1 And the sons of Israel journey and encamp in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan, [by] Jericho. 2 And Balak son of Zippor seeth all that Israel hath done to the Amorite, 3 and Moab is exceedingly afraid of the presence of the people, for it [is] numerous; and Moab is vexed by the presence of the sons of Israel, 4 and Moab saith unto the elders of Midian, 'Now doth the assembly lick up all that is round about us, as the ox licketh up the green thing of the field.' And Balak son of Zippor [is] king of Moab at that time, 5 and he sendeth messengers unto Balaam son of Beor, to Pethor, which [is] by the River of the land of the sons of his people, to call for him, saying, 'Lo, a people hath come out of Egypt; lo, it hath covered the eye of the land, and it is abiding over-against me; 6 and now, come, I pray thee, curse for me this people, for it [is] mightier than I; it may be I prevail — we smite it — and I cast it out from the land; for I have known — that which thou blessest is blessed, and that which thou cursest is cursed.' 7 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian go, and divinations in their hand, and they come in unto Balaam, and speak unto him the words of Balak, 8 and he saith unto them, 'Lodge here to-night, and I have brought you back word, as Jehovah speaketh unto me;' and the princes of Moab abide with Balaam. 9 And God cometh in unto Balaam, and saith, 'Who [are] these men with thee?' 10 And Balaam saith unto God, 'Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me: 11 Lo, the people that is coming out from Egypt and covereth the eye of the land, — now come, pierce it for me; it may be I am able to fight against it, and have cast it out;' 12 and God saith unto Balaam, 'Thou dost not go with them; thou dost not curse the people; for it [is] blessed.' 13 And Balaam riseth in the morning, and saith unto the princes of Balak, 'Go unto your land, for Jehovah is refusing to suffer me to go with you;' 14 and the princes of Moab rise, and come in unto Balak, and say, 'Balaam is refusing to come with us.' 15 And Balak addeth yet to send princes, more numerous and honoured than these, 16 and they come in unto Balaam, and say to him, 'Thus said Balak son of Zippor, Be not, I pray thee, withheld from coming unto me, 17 for very greatly I honour thee, and all that thou sayest unto me I do; and come, I pray thee, pierce for me this people.' 18 And Balaam answereth and saith unto the servants of Balak, 'If Balak doth give to me the fulness of his house of silver and gold, I am not able to pass over the command of Jehovah my God, to do a little or a great thing; 19 and, now, abide, I pray you, in this [place], you also, to-night; and I know what Jehovah is adding to speak with me.' 20 And God cometh in unto Balaam, by night, and saith to him, 'If to call for thee the men have come, rise, go with them, and only the thing which I speak unto thee — it thou dost do.' 21 And Balaam riseth in the morning, and saddleth his ass, and goeth with the princes of Moab, 22 and the anger of God burneth because he is going, and a messenger of Jehovah stationeth himself in the way for an adversary to him, and he is riding on his ass, and two of his servants [are] with him, 23 and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing in the way, and his drawn sword in his hand, and the ass turneth aside out of the way, and goeth into a field, and Balaam smiteth the ass to turn it aside into the way. 24 And the messenger of Jehovah standeth in a narrow path of the vineyards — a wall on this [side] and a wall on that — 25 and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah, and is pressed unto the wall, and presseth Balaam's foot unto the wall, and he addeth to smite her; 26 and the messenger of Jehovah addeth to pass over, and standeth in a strait place where there is no way to turn aside — right or left — 27 and the ass seeth the messenger of Jehovah, and croucheth under Balaam, and the anger of Balaam burneth, and he smiteth the ass with a staff. 28 And Jehovah openeth the mouth of the ass, and she saith to Balaam, 'What have I done to thee that thou hast smitten me these three times?' 29 and Balaam saith to the ass, 'Because thou hast rolled thyself against me; oh that there were a sword in my hand, for now I had slain thee;' 30 and the ass saith unto Balaam, 'Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden since [I was] thine unto this day? have I at all been accustomed to do to thee thus?' and he saith, 'No.' 31 And Jehovah uncovereth the eyes of Balaam, and he seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing in the way, and his drawn sword in his hand, and he boweth and doth obeisance, to his face; 32 and the messenger of Jehovah saith unto him, 'Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? lo, I — I have come out for an adversary, for [thy] way hath been perverse before me, 33 and the ass seeth me, and turneth aside at my presence these three times; unless she had turned aside from my presence, surely now also, thee I had slain, and her kept alive.' 34 And Balaam saith unto the messenger of Jehovah, 'I have sinned, for I did not know that thou [art] standing to meet me in the way; and now, if evil in thine eyes — I turn back by myself.' 35 And the messenger of Jehovah saith unto Balaam, 'Go with the men; and only the word which I speak unto thee — it thou dost speak;' and Balaam goeth with the princes of Balak. 36 And Balak heareth that Balaam hath come, and goeth out to meet him, unto a city of Moab, which [is] on the border of Arnon, which [is] in the extremity of the border; 37 and Balak saith unto Balaam, 'Did I not diligently sent unto thee to call for thee? why didst thou not come unto me? am I not truly able to honour thee?' 38 And Balaam saith unto Balak, 'Lo, I have come unto thee; now — am I at all able to speak anything? the word which God setteth in my mouth — it I do speak.' 39 And Balaam goeth with Balak, and they come to Kirjath-Huzoth, 40 and Balak sacrificeth oxen and sheep, and sendeth to Balaam, and to the princes who [are] with him; 41 and it cometh to pass in the morning, that Balak taketh Balaam, and causeth him to go up the high places of Baal, and he seeth from thence the extremity of the people.
Numbers · Young's Literal Translation
Numbers 22 Young's Literal Translation
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Balaam
The son of Beor from Pethor, hired by Balak to curse Israel, who could only bless Israel after the angel of the LORD stopped his donkey, and who was later killed by the sword…
Cited in the guide: Numbers 22:5; Numbers 22:12; Numbers 24:3
Balak
The son of Zippor and king of Moab, who feared Israel and hired Balaam to curse them, but each oracle from the high places turned into a blessing.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 22:2; Numbers 22:4; Numbers 23:2
Beor
The father of the diviner Balaam, whose home was Pethor by the Euphrates.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 22:5; Numbers 24:3; Deuteronomy 23:4
Zippor
The father of Balak, king of Moab.
Cited in the guide: Numbers 22:2; Numbers 22:4; Joshua 24:9
Cross references (36)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Numbers 33:48–50; Numbers 32:19; Joshua 3:16; Numbers 21:20; Deuteronomy 34:1
- 2 Judges 11:25; Numbers 21:20–35; Numbers 21:3
- 3 Exodus 15:15; Isaiah 23:5; Joshua 9:24; Joshua 2:10–11; Deuteronomy 2:25
- 4 Numbers 25:15–18; Numbers 31:8; Jeremiah 48:38; Numbers 22:2; Joshua 13:21–22
- 5 Deuteronomy 23:4; Micah 6:5; Joshua 24:9; Jude 11; Numbers 23:7
- 6 Numbers 24:9; Numbers 23:7–8; 1 Kings 22:13; 1 Samuel 17:43; Genesis 12:3
- 7 Micah 3:11; 1 Samuel 9:7–8; 2 Peter 2:15; Isaiah 56:11; 1 Timothy 6:9–10
- 8 Numbers 23:12; Numbers 22:19–20; Jeremiah 12:2; Numbers 12:6; Ezekiel 33:31
- 9 Genesis 20:3; Numbers 22:20; Genesis 3:9–11; Daniel 4:31–32; Exodus 4:2
- 12 Deuteronomy 23:5; Ephesians 1:3; Romans 11:29; Numbers 23:19–20; Genesis 12:2
- 13 Numbers 22:14; Deuteronomy 23:5
- 14 Numbers 22:13; Numbers 22:37
- 15 Acts 10:7–8; Numbers 22:7–8
- 17 Numbers 24:11; Matthew 4:8–9; Numbers 23:2–3; Esther 7:9; Deuteronomy 16:9
- 18 Numbers 24:13; 2 Chronicles 18:13; 1 Kings 22:14; Numbers 23:26; Numbers 22:38
- 19 Jude 11; 2 Peter 2:15; 2 Peter 2:3; 1 Timothy 6:9–10; Numbers 22:7–8
- 20 Numbers 24:13; Numbers 23:26; Numbers 23:12; Numbers 22:35; 2 Thessalonians 2:9–12
- 21 Proverbs 1:15–16
- 22 Lamentations 2:4; Numbers 22:32; Exodus 4:24; Exodus 23:20; Hosea 12:4–5
- 23 Jude 11; 2 Peter 2:16; 1 Corinthians 1:27–29; Jeremiah 8:7; Acts 22:9
- 25 Job 5:13–15; Isaiah 47:12
- 26 Hosea 2:6; Isaiah 26:11
- 27 Proverbs 14:16; James 1:19; Proverbs 27:3–4
- 28 2 Peter 2:16; Luke 1:37; Exodus 4:11; 1 Corinthians 1:19; Romans 8:22
- 29 Proverbs 12:10; Proverbs 12:16; Matthew 15:19; Ecclesiastes 9:3
- 30 2 Peter 2:16; 1 Corinthians 1:27–28
- 31 Genesis 21:19; Luke 24:31; Acts 26:18; Numbers 24:16; Numbers 24:4
- 32 Proverbs 28:18; Numbers 22:22; Acts 13:10; Proverbs 14:2; Proverbs 28:6
- 33 Numbers 16:33–35; Numbers 14:37; 1 Kings 13:24–28
- 34 1 Samuel 15:24; Job 34:31–32; 2 Samuel 12:13; 1 Samuel 15:30; 1 Samuel 26:21
- 35 2 Thessalonians 2:9–12; Isaiah 37:26–29; Psalm 81:12; Numbers 22:20–21
- 36 Acts 28:15; Jeremiah 48:20; Isaiah 16:2; Deuteronomy 2:24; Genesis 18:2
- 37 Numbers 24:11; John 5:44; Matthew 4:8–9; Psalm 75:6; Luke 4:6
- 38 Numbers 22:18; Proverbs 19:21; Numbers 23:26; Numbers 23:16; 1 Kings 22:14
- 40 Numbers 23:14; Proverbs 1:16; Genesis 31:54; Numbers 23:30; Numbers 23:2
- 41 Numbers 23:13; Numbers 25:2–3; Numbers 21:28; Deuteronomy 12:2; Jeremiah 48:35
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
"Thou shall not go with them, neither shalt thou curse the people." He does not hint at anything with regard to the people, for they all lay before his view, but [he refers] to the mystery of Christ pointed out beforehand.