Balak Summons Balaam

22 Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab^(A) and camped along the Jordan^(B) across from Jericho.^(C)

² Now Balak son of Zippor^(D) saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, ³ and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread^(E) because of the Israelites.

⁴ The Moabites^(F) said to the elders of Midian,^(G) “This horde is going to lick up everything^(H) around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field.^(I)”

So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, ⁵ sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor,^(J) who was at Pethor, near the Euphrates River,^(K) in his native land. Balak said:

⁷ The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.^(O) When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.

⁸ “Spend the night here,” Balaam said to them, “and I will report back to you with the answer the Lord gives me.^(P)” So the Moabite officials stayed with him.

⁹ God came to Balaam^(Q) and asked,^(R) “Who are these men with you?”

¹⁰ Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: ¹¹ ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’”

¹² But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.^(S)”

¹³ The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, “Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.”

¹⁴ So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”

¹⁵ Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first. ¹⁶ They came to Balaam and said:

¹⁸ But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.^{(V) 19} Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.^(W)”

²⁰ That night God came to Balaam^(X) and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”^(Y)

Balaam’s Donkey

²¹ Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. ²² But God was very angry^(Z) when he went, and the angel of the Lord^(AA) stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. ²³ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword^(AB) in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it^(AC) to get it back on the road.

²⁴ Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. ²⁵ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.

²⁶ Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. ²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry^(AD) and beat it with his staff. ²⁸ Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth,^(AE) and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?^(AF)”

²⁹ Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.^(AG)”

³⁰ The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”

“No,” he said.

³¹ Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes,^(AH) and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.

³² The angel of the Lord asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.^{[a] 33} The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now,^(AI) but I would have spared it.”

³⁴ Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned.^(AJ) I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”

³⁵ The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

³⁶ When Balak^(AK) heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite town on the Arnon^(AL) border, at the edge of his territory. ³⁷ Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why didn’t you come to me? Am I really not able to reward you?”

³⁸ “Well, I have come to you now,” Balaam replied. “But I can’t say whatever I please. I must speak only what God puts in my mouth.”^(AM)

³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath Huzoth. ⁴⁰ Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep,^(AN) and gave some to Balaam and the officials who were with him. ⁴¹ The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal,^(AO) and from there he could see the outskirts of the Israelite camp.^(AP)

Balaam’s First Message

23 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams^(AQ) for me.” ² Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.^(AR)

³ Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me.^(AS) Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.

⁴ God met with him,^(AT) and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”

⁵ The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth^(AU) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”^(AV)

⁶ So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials.^{(AW) 7} Then Balaam^(AX) spoke his message:^(AY)

¹¹ Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies,^(BJ) but you have done nothing but bless them!”^(BK)

¹² He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”^(BL)

Balaam’s Second Message

¹³ Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place^(BM) where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp.^(BN) And from there, curse them for me.^(BO)” ¹⁴ So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah,^(BP) and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.^(BQ)

¹⁵ Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”

¹⁶ The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth^(BR) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”

¹⁷ So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials.^(BS) Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”

¹⁸ Then he spoke his message:^(BT)

²⁵ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

²⁶ Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”^(CM)

Balaam’s Third Message

²⁷ Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place.^(CN) Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me^(CO) from there.” ²⁸ And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor,^(CP) overlooking the wasteland.

²⁹ Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” ³⁰ Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.^(CQ)

24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,^(CR) he did not resort to divination^(CS) as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.^{(CT) 2} When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him^{(CU) 3} and he spoke his message:

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger burned^(DJ) against Balaam. He struck his hands together^(DK) and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies,^(DL) but you have blessed them^(DM) these three times.^{(DN) 11} Now leave at once and go home!^(DO) I said I would reward you handsomely,^(DP) but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”

¹² Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,^{(DQ) 13} ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord^(DR)—and I must say only what the Lord says’?^{(DS) 14} Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”^(DT)

Balaam’s Fourth Message

¹⁵ Then he spoke his message:

Balaam’s Fifth Message

²⁰ Then Balaam saw Amalek^(EG) and spoke his message:

Balaam’s Sixth Message

²¹ Then he saw the Kenites^(EI) and spoke his message:

Balaam’s Seventh Message

²³ Then he spoke his message:

²⁵ Then Balaam^(EP) got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.

⁹ Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses^(A) that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion and Mahlon. ¹⁰ I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite,^(B) Mahlon’s widow, as my wife,^(C) in order to maintain the name of the dead with his property, so that his name will not disappear from among his family or from his hometown.^(D) Today you are witnesses!^(E)”

¹¹ Then the elders and all the people at the gate^(F) said, “We are witnesses.^(G) May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah,^(H) who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah^(I) and be famous in Bethlehem.^{(J) 12} Through the offspring the Lord gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez,^(K) whom Tamar^(L) bore to Judah.”

Naomi Gains a Son

¹³ So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive,^(M) and she gave birth to a son.^{(N) 14} The women^(O) said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord,^(P) who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer.^(Q) May he become famous throughout Israel! ¹⁵ He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law,^(R) who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons,^(S) has given him birth.”

¹⁶ Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. ¹⁷ The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse,^(T) the father of David.^(U)

¹⁰ Then Ezra^(A) the priest stood up and said to them, “You have been unfaithful; you have married foreign women, adding to Israel’s guilt.^{(B) 11} Now honor^[a] the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples around you and from your foreign wives.”^(C)

¹² The whole assembly responded with a loud voice:^(D) “You are right! We must do as you say. ¹³ But there are many people here and it is the rainy season; so we cannot stand outside. Besides, this matter cannot be taken care of in a day or two, because we have sinned greatly in this thing. ¹⁴ Let our officials act for the whole assembly. Then let everyone in our towns who has married a foreign woman come at a set time, along with the elders and judges^(E) of each town, until the fierce anger^(F) of our God in this matter is turned away from us.” ¹⁵ Only Jonathan son of Asahel and Jahzeiah son of Tikvah, supported by Meshullam and Shabbethai^(G) the Levite, opposed this.

¹⁶ So the exiles did as was proposed. Ezra the priest selected men who were family heads, one from each family division, and all of them designated by name. On the first day of the tenth month they sat down to investigate the cases, ¹⁷ and by the first day of the first month they finished dealing with all the men who had married foreign women.

Those Guilty of Intermarriage

⁴⁴ All these had married foreign women, and some of them had children by these wives.^[c]

Nehemiah’s Final Reforms

13 On that day the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people and there it was found written that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever be admitted into the assembly of God,^{(A) 2} because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam^(B) to call a curse down on them.^(C) (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)^{(D) 3} When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all who were of foreign descent.^(E)

²³ Moreover, in those days I saw men of Judah who had married^(A) women from Ashdod, Ammon and Moab.^{(B) 24} Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or the language of one of the other peoples, and did not know how to speak the language^(C) of Judah. ²⁵ I rebuked them and called curses down on them. I beat some of the men and pulled out their hair. I made them take an oath^(D) in God’s name and said: “You are not to give your daughters in marriage to their sons, nor are you to take their daughters in marriage for your sons or for yourselves.^{(E) 26} Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among the many nations there was no king like him.^(F) He was loved by his God,^(G) and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.^{(H) 27} Must we hear now that you too are doing all this terrible wickedness and are being unfaithful to our God by marrying^(I) foreign women?”