Then Israel made an oath to the Lord, and said, If you will give up this people into my hands, then I will send complete destruction on all their towns.

And the Lord, in answer to the voice of Israel, gave the Canaanites up to them; and they put them and their towns completely to destruction: and that place was named Hormah.

Then they went on from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, going round the land of Edom: and the spirit of the people was overcome with weariness on the way.

And crying out against God and against Moses, they said, Why have you taken us out of Egypt to come to our death in the waste land? For there is no bread and no water, and this poor bread is disgusting to us.

Then the Lord sent poison-snakes among the people; and their bites were a cause of death to numbers of the people of Israel.

Then the people came to Moses and said, We have done wrong in crying out against the Lord and against you: make prayer to the Lord to take away the snakes from us. So Moses made prayer for the people.

And the Lord said to Moses, Make an image of a snake and put it on a rod, and anyone who has been wounded by the snakes, looking on it will be made well.

The slope of the valleys going down to the tents of Ar and touching the edge of Moab.

From there they went on to Beer, the water-spring of which the Lord said to Moses, Make the people come together and I will give them water.

Then Israel gave voice to this song: Come up, O water-spring, let us make a song to it:

The fountain made by the chiefs, made deep by the great ones of the people, with the law-givers' rod, and with their sticks. Then from the waste land they went on to Mattanah:

And from Mattanah to Nahaliel: and from Nahaliel to Bamoth:

And from Bamoth to the valley in the open country of Moab, and to the top of Pisgah looking over Jeshimon.

And Israel sent men to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying,

And Sihon would not let Israel go through his land; but got all his people together and went out against Israel into the waste land, as far as Jahaz, to make war on Israel.

But Israel overcame him, and took all his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the country of the children of Ammon, for the country of the children of Ammon was strongly armed.

So the makers of wise sayings say, Come to Heshbon, building up the town of Sihon and making it strong:

They are wounded with our arrows; destruction has come on Heshbon, even to Dibon; and we have made the land waste as far as Nophah, stretching out to Medeba.

And Moses sent men secretly to Jazer, and they took its towns, driving out the Amorites who were living there.

Then turning they went up by the way of Bashan; and Og, king of Bashan, went out against them with all his people, to the fight at Edrei.

And the Lord said to Moses, Have no fear of him: for I have given him up into your hands, with all his people and his land; do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, at Heshbon.

Now Balak, the son of Zippor, saw what Israel had done to the Amorites.

Then Moab said to the responsible men of Midian, It is clear that this great people will be the destruction of everything round us, making a meal of us as the ox does of the grass of the field. At that time Balak, the son of Zippor, was king of Moab.

So he sent men to Balaam, son of Beor, at Pethor by the River in the land of the children of his people, saying to him, See, a people has come out of Egypt, covering all the face of the earth, and they have put up their tents opposite to me:

Come now, in answer to my prayer, and put a curse on this people, for they are greater than I: and then I may be strong enough to overcome them and send them out of the land: for it is clear that good comes to him who has your blessing, but he on whom you put your curse is cursed.

So the responsible men of Moab and Midian went away, taking in their hands rewards for the prophet; and they came to Balaam and said to him what Balak had given them orders to say.

And he said to them, Take your rest here tonight, and I will give you an answer after hearing what the Lord says; so the chiefs of Moab kept there with Balaam that night.

And God came to Balaam and said, Who are these men with you?

And Balaam said to God, Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent them to me, saying,

See, the people who have come out of Egypt are covering all the earth: now, put a curse on this people for me, so that I may be able to make war on them, driving them out of the land.

And God said to Balaam, You are not to go with them, or put a curse on this people, for they have my blessing.

In the morning Balaam got up and said to the chiefs of Balak, Go back to your land, for the Lord will not let me go with you.

So the chiefs of Moab went back to Balak and said, Balaam will not come with us.

And they came to Balaam and said, Balak, son of Zippor, says, Let nothing keep you from coming to me:

For I will give you a place of very great honour, and whatever you say to me I will do; so come, in answer to my prayer, and put a curse on this people.

But Balaam, in answer; said to the servants of Balak, Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, it would not be possible for me to do anything more or less than the orders of the Lord my God.

So take your rest here this night, till I have knowledge what more the Lord has to say to me.

And that night God came to Balaam and said to him, If these men have come for you, go with them: but do only what I say to you.

But God was moved to wrath because he went: and the angel of the Lord took up a position in the road to keep him from his purpose. Now he was seated on his ass, and his two servants were with him.

And the ass saw the angel of the Lord waiting in the road with his sword in his hand; and turning from the road, the ass went into the field; and Balaam gave the ass blows, to get her back on to the road.

Then the angel of the Lord went further, stopping in a narrow place where there was no room for turning to the right or to the left.

Then the Lord gave the ass the power of talking, and opening her mouth she said to Balaam, What have I done to you that you have given me blows these three times?

And Balaam said to the ass, You have made me seem foolish: if only I had a sword in my hand I would put you to death.

And the ass said to Balaam, Am I not your ass upon which you have gone all your life till this day? and have I ever done this to you before? And he said, No.

Then the Lord made Balaam's eyes open, and he saw the angel of the Lord in the way with his sword in his hand: and he went down on his face to the earth.

And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why have you given your ass blows these three times? See, I have come out against you to keep you back, because your purpose is not pleasing to me.

And the ass saw me, turning to one side from me three times: if she had not gone to one side, I would certainly have put you to death and kept her safe.

And Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, I have done wrong, for I did not see that you were in the way against me: but now, if it is evil in your eyes, I will go back again.

And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, Go with the men; but say only what I give you to say. Then Balaam went on with the chiefs of Balak.

Now Balak, hearing that Balaam had come, went to the chief town of Moab, on the edge of the Arnon, in the farthest part of the land, for the purpose of meeting him.

And Balak said to Balaam, Did I not send to you, requesting you with all my heart to come to me? why did you not come? am I not able to give you a place of honour?

Then Balaam said to Balak, Now I have come to you; but have I power to say anything? Only what God puts into my mouth may I say.

And Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-huzoth.

And Balak made offerings of oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam and the chiefs who were with him.

And in the morning Balak took Balaam up to the high places of Baal, and from there he was able to see the outer limits of the people.

And Balaam said to Balak, Make me here seven altars and get ready seven oxen and seven male sheep.

Then Balaam said to Balak, Take your place by your burned offering, and I will go and see if the Lord comes to me: and I will give you word of whatever he says to me. And he went to an open place on a hill.

And God came to Balaam, and Balaam said to him, I have made ready seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar

And the Lord put words in Balaam's mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say.

So he went back to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with all the chiefs of Moab.

From the top of the rocks I see him, looking down on him from the hills: it is a people made separate, not to be numbered among the nations.

Who is able to take the measure of the dust of Jacob or the number of the thousands of Israel? May my death be the death of the upright and my last end like his!

Then Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I sent for you so that my haters might be cursed, and see, you have given them a blessing.

And in answer he said, Am I not ordered to say only what the Lord puts into my mouth?

And Balak said to him, Come with me now into another place from which you will not be able to see them all, but only the outskirts of them; and you will send curses on them from there.

So he took him into the country of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and there they made seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar

Then he said to Balak, Take your place here by your burned offering, while I go over there to the Lord.

And the Lord came to Balaam, and put words in his mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say.

So he came to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with the chiefs of Moab by his side. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord said?

And in the words which the Lord had given him he said, Up! Balak, and give ear; give attention to me, O son of Zippor:

God is not a man, to say what is false; or the son of man, that his purpose may be changed: what he has said, will he not do? and will he not give effect to the words of his mouth

See, I have had orders to give blessing: and he has given a blessing which I have no power to take away.

See, Israel comes up like a she-lion, lifting himself up like a lion: he will take no rest till he has made a meal of those he has overcome, drinking the blood of those he has put to death.

Then Balak said to Balaam, If you will not put a curse on them, at all events do not give them a blessing.

But Balaam in answer said to Balak, Did I not say to you, I may only do what the Lord says?

Then Balak said to Balaam, Come now, I will take you to another place; it may be that God will let you put a curse on them from there.

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, looking down over the waste land.

And Balaam said to Balak, Make me seven altars here and get seven oxen and seven male sheep ready for me.

Now when Balaam saw that it was the Lord's pleasure to give his blessing to Israel, he did not, as at other times, make use of secret arts, but turning his face to the waste land,

He says, whose ears are open to the words of God, who has seen the vision of the Ruler of all, falling down, but having his eyes open:

Then Balak was full of wrath against Balaam, and angrily waving his hands he said to Balaam, I sent for you so that those who are against me might be cursed, but now, see, three times you have given them a blessing.

Go back quickly to the place you came from: it was my purpose to give you a place of honour, but now the Lord has kept you back from honour.

Then Balaam said to Balak, Did I not say to the men you sent to me,

Even if Balak gave me his house full of silver and gold, it would not be possible for me to go outside the orders of the Lord, doing good or evil at the impulse of my mind; whatever the Lord says I will say?

So now I will go back to my people: but first let me make clear to you what this people will do to your people in days to come.

He says, whose ear is open to the words of God, who has knowledge of the Most High, who has seen the vision of the Ruler of all, falling down and having his eyes open:

I see him, but not now: looking on him, but not near: a star will come out of Jacob, and a rod of authority out of Israel, sending destruction to the farthest limits of Moab and on the head of all the sons of Sheth.

Edom will be his heritage, and he will put an end to the last of the people of Seir.

Then, turning his eyes to Amalek, he went on with his story and said, Amalek was the first of the nations, but his part will be destruction for ever.

Then Balaam got up and went back to his place: and Balak went away.

Now when Israel was living in Shittim the people became false to the Lord, doing evil with the daughters of Moab:

For they sent for the people to be present at the offerings made to their gods; and the people took part in their feasts and gave honour to their gods.

So Israel had relations with the women of Moab in honour of the Baal of Peor: and the Lord was moved to wrath against Israel.

Then the Lord said to Moses, Take all the chiefs of the people, hanging them up in the sun before the Lord, so that the wrath of the Lord may be turned from Israel.

So Moses said to the judges of Israel, Let everyone put to death those of his men who have had relations with the women of Moab in honour of the Baal of Peor.

Then one of the children of Israel came to his brothers, taking with him a woman of Midian, before the eyes of Moses and all the meeting of the people, while they were weeping at the door of the Tent of meeting.

And went after the man of Israel into the tent, driving the spear through the two of them, through the man of Israel and through the stomach of the woman. So the disease was stopped among the children of Israel.

But twenty-four thousand of them had come to their death by the disease.

And the Lord said to Moses,

So say to them that I will make with him an agreement of peace: