Numbers 21 - 22
Destruction of Canaanite Cities
21Then the Canaanite, the king of aArad, who lived in the 1Negev, heard that Israel was coming by the way of 2Atharim, and he fought against Israel and took some of them captive. 2So aIsrael made a vow to Yahweh and said, “If You will indeed give this people into my hand, then I will devote their cities to destruction.” 3Then Yahweh heard the voice of Israel and gave the Canaanites over; so they devoted them and their cities to destruction. Thus the name of the place was called 1,aHormah.
4Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way to the 1Red Sea, to ago around the land of Edom; and the 2people became impatient on the way. 5And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “aWhy have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no 1food and no water, and 2,bwe loathe this miserable food.”
The Bronze Serpent
6aSo Yahweh sent fiery serpents among the people, and bthey bit the people so that cmany people of Israel died. 7aThen the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned because we have spoken against Yahweh and against you; bpray to Yahweh, that He may remove the serpents from us.” And Moses prayed for the people. 8Then Yahweh said to Moses, “1Make a afiery serpent and set it on a standard; and it will be that everyone who is bitten and looks at it, will live.” 9And Moses made a abronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it happened, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
10aThen the sons of Israel set out and camped in Oboth. 11They then set out from Oboth and camped at Iye-abarim, in the wilderness which is opposite Moab, east toward the sunrise. 12aFrom there they set out and camped in 1Wadi Zered. 13From there they set out and camped on the other side of the Arnon, which is in the wilderness that comes out of the border of the Amorites, afor the Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. 14Therefore it is said in the Book of the Wars of Yahweh, “Waheb in Suphah,And the wadis of the Arnon,
15And the slope of the wadisThat extends to the site of aAr,And leans to the border of Moab.”16aAnd from there they continued to 1Beer, that is the well where Yahweh said to Moses, “Assemble the people, that I may give them water.”
17aThen Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing to it!
18“The well, which the leaders dug,Which the nobles of the people carved out,With the scepter and with their staffs.” And from the wilderness they continued to Mattanah,19and from Mattanah to Nahaliel, and from Nahaliel to Bamoth, 20and from Bamoth to the valley that is in the land of Moab, at the top of Pisgah which overlooks the 1wasteland.
Sihon and Og Struck Down
21aThen Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, saying, 22“aLet me pass through your land. We will not turn off into field or vineyard; we will not drink water from wells. We will go by the king’s highway until we have passed through your border.” 23aBut Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border. So Sihon gathered all his people and went out to meet Israel in the wilderness and came to bJahaz and fought against Israel. 24Then aIsrael 1struck him with the edge of the sword and took possession of his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, as far as the sons of Ammon; for the bborder of the sons of Ammon was 2Jazer. 25And Israel took all these cities, and aIsrael lived in all the cities of the Amorites, in Heshbon, and in all her 1towns. 26For Heshbon was the city of Sihon, king of the Amorites. Now it was he who had fought against the former king of Moab and had taken all his land out of his hand, as far as the Arnon. 27Therefore those who use proverbs say, “Come to Heshbon! Let it be built!So let the city of Sihon be established.
28“aFor a fire went forth from Heshbon,A flame from the town of Sihon;It devoured bAr of Moab,The 1,cdominant 2heights of the Arnon.29“aWoe to you, O Moab!You perish, O people of bChemosh!cHe has given his sons as fugitives,dAnd his daughters into captivity,To an Amorite king, Sihon.30“But we have cast them down,Heshbon perishes as far as aDibon,And we have made desolate even to Nophah,Which reaches to Medeba.”31Thus Israel lived in the land of the Amorites. 32And Moses sent to spy out aJazer, and they captured its towns and dispossessed the Amorites who were there.
33aThen they turned and went up by the way of Bashan, and Og the king of Bashan went out to meet them, he and all his people for battle at bEdrei. 34But Yahweh said to Moses, “aDo not fear him, for I have given him into your hand, and all his people and his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who lived at Heshbon.” 35So athey struck down him and his sons and all his people, until 1there was no survivor remaining for him; and they possessed his land.
Balak Sends for Balaam
22aThen the sons of Israel set out and camped in the plains of Moab beyond the Jordan opposite Jericho.
2And aBalak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites. 3aSo Moab was in great fear because of the people, for they were numerous; and Moab was in dread of the sons of Israel. 4Then Moab said to the elders of aMidian, “Now this assembly will lick up all that is around us, as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” And Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time. 5So he sent messengers to aBalaam the son of Beor, at bPethor, which is near the 1River, in the land of the sons of his people, to call him, saying, “Behold, a people came out of Egypt; behold, they cover the surface of the land, and they are settled opposite me. 6“aSo now, please come, bcurse this people for me since they are too 1mighty for me; perhaps I may be able to strike them down and drive them out of the land. For I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”
7So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went away with the fees for adivination in their hand; and they came to Balaam and spoke Balak’s words to him. 8And he said to them, “Spend the night here, and I will bring word back to you as Yahweh may speak to me.” And the leaders of Moab stayed with Balaam. 9Then aGod came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?” 10And Balaam said to God, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent word to me, 11‘Behold, there is a people who came out of Egypt, and they cover the surface of the land; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them out.’” 12And God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them; ayou shall not curse the people, for they bare blessed.” 13So Balaam arose in the morning and said to Balak’s leaders, “Go back to your land, for Yahweh has refused to allow me to go with you.” 14And the leaders of Moab arose and came to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to go with us.”
15Then Balak again sent leaders, more numerous and more 1honorable than 2the former. 16And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak the son of Zippor, ‘Let nothing, I beg you, withhold you from coming to me; 17for I will indeed honor you richly, and I will do whatever you say to me. aPlease come then, curse this people for me.’” 18And Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “aThough Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, to trespass the 1command of Yahweh my God. 19“So now, please, you also stay here tonight, and I will know what else Yahweh will speak to me.” 20And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but aonly the word which I speak to you shall you do.”
21aSo Balaam arose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the leaders of Moab.
Balaam’s Donkey and the Angel
22But God was angry because he was going, aso the angel of Yahweh took his stand in the way as an adversary against him. Now he was riding on his donkey, and his two young men were with him. 23Then the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, and the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; so Balaam struck the donkey to turn it back into the way. 24Then the angel of Yahweh stood in a narrow path of the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side. 25And the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh, and it pressed itself to the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he struck it again. 26And the angel of Yahweh passed on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn to the right hand or the left. 27Then the donkey saw the angel of Yahweh and lay down under Balaam; so aBalaam was angry and struck the donkey with his stick. 28And aYahweh opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” 29Then Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a mockery of me! If there had been a sword in my hand, aI would have killed you by now.” 30And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey on which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I ever been accustomed to do so to you?” And he said, “No.”
31Then Yahweh opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw athe angel of Yahweh standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed his head down 1and prostrated himself to the ground. 32And the angel of Yahweh said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary because your way was 1,acontrary to me. 33“And the donkey saw me and turned aside from me these three times. If it had not turned aside from me, I would surely have killed you just now, and let it live.” 34And Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, “aI have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the way against me. So now, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35But the angel of Yahweh said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but ayou shall speak only the word which I 1tell you.” So Balaam went along with the leaders of Balak.
36Then Balak heard that Balaam was coming and went out to meet him at the city of Moab, which is on the Arnon border, 1at the end of the border. 37Then Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not urgently send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I indeed unable to honor you?” 38So Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come now to you! aAm I able to speak anything at all? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I shall speak.” 39And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. 40And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.