But they fell upon their faces. Then Moses told Aaron. "Take the censer, put fire on it from the altar, and burn some incense. Then walk quickly to the congregation and atone for them, because wrath has already come out from the LORD the plague has begun."

Then the Israelis replied, "Permit us to travel on the highway. If we and our cattle drink your water, we'll pay the price you ask. Only please let us walk through, and nothing more."

Then Balak said, "Please walk with me to another place where you will see them, [but] you will only see part of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there."