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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Numbers 22 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/numbers/22.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/numbers/22-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</a> > Numbers 22</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../numbers/21.htm" title="Numbers 21">◄</a> Numbers 22 <a href="../numbers/23.htm" title="Numbers 23">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/numbers/22.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">Balak Sends for Balaam</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Then the people of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>Balak son of Zippor, the Moabite king, had seen everything the Israelites did to the Amorites. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>And when the people of Moab saw how many Israelites there were, they were terrified. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This mob will devour everything in sight, like an ox devours grass in the field!”</p><p class="reg">So Balak, king of Moab, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>sent messengers to call Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> near the Euphrates River.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> His message said:</p><p class="b"/><p class="pmo">“Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curses fall on people you curse.”</p><p class="b"/><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Balak’s messengers, who were elders of Moab and Midian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> They went to Balaam and delivered Balak’s message to him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>“Stay here overnight,” Balaam said. “In the morning I will tell you whatever the LORD directs me to say.” So the officials from Moab stayed there with Balaam.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>That night God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men visiting you?”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>‘Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps I will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.’”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>The next morning Balaam got up and told Balak’s officials, “Go on home! The LORD will not let me go with you.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>So the Moabite officials returned to King Balak and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials than those he had sent the first time. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>They went to Balaam and delivered this message to him:</p><p class="b"/><p class="pmo">“This is what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to help me. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>I will pay you very well and do whatever you tell me. Just come and curse these people for me!”</p><p class="b"/><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>But Balaam responded to Balak’s messengers, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filled with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the LORD my God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>But stay here one more night, and I will see if the LORD has anything else to say to me.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.”</p><p class="hdg">Balaam and His Donkey</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>So the next morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>But God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the LORD to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>Then the angel of the LORD stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Then the angel of the LORD moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Then the LORD gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>“You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>“But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”</p><p class="reg">“No,” Balaam admitted.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>“Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the LORD demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>But the angel of the LORD told Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-36.htm"><b>36</b></a></span>When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he went out to meet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River at the farthest border of his land.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-37.htm"><b>37</b></a></span>“Didn’t I send you an urgent invitation? Why didn’t you come right away?” Balak asked Balaam. “Didn’t you believe me when I said I would reward you richly?”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-38.htm"><b>38</b></a></span>Balaam replied, “Look, now I have come, but I have no power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.” <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-39.htm"><b>39</b></a></span>Then Balaam accompanied Balak to Kiriath-huzoth, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-40.htm"><b>40</b></a></span>where the king sacrificed cattle and sheep. He sent portions of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/numbers/22-41.htm"><b>41</b></a></span>The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see some of the people of Israel spread out below him.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">22:5a </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">who was at Pethor in the land of the Amavites.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">22:5b </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">the river.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">22:7 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">set out with the money of divination in their hand.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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