1 Israel moved from there to the hills of Moab, where they camped across the Jordan River from the town of Jericho.
King Balak of Moab Hires Balaam To Curse Israel
2-3 When King Balak of Moab and his people heard how many Israelites there were and what they had done to the Amorites, he and the Moabites were terrified and panicked. 4 They said to the Midianite leaders, “That huge mob of Israelites will wipe out everything in sight, like a bull eating grass in a field.”
So King Balak 5 sent a message to Balaam son of Beor who lived among his relatives in the town of Pethor near the Euphrates River. It said:
I need your help. A large group of people has come here from Egypt and settled near my territory. 6 They are too powerful for us to defeat, so would you come and place a curse on them? Maybe then we can run them off. I know that anyone you bless will be successful, but anyone you curse will fail.
7 The leaders of Moab and Midian left and took along money to pay Balaam. When they got to his house, they gave him Balak's message.
8 “Spend the night here,” Balaam replied, “and tomorrow I will tell you the Lord's answer.” So the officials stayed at his house.
9 During the night, God asked Balaam, “Who are these people at your house?”
10 “They are messengers from King Balak of Moab,” Balaam answered. “He sent them 11 to ask me to go to Moab and put a curse on the people who have come there from Egypt. They have settled everywhere around him, and he wants to run them off.”
12 But God replied, “Don't go with Balak's messengers. I have blessed those people who have come from Egypt, so don't curse them.”
13 The next morning, Balaam said to Balak's officials, “Go on back home. The Lord says I cannot go with you.”
14 The officials left and told Balak that Balaam refused to come.
15 Then Balak sent a larger group of officials, who were even more important than the first ones. 16 They went to Balaam and told him that Balak had said, “Balaam, if you come to Moab, 17 I'll pay you very well and do whatever you ask. Just come and place a curse on these people.”
18 Balaam answered, “Even if Balak offered me a palace full of silver or gold, I wouldn't do anything to disobey the Lord my God. 19 You are welcome to spend the night here, just as the others did. I will find out if the Lord has something else to say about this.”
20 That night, God said, “Balaam, I'll let you go to Moab with Balak's messengers, but do only what I say.”
21 So Balaam got up the next morning and saddled his donkey, then left with the Moabite officials.
Balaam and His Donkey Meet an Angel
22 Balaam was riding his donkey to Moab, and two of his servants were with him. But God was angry that Balaam had gone, so one of the Lord's angels stood in the road to stop him. 23 When Balaam's donkey saw the angel standing there with a sword, it walked off the road and into an open field. Balaam had to beat the donkey to get it back on the road.
24 Then the angel stood between two vineyards, in a narrow path with a stone wall on each side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel, it walked so close to one of the walls that Balaam's foot scraped against the wall. Balaam beat the donkey again.
26 The angel moved once more and stood in a spot so narrow that there was no room for the donkey to go around. 27 So it just lay down. Balaam lost his temper, then picked up a stick and whacked the donkey.
28 When that happened, the Lord told the donkey to speak, and it asked Balaam, “What have I done that made you beat me three times?”
29 “You made me look stupid!” Balaam answered. “If I had a sword, I'd kill you here and now!”
30 “But you're my owner,” answered the donkey, “and you've ridden me many times. Have I ever done anything like this before?”
“No,” Balaam admitted.
31 Just then, the Lord let Balaam see the angel standing in the road, holding a sword, and Balaam bowed down.
32 The angel said, “You had no right to treat your donkey like that! I was the one who blocked your way, because I don't think you should go to Moab. 33 If your donkey had not seen me and stopped those three times, I would have killed you and let the donkey live.”
34 Balaam replied, “I was wrong. I didn't know you were trying to stop me. If you don't think I should go, I'll return home at once.”
35 “It's all right for you to go,” the Lord's angel answered. “But you must say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went on with Balak's officials.
King Balak Meets Balaam
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at the town of Ir on the Arnon River, which is the northern border of Moab. 37 Balak asked, “Why didn't you come when I invited you the first time? Did you think I wasn't going to pay you?”
38 “I'm here now,” Balaam answered. “But I will say only what God tells me to say.”
39 They left and went to the town of Kiriath-Huzoth, 40 where Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him.
41 The next morning, Balak took Balaam to the town of Bamoth-Baal. From there, Balaam could see some of the Israelites.
Omukwaniilwa gwaMoab ta hiya Bileam
1 Aaisraeli oya tembuka po e taa ka yunga oontanda molushandja lwaMoab kuuzilo waJordan ontega naJeriko.
2 Balak yaZippor, omukwaniilwa gwaMoab, sho a kundana shoka Aaisraeli ya ningile Aayamori nonkene Aaisraeli ye li po oyendjiyendji, 3 oye pamwe naantu ye oya sholola. 4 Aamoabi oya lombwele aawiliki yAamidiana ya ti: “Engathithi ndika otali tu mana po ongondumetana tayi gugula po omwiidhi omutalala komaunapelo.” Omukwaniilwa Balak 5 okwa tumu aatumwa ya ka tale Bileam yaBeor, ngoka a li muPetor popepi nomulonga Eufrat mevi lyoyaandjawo Amaw, ye mu lombwele ya tye: “Onda hala ndi ku tseyithile kutya muEgipiti omwa zi oshigwana oshindji, aantu yasho oya andjalala apehepehe notaa hala okukwata po evi lyetu. 6 Otaye tu nyenge okuyalula. Tu kwatha ano, u ye u ya lile ndje muumpulile. Pamwe tatu vulu oku ya sinda noku ya tidha mo mevi lyetu. Ondi shi shi kutya shaa to tomonene omuntu eyambeko, ota kala a yambekwa, naangoka to mu tomonene etulomutima, ota kala a tulwa omutima.”
7 Aawiliki Aamoabi naawiliki Aamidiana oya faalele iikahu kuBileam e taye mu lombwele etumwalaka lyaBalak. 8 Bilean okwe ya lombwele e ta ti: “Laleni mpaka, ongula otandi mu lombwele shoka Omuwa a lombwele ndje.” Aawiliki Aamoabi noya tokelwa puBileam.
9 Kalunga okwe ya kuBileam e ta ti: “Aalumentu mboka ya tokelwa pungoye, oolye?”
10 Bileam okwa yamukula a ti: “Balak yaZippor, omukwaniilwa gwaMoab, oye e ya tumu kungame, ya lombwele ndje 11 kutya aantu ya tembuka muEgipiti, oya siikila oshilongo ashihe. Nokwa hala ndi ye mu lile muupulile, opo a wape oku ya kondjitha noku ya tidha po.”
12 Kalunga okwa ti kuBileam: “Ino ya nando naantu mboka ngoye ino tula Aaisraeli omutima, oshoka oyo aalalekwa nuuyamba.”
13 Ongula sho kwa shi, Bileam okwa yi kaatumwa yaBalak e ta ti: “Shuneni kevi lyeni, Omuwa okwa tindi okuzimina ndje ndi ye nane.” 14 Oyo noya shuna kuBalak e taye mu lombwele kutya okwa tindi ko.
15 Nena Balak okwa tumununa ko aawiliki oyendji noya simana ye vule mbeyaka yotango. 16 Oya yi kuBileam e taye mu pe elaka lyaBalak yaZippor tali ti: “Inapa kala shoka tashi ku dhike waa ye kungame.” 17 Otandi ke ku futa ondjambi onene notandi ningi shaa shoka to lombwele ndje. Kwatha ndje u ye u lile ndje aantu mbaka muumpulile.
18 Bileam okwa yamukula a ti: “Balak nando na pe ndje oshisiliveli noshingoli shu udha egumbo lye, itandi vulu okutaaguluka elaka lyOmuwa Kalunga kandje nando okashona. 19 Kwathii ndje mu lale mpaka ongulohi ndjika, opo ndi koneke shoka Omuwa ta lombwele ndje.”
20 Kalunga okwe ya kuBileam uusiku tuu mbwiyaka e ta ti: “Aalumentu mbaka ngele oye ya kungoye ye ku ile, inda ano nayo, ihe longa ashike shoka tandi ku lombwele.” 21 Ongula sho kwa shi, Bileam okwa kutile okasino ke e ta yi naawiliki Aamidiana.
Bileam nokasino ke
22 Kalunga okwa geele Bileam, sho a yi. Bileam okwa kayile okasino ke a thindikilwa kaamati ye yaali, nomuyengeli gwOmuwa okwa thikama mondjila a keelele ondjila ye. 23 Okasino sho ka mono omuyengeli a thikama mondjila a yedha egongamwele, oka peguka mo mondjila ku uka mepya. Bileam okwa dhenge okasino e te ka galulile mondjila. 24 Nena omuyengeli gwOmuwa okwa humu ko e ta ka thikama pothina pokati kiitsambe yomiviinu ya gumbilwa omankolo gomakuma. 25 Okasino sho ka mono omuyengeli, oki iwegenyene kekuma e taka thengenyene ko ompadhi yaBileam. Bileam okwe ka dhengulula. 26 Omuyengeli okwa humu ko ishewe e ta thikama pokuma pwaa na ompito yokuhenukila kolulyo nenge kolumoho. 27 Okasino sho ka mono omuyengeli, oka tsu po oongolo. Bileam okwa geye e ta dhenge okasino noshitago. 28 Nopo mpoka Omuwa okwa makula okana kwokasino e taka ti kuBileam: “Onde ku ningi shike? Omolwashike wa dhenge ndje lutatu?”
29 Bileam okwa yamukula a ti: “Omolwashoka wa tala ndje egoya! Ando nda li ndi na egongamwele, ando otandi ku dhipaga.”
30 Okasino oka yamukula ka ti: “Kandi shi okasino koye ho kayile ndje noshito? Onde ku ningile nale ngawo?”
Bileam okwa yamukula a ti: “Aawe!”
31 Omuwa okwa tonatitha omeho gaBileam e ta mono omuyengeli a thikama e na egongamwele; naBileam okwi iyundulile pevi koshipala shomuyengeli. 32 Omuyengeli okwa pula a ti: “Omolwashike wa dhenge okasino koye lutatu? Onde ya ndi ku keelele mondjila yoye, oshoka kakwa li u na okuya molweendo nduka. 33 Okasino koye oka mono ndje, noka peguka ndje lutatu. Ando oka li inaake shi ninga, ando nde ku dhipaga, ihe ando ko onde ka etha ka kale ke na omwenyo.”
34 Bileam okwa yamukula a ti: “Onda yona. Inandi shi tseya kutya omo u li mondjila to keelele ndje, ihe ngashingeyi ngele ino hala ndi tsikile nondjila yandje, otandi shuna kegumbo.”
35 Omuyengeli okwa ti: “Inda ngaa naalumentu mbaka, ihe popya ashike shoka tandi ku lombwele u shi popye.” Bileam nokwa yi naantu yaBalak.
Balak ta tsakaneke Bileam
36 Balak sho ku uvu kutya Bileam ote ya, okwa yi e ke mu tsakaneke puAr, oshilando shi li pomulonga Arnon pongamba yaMoab. 37 Balak okwa ti kuBileam: “Omolwashike inoo ya, sho nde ku tuminine lwotango? Oto dhiladhila kutya ite vulu oku ku futa ondjambi ya gwana?”
38 Bileam okwa yamukula a ti: “Ngashingeyi onde ya, ihe ondi na oonkondo dhashike? Ote vulu owala okupopya shoka Kalunga ta lombwele ndje ndi shi popye.” 39 Bileam nokwa yi naBalak kuKirjat Huzot, 40 nkoka Balak a tselele oongombe noonzi e ta pe Bileam naawiliki mboka a li nayo onyama.
Ehunganeko lyotango lyaBileam
41 Ongula sho kwa shi, Balak okwa kutha Bileam e te mu fala kondungu yondundu Bamot Baal pombanda, mpoka ta vulu okumona ombinga yimwe yAaisraeli.
