Numbers 22:33
New International Version
The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”

New Living Translation
Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”

English Standard Version
The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”

Berean Standard Bible
The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now I would surely have killed you and let her live.”

King James Bible
And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

New King James Version
The donkey saw Me and turned aside from Me these three times. If she had not turned aside from Me, surely I would also have killed you by now, and let her live.”

New American Standard Bible
But the donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I certainly would have killed you just now, and let her live.”

NASB 1995
“But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.”

NASB 1977
“But the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let her live.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If it had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let it live.”

Amplified Bible
The donkey saw Me and turned away from Me these three times. If she had not turned away from Me, I would have certainly killed you now, and let her live.”

Christian Standard Bible
The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The donkey saw Me and turned away from Me these three times. If she had not turned away from Me, I would have killed you by now and let her live.”

American Standard Version
and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And the she donkey saw me and turned aside from before me, behold, three times, and if she had not turned aside from before me, now I would have killed you and I would have let her live.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if she had not turned out of the way, surely now, I should have slain thee, and should have saved her alive.

Contemporary English Version
If your donkey had not seen me and stopped those three times, I would have killed you and let the donkey live."

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

English Revised Version
and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times: unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, I would certainly have killed you by now but spared the donkey."

Good News Translation
But your donkey saw me and turned aside three times. If it hadn't, I would have killed you and spared the donkey."

International Standard Version
The donkey saw me and turned in front of me in the space of those three footsteps.

JPS Tanakh 1917
and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times; unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive.'

Literal Standard Version
and the donkey sees Me and turns aside at My presence these three times; unless she had turned aside from My presence, surely I had also slain you now, and kept her alive.”

Majority Standard Bible
The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now I would surely have killed you and let her live.”

New American Bible
When the donkey saw me, she turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away from me, you are the one I would have killed, though I would have spared her.”

NET Bible
The donkey saw me and turned from me these three times. If she had not turned from me, I would have killed you but saved her alive."

New Revised Standard Version
The donkey saw me, and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let it live.”

New Heart English Bible
and the donkey saw me, and turned aside before me these three times. Unless she had turned aside from me, surely now I would have killed you, and saved her alive."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.

World English Bible
The donkey saw me, and turned away before me these three times. Unless she had turned away from me, surely now I would have killed you, and saved her alive.”

Young's Literal Translation
and the ass seeth me, and turneth aside at my presence these three times; unless she had turned aside from my presence, surely now also, thee I had slain, and her kept alive.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Angel and Balaam's Donkey
32The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me. 33The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now I would surely have killed you and let her live.” 34“I have sinned,” Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “for I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is displeasing in your sight, I will go back home.”…

Cross References
Numbers 22:32
The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me.

Numbers 22:34
"I have sinned," Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "for I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is displeasing in your sight, I will go back home."


Treasury of Scripture

And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain you, and saved her alive.

surely

Numbers 14:37
Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

Numbers 16:33-35
They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation…

1 Kings 13:24-28
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase…

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Alive Ass Death Donkey Kept Killed Live Presence Saved Side Slain Spared Surely Three Times Turned Turneth Turning Unless
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Alive Ass Death Donkey Kept Killed Live Presence Saved Side Slain Spared Surely Three Times Turned Turneth Turning Unless
Numbers 22
1. Balak's first message for Balaam is refused
15. His second message obtains him
22. An angel would have slain him, if he had not been saved by his donkey
36. Balak entertains him














(33) Unless she had turned from me.--There may be an aposiopesis in this verse. Perhaps she turned aside from (or, before) me . . . for (otherwise) now I had killed thee, &c. According to this view the angel does not assign a reason why the ass turned aside, but leaves this to be inferred by Balaam. (Comp. Keil, in loc.)

Verse 33. - Unless ... surely. אוּלַיאּאּ־כִּי. It is somewhat doubtful whether this phrase can be translated as in the Septuagint (εἰ μὴ.. νῦν οῦν)and in all the versions; but even if the construction of the sentence be broken, this is no doubt the meaning of it. And saved her alive. Compare the case of the ass of the disobedient prophet in 1 Kings 13:24. It is plainly a righteous thing with God that obedience and faithfulness should be respected, and in some sense rewarded, even in an ass.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The donkey
הָֽאָת֔וֹן (hā·’ā·ṯō·wn)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 860: A female donkey

saw
וַתִּרְאַ֙נִי֙ (wat·tir·’a·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 7200: To see

me and turned away
וַתֵּ֣ט (wat·têṭ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5186: To stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend

from me
לְפָנַ֔י (lə·p̄ā·nay)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 6440: The face

these
זֶ֖ה (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

three
שָׁלֹ֣שׁ (šā·lōš)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice

times.
רְגָלִ֑ים (rə·ḡā·lîm)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 7272: A foot, a step, the pudenda

If she had not
אוּלַי֙ (’ū·lay)
Adverb
Strong's 194: Perhaps

turned away,
נָטְתָ֣ה (nā·ṭə·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5186: To stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend

I would surely have killed
הָרַ֖גְתִּי (hā·raḡ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2026: To smite with deadly intent

you
וְאוֹתָ֥הּ (wə·’ō·w·ṯāh)
Conjunctive waw | Direct object marker | third person feminine singular
Strong's 853: Untranslatable mark of the accusative case

by now,
עַתָּ֛ה (‘at·tāh)
Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

and let her live.”
הֶחֱיֵֽיתִי׃ (he·ḥĕ·yê·ṯî)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 2421: To live, to revive


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OT Law: Numbers 22:33 And the donkey saw me and turned (Nu Num.)
Numbers 22:32
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