Numbers 22 NLT ISV Parallel

◄ Numbers 22 ►

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1Then the people of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho.

1The Israelis continued their travels, eventually encamping on the plains of Moab beside the Jordan River opposite Jericho.

2Balak son of Zippor, the Moabite king, had seen everything the Israelites did to the Amorites.

2Zippor's son Balak saw everything that Israel had done to the Amorites.

3And when the people of Moab saw how many Israelites there were, they were terrified.

3As a result, Moab greatly feared the people, because they were so numerous. Because a sense of impending doom was afflicting the Moabites as they faced the Israelis,

4The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This mob will devour everything in sight, like an ox devours grass in the field!” So Balak, king of Moab,

4the Moabites told the elders of Midian, "This horde of people is about to lick up everything around us, like an ox licks up the green ground." At that time, Zippor's son Balak was the king of Moab.

5sent messengers to call Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor near the Euphrates River. His message said: “Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me.

5He sent messengers to Beor's son Balaam in Pethor, near the Euphrates River, the land where the descendants of his people originated, to summon his aid. He said, "Look! A group of people have escaped from Egypt. They cover the surface of the whole earth, and are sitting here right in front of me.

6Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse.”

6So come right now and curse this people for me, because there are too many of them for me to handle. Perhaps I'll be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land, since I know that whomever you bless is blessed and whomever you curse is cursed."

7Balak’s messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel. They went to Balaam and delivered Balak’s message to him.

7So the elders of Moab and Midian left to visit Balaam, bringing an honorarium with them, and communicated Balak's concerns to him.

8“Stay here overnight,” Balaam said. “In the morning I will tell you whatever the LORD directs me to say.” So the officials from Moab stayed there with Balaam.

8In answer, Balaam told them, "Stay here for the night and I'll bring back a message to you, depending on what the LORD says to me." So the officers of Moab stayed with Balaam overnight.

9That night God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men visiting you?”

9God visited Balaam and asked him, "Who are these men with you?"

10Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message:

10Then Balaam told God, "Zippor's son Balak, king of Moab, sent them to me and said,

11‘Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.’”

11Look! A group of people have escaped from Egypt. They cover the surface of the whole earth! So come right now and curse them for me. Perhaps I'll be able to fight against them and drive them out.'"

12But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!”

12But God told Balaam, "Don't go with them. Don't curse the people, because they're blessed."

13The next morning Balaam got up and told Balak’s officials, “Go on home! The LORD will not let me go with you.”

13So Balaam got up the next morning and told Balak's officials, "Go back to your homeland, because the LORD has refused me permission to go with you."

14So the Moabite officials returned to King Balak and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

14So Balak's officials got up, returned to Balak and reported, "Balaam refused to come with us."

15Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials than those he had sent the first time.

15In response, Balak sent more officers—higher ranking ones, at that!—

16They went to Balaam and delivered this message to him: “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to help me.

16who approached Balaam with this message: "This is what Zippor's son Balak says: 'Don't let anything get in the way of your coming to me.

17I will pay you very well and do whatever you tell me. Just come and curse these people for me!”

17I'm determined to reward you generously, and I'll do everything you tell me to do. So come right away and curse this people for me.'"

18But Balaam responded to Balak’s messengers, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD my God.

18Balaam responded to Balak's entourage by saying, "Even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I won't double-cross the command of the LORD my God in even the slightest way.

19But stay here one more night, and I will see if the LORD has anything else to say to me.”

19Meanwhile, stay here overnight so I may learn what the LORD might say to me."

20That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.” Balaam and His Donkey

20God came to visit Balaam that same night and told him, "If the men come to call on you, get up and go with them, but be sure to do only what I tell you to do."

21So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials.

21The next morning, Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started to leave, accompanied by the Moabite officials.

22But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the LORD to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along,

22At this, the anger of the LORD flared up against Balaam, because he was leaving. So the angel of the LORD stood in the way to oppose him. As Balaam was riding his donkey, accompanied by two of his servants,

23Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road.

23all of a sudden the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with an unsheathed sword in his hand! The donkey turned off the road and went into an open field. Balaam started beating the donkey in order to turn her back to the road,

24Then the angel of the LORD stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls.

24but the angel of the LORD stood on a narrow path that crossed the vineyards. It had walls on both sides of the path.

25When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again.

25When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she squeezed herself so close to the wall that Balaam's foot was pressed to the wall. So he beat her again!

26Then the angel of the LORD moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all.

26Then the angel of the LORD went along a little further and stood in a much narrower space, where it was impossible to turn either right or left.

27This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.

27When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she crouched down under Balaam. As a result, Balaam got so angry that he started to whip the donkey with his staff.

28Then the LORD gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

28That's when the LORD enabled the donkey to speak. She asked Balaam, "What did I do to you that you would beat me in the space of only three footsteps?"

29“You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”

29"Because you're playing a dirty trick on me," Balaam answered the donkey. "If only I had a sword in my hand! I'd kill you right now!"

30“But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” “No,” Balaam admitted.

30But in response, the donkey asked Balaam, "I'm your donkey that you've ridden on in the past without incident, am I not, and I'm the same donkey you're riding on right now, am I not? Am I in the habit of treating you like this?" "No," he admitted.

31Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.

31Then the LORD enabled Balaam to see, so he observed the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with an unsheathed sword in his hand. So he bowed down and prostrated himself on his face.

32“Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the LORD demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me.

32Then the angel of the LORD asked him, "Why did you beat your donkey in the space of only three footsteps? I've come to oppose you, because I say that what you're doing is perverted.

33Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”

33The donkey saw me and turned in front of me in the space of those three footsteps.

34Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”

34If she hadn't turned away from me, I would have killed you by now and left her alive!" At this, Balaam replied to the angel of the LORD, "I've sinned! I didn't know that you were standing to meet me on the road. So now, since it displeases you, let me go back."

35But the angel of the LORD told Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials.

35But the angel of the LORD told Balaam, "Go with the men, but deliver only the message that I'm going to give you." So Balaam went with Balak's officials.

36When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he went out to meet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River at the farthest border of his land.

36When Balak heard that Balaam had arrived, he went out to meet him in the city of Moab on the border of Arnon at the extreme end of his territory.

37“Didn’t I send you an urgent invitation? Why didn’t you come right away?” Balak asked Balaam. “Didn’t you believe me when I said I would reward you richly?”

37Balak asked Balaam, "Didn't I repeatedly send for you to summon you? Why didn't you come to me? I can pay you well, can't I?"

38Balaam replied, “Look, now I have come, but I have no power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.”

38Balaam answered Balak, "Well, I'm here now. I've come to you, but I can't just say anything, can I? I'll speak only what God puts in my mouth to say."

39Then Balaam accompanied Balak to Kiriath-huzoth,

39So accompanied by Balaam and Balak's officials, Balak traveled to Kiriath-huzoth,

40where the king sacrificed cattle and sheep. He sent portions of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him.

40where he sacrificed oxen and sheep.

41The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see some of the people of Israel spread out below him.

41The next day, Balak brought Balaam up to Bamoth-baal, where he could see part of the community of Israel.

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