And he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates River in the land of Amaw, to summon him, saying, "Look, a nation has come out of Egypt. They cover the face of the earth, and they are settling next to me.

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported to him the words of Balak.

He replied to them, "Stay here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me." So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

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

Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent a message to me, saying,

But God said to Balaam, "You must not go with them; you must not curse the people, for they are blessed."

So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, "Go to your land, for the Lord has refused to permit me to go with you."

So the princes of Moab departed and went back to Balak and said, "Balaam refused to come with us."

And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak son of Zippor: 'Please do not let anything hinder you from coming to me.

Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, "Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment of the Lord my God to do less or more.

God came to Balaam that night, and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but the word that I will say to you, that you must do."

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

And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, so the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. But Balaam beat the donkey, to make her turn back to the road.

And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself into the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he beat her again.

When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. Then Balaam was angry, and he beat his donkey with a staff.

Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?"

And Balaam said to the donkey, "You have made me look stupid; I wish there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now."

The donkey said to Balaam, "Am not I your donkey that you have ridden ever since I was yours until this day? Have I ever attempted to treat you this way?" And he said, "No."

Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; so he bowed his head and threw himself down with his face to the ground.

Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, "I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood against me in the road. So now, if it is evil in your sight, I will go back home."

But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but you may only speak 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 at a city of Moab which was on the border of the Arnon at the boundary of his territory.

Balak said to Balaam, "Did I not send again and again to you to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?"

Balaam said to Balak, "Look, I have come to you. Now, am I able to speak just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth."

So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.

And Balak sacrificed bulls and sheep, and sent some to Balaam, and to the princes who were with him.

Then on the next morning Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to Bamoth Baal. From there he saw the extent of the nation.

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

So Balak did just as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam then offered on each altar a bull and a ram.

Balaam said to Balak, "Station yourself by your burnt offering, and I will go off; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me I will tell you." Then he went to a deserted height.

Then God met Balaam, who said to him, "I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram."

Then the Lord put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you."

Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying, "Balak, the king of Moab, brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, 'Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.'

Then Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary you have only blessed them!"

Balaam replied, "Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?"

So Balak brought Balaam to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

And Balaam said to Balak, "Station yourself here by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there.

Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message in his mouth and said, "Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you."

When Balaam came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, "What has the Lord spoken?"

Balaam uttered his oracle, and said, "Rise up, Balak, and hear; Listen to me, son of Zippor:

Balak said to Balaam, "Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"

But Balaam replied to Balak, "Did I not tell you, 'All that the Lord speaks, I must do'?"

Balak said to Balaam, "Come, please; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there."

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks toward the wilderness.

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

So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at the other times to seek for omens, but he set his face toward the wilderness.

When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

Then he uttered this oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;

Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together. Balak said to Balaam, "I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have done nothing but bless them these three times!

Balaam said to Balak, "Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me,

Then he uttered this oracle: "The oracle of Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;

Then Balaam looked on Amalek and delivered this oracle: "Amalek was the first of the nations, but his end will be that he will perish."

Balaam got up and departed and returned to his home, and Balak also went his way.

They killed the kings of Midian in addition to those slain -- Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba -- five Midianite kings. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

Look, these people through the counsel of Balaam caused the Israelites to act treacherously against the Lord in the matter of Peor -- which resulted in the plague among the community of the Lord!

for they did not meet you with food and water on the way as you came from Egypt, and furthermore, they hired Balaam son of Beor of Pethor in Aram Naharaim to curse you.

But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam and changed the curse to a blessing, for the Lord your God loves you.

The Israelites killed Balaam son of Beor, the omen reader, along with the others.

Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack against Israel. He summoned Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment on you.

I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept prophesying good things about you, and I rescued you from his power.

for they had not met the Israelites with food and water, but instead had hired Balaam to curse them. (Our God, however, turned the curse into blessing.)

My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, how Balaam son of Beor responded to him. Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal, so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly."

By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness,

Woe to them! For they have traveled down Cain's path, and because of greed have abandoned themselves to Balaam's error; hence, they will certainly perish in Korah's rebellion.

But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block before the people of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.