2The Prophecy of Balaam: and Balaq son of Tsephor saw all that Israel did to the Amorites. 3And the Moabites were very afraid before the people because they were very many, and it distressed the Moabites before the children of Israel. 4And Moab said to the Elders of Midian: “Therefore this multitude are chewing up all who are around us as a bull chews up the grass of the field”; and Balaq was the son of Tsephor, the King of the Moabites at that time. 5And he sent Messengers to Balaam son of Beor, an Interpreter upon the river, to the land of the children of Amon to call him and to say to him: “Behold, a people went out from Egypt and covers the face of the land and behold they camp against me. 6Therefore come curse this people for me, because it is stronger than I; doubtless we can put some of it to the sword and we will destroy it from the land because I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed.”

7And the Elders of Moab and the Elders of Midian went and their divinations were in their hands and they came to Balaam and they told him the words of Balaq. 8And he said to them, “Lodge here for the night and I shall give you an answer according to what LORD JEHOVAH says to me.” And the Princes of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9And God came upon Balaam and said to him: “Who are these men with you?” 10And Balaam said to God: “Balaq, son of Tsephor, the King of Moab; he sent for me and said to me. 11‘Behold a people went out from Egypt and cover the face of the land; now come curse it for me; doubtless I am able to fight with it and I shall destroy it.” 12And God said to Balaam: “Do not go with them and do not curse the people, because it is blessed.” 13And Balaam arose at dawn and said to the Princes of Balaam: “Go to your land, because LORD JEHOVAH does not want to let me go with you.” 14And the Princes of Moab arose and they came to Balaq, and they were saying to him: “Balaam did not want to come with us.”

15And Balaq returned again and he sent greater and more honorable Messengers than those. 16And they came to Balaam and they said to him: “Thus says Balaq, son of Tsephor, ‘Do not refrain to come to me, 17Because surely I shall honor you greatly and everything that you say to me I shall do, and come, curse for me this people.’” 18And Balaam answered and said to the Servants of Balaq: “If Balaq will give to me his house full of silver or gold, I cannot pass over the word of the mouth of LORD JEHOVAH my God, not for the small, neither for the great. 19Therefore stay also here for the night and I shall know what LORD JEHOVAH continues to speak with me.” 20And God came on Balaam in the night and said to him: “If these men came to call you, arise, go with them; only the response that I say to you, make that.”

21And Balaam arose at dawn and mounted on his donkey and he went on with the Princes of Moab.

22And the wrath of God was provoked against him because he went, and the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH stood in the road to be Satan an adversary to him, and he rode on his donkey and his two young men with him. 23And the donkey saw the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH who was standing in the way and his sword drawn and held in his hand, and the donkey turned away from the way and went in the field, and Balaam struck the donkey for her turning out of the road. 24And the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH stood in the path of the vineyard with a wall here and a wall there. 25And the donkey saw the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH and she thrust into the wall and thrust the feet of Balaam into the wall and he continued to hit her. 26And the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH went on and he passed by and stood in the narrow place where there was no way to turn, not to the right neither to the left. 27And the donkey saw the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH and lay down under Balaam and provoked the wrath of Balaam and he hit the donkey with a rod. 28And LORD JEHOVAH opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam: “What have I done to you that you have hit me now three times?” 29And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have mocked me, and if there were a sword in my hands now, I would have killed you.” 30And the donkey said to Balaam: “Was I not your donkey that you ride upon me from your youth and until today? Have I ever done to you in this way? He said to her, ‘No.’”

31And LORD JEHOVAH uncovered the eyes of Balaam and he saw the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH standing in the way and his sword drawn and held in his hand, and bowing, he fell on his face. 32And the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH said to him, “Why have you struck your she donkey now three times? Behold I have come out to be to you an adversary, because you have directed the way contrary to me. 33And 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. 34And Balaam said to the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH: “I have sinned; I did not know that you stood in front of me in the road. Now, if it is evil in your eyes, I shall return.” 35And the Angel of LORD JEHOVAH said to Balaam: “Go with the men, only the word that I speak to you, do that”, and Balaam went on with the Princes of Balaq.

36And Balaq heard that Balaam came, and he went out to meet him to a village of Moab that is on the border of Arnon on the edges of the border. 37And Balaq said to Balaam: “Behold, I have sent for you to call you. Why did you not come to me? Perhaps you had said, that I am not able honor you?” 38And Balaam said to Balaq, “Behold, I have come to you now, for surely I am not able to say anything but the word that God lays down in my mouth; that is what I say.” 39And Balaam went on with Balaq and brought him to the city Khetsroth. 40And Balaq slaughtered bulls and sheep and he sent to Balaam and to the Princes of his people.

41And when it was dawn, Balaq led Balaam and took him up to the high place of Baala, and he saw from there the uttermost reaches of the people.