

“A nation has come out of Egypt. They are covering the face of the land. They’ve set up camp next to me. ⁶ So come and put a curse on these people. They are too powerful for me. Maybe I’ll be able to win the battle over them. Maybe I’ll be able to drive them out of the land. I know that whoever you bless is blessed. And I know that whoever you cursed is cursed.”

⁷ The elders of Moab and Midian left. They took with them the money they knew Balaam would ask for. They wanted him to use evil magic to figure things out for them. They came to where Balaam was. And they told him what Balak had said.

⁸ “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them. “I’ll report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.

⁹ God came to Balaam. He asked, “Who are these men with you?”

¹⁰ Balaam said to God, “Balak king of Moab, the son of Zippor, sent me a message. ¹¹ He said, ‘A nation has come out of Egypt. They are covering the whole surface of the land. So come and put a curse on them for me. Maybe I’ll be able to fight them. Maybe I’ll be able to drive them away.’ ”

¹² But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people. I have blessed them.”

¹³ The next morning Balaam got up. He said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country. The Lord won’t let me go with you.”

¹⁴ So the Moabite officials returned to Balak. They said, “Balaam wouldn’t come with us.”

¹⁵ Then Balak sent other officials. They were more important than the first ones. And there were more of them. ¹⁶ They came to Balaam. They said,

“Balak, the son of Zippor, says, ‘Don’t let anything keep you from coming to me. ¹⁷ I’ll make you very rich. I’ll do anything you say. So come and put a curse on those people for me.’ ”

¹⁸ But Balaam gave them his answer. He said, “Balak could give me all the silver and gold in his palace. Even then, I still couldn’t do anything at all that goes beyond what the Lord my God commands. ¹⁹ Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.”

²⁰ That night God came to Balaam. He said, “These men have come to get you. So go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.”

Balaam’s Donkey

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning. He put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went with the Moabite officials.

Paul Arrives in Jerusalem

¹⁷ When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters gave us a warm welcome. ¹⁸ The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James. All the elders were there. ¹⁹ Paul greeted them. Then he reported everything God had done among the Gentiles through his work.

²⁰ When they heard this, they praised God. Then they spoke to Paul. “Brother,” they said, “you see that thousands of Jews have become believers. All of them try very hard to obey the law. ²¹ They have been told that you teach Jews to turn away from the Law of Moses. You teach this to the Jews who live among the Gentiles. They think that you teach those Jews not to circumcise their children. They think that you teach them to give up our Jewish ways. ²² What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³ So do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a promise to God. ²⁴ Take them with you. Join them in the Jewish practice that makes people pure and ‘clean.’ Pay their expenses so they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that these reports about you are not true in any way. They will know that you yourself obey the law. ²⁵ We have already given written directions to the believers who are not Jews. They must not eat food that has been offered to statues of gods. They must not drink blood. They must not eat the meat of animals that have been choked to death. And they must not commit sexual sins.”

²⁶ The next day Paul took the men with him. They all made themselves pure and “clean” in the usual way. Then Paul went to the temple. There he reported the date when the days of cleansing would end. At that time the proper offering would be made for each of them.