He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor [at] Pethor, which [is] by the river, in the land of the children of his people, to summon him, saying, "Look! A people went out from Egypt. Look! They cover {the surface of the land}; they [are about] to dwell opposite me.

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went [with] a fee for divination in their hand; they came to Balaam and spoke the words of Balak to him.

He said to them, "Spend the night here, and I will return, and I will return word to you, just as Yahweh speaks to me." So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

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

And Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent [word] to me,

God said to Balaam, "You will not go with them; you will not curse the people, because they [are] blessed."

Balaam got up in the morning, and he said to the princes of Balak, "Go to your land, because Yahweh refused to allow me to go with you."

The princes of Moab got up and went to Balak, and they said, "Balaam refused to come with us."

They came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak son of Zippor, 'Please, let nothing keep you from coming to me

Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Even though Balak gives to me his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond {the command of Yahweh} my God to do a little or a lot.

And God came to Balaam [at] night, and he said to him, "If the men have come to call you, get up [and] go with them; but only the word that I will speak to you, you will do."

So Balaam got up in the morning and saddled his donkey, and he went with the princes of Moab.

The donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back [to] the road.

When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she pressed herself into the wall, and she pressed the foot of Balaam into the wall, so he struck her again.

When the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, she lay down under Balaam, so {Balaam became angry}, and he struck the donkey with [his] staff.

Yahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What did I do to you that you struck me these three times?"

Balaam said to the donkey, "Because you made a mockery of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!"

The donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life until this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?" He said, "No."

Then Yahweh exposed the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, and he bowed down and worshiped to his face.

Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, "I have sinned because I did not know that you [were] standing to meet me in the road. Now, {if it is displeasing to you}, I will turn back."

The angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but speak only the word that I will speak to you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him by the city of Moab, which [was] on the boundary of Aaron at the end of the territory.

And Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not urgently send to meet with you? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to honor you?"

Balaam said to Balak, "Look, I came to you now. Am I really able to speak anything at all? I speak the word that God puts in my mouth."

Balaam went with Balak, and they came [to] Kiriath-Huzoth.

And Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he sent [them] to Balaam and to the princes who [were] with him.

And it happened, in the morning Balak took Balaam and took him up to Bamoth-Baal, and he saw from there the end of the nation.

Balaam said to Balak, "Build for me this: seven altars. And prepare for me this: seven bulls and seven rams."

And Balak did just as Balaam spoke, and Balak offered Balaam a bull and a ram on the altar.

And Balaam said to Balak, "Station yourself at your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell to you." So he went [to] a barren height.

And God met with Balaam, and he said to him, "I have arranged seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.

Yahweh put a word in the mouth of Balaam and said, "Return to Balak, and you must speak thus."

And Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have surely blessed them!"

Balaam said to Balak, "Station yourself here at the burnt offering while I myself meet with [Yahweh] there."

Then Yahweh met with Balaam, and he put a word in his mouth, and he said, "Return to Balak, and you must speak thus."

Then Balak said to Balaam, "Do not curse them at all, nor bless them at all!"

But Balaam answered and said to Balak, "Did I not speak to you, saying, 'Whatever Yahweh speaks I will do'?"

Then Balak said to Balaam, "Please, come, I will take you to another place; perhaps {it will be acceptable to} God, and you will curse for me from there."

So Balak took Balaam [to] the top of Peor, which looks down on the face of the Jeshimon.

And Balaam said to Balak, "Build for me these seven altars, and prepare for me these seven bulls and seven rams."

Balak did just as Balaam said, and he offered a bull and a ram on [each] altar.

And Balaam saw that {it pleased} Yahweh to bless Israel, and he did not go {as other times} {to seek out} sorcery; instead, he set his face toward the desert.

Balaam lift up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes, and the spirit of God was upon it.

He {uttered} his oracle and said, "The declaration of Balaam son Beor, the declaration of the man [whose] eyes are closed,

Then {Balak became angry with} Balaam, and he clapped his hands and said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, but look, you have surely blessed [them] these three times.

Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying,

And he {uttered} his oracle and said, "The declaration of Balaam son of Beor, and the declaration of the man whose eye is closed,

Then Balaam got up and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.

They killed the kings of Midian in addition to the ones they had slain: Evi and Rekem and Zur and Hur and Reba, the five kings of Midian; they also killed Balaam son of Beor by the sword.

Behold, these women {caused} the {Israelites}, by the word of Balaam, to be in apostasy against Yahweh in the matter of Peor, so that the plague was among the community of Yahweh.

{because} they did not come to meet you with food and with water {when you came out of Egypt}, and [also] {because} they hired Balaam, son of Beor, from Pethor, in Aram Naharaim [to act] against you to curse you

But Yahweh your God was not willing to listen to Balaam, and Yahweh your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because Yahweh your God loved you.

[In addition] to their slain, the {Israelites} killed with the sword Balaam son of Beor, who practiced divination.

Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam son of Beor to curse you,

but I was not willing to listen to Balaam, and he richly blessed you. So I rescued you from his hand,

because they did not come to meet the {Israelites} with bread and water, but hired Balaam against them in order to curse them--but our God changed the curse into a blessing.

O my people, remember what Balak the king of Moab devised, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and [what happened from] Shittim to Gilgal, so that you might know the righteous acts of Yahweh."

[By] leaving the straight path, they have gone astray, [because they] followed the way of Balaam the [son of] Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

Woe to them! For they have traveled in the way of Cain, and have given themselves up to the error of Balaam for gain, and have perished in the rebellion of Korah.

But I have a few [things] against you: that you have there those who hold fast to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat food sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality.