Ombara yOvamoab mai tumu ovahindwa ku Balaam
1 Kombunda yanao Ovaisrael va kayenda nave katona ozondanda motutjandja twa Moab, munda mbwina na Jordan, ouhunga na Jeriko.
2 Balak, omuzandu wa Sipor, tja muna imbi avihe Ovaisrael mbi va tjita kOvaamori, 3 Ovamoab arire tji va tira tjinene. 4 Nowo va tja nai kovanane vOvamidian: “Otjimbumba hi nambano matji ri natji kurura avihe kominda nominda vyetu otja ozongombe tji ze kurura omaryo.” Nu moruveze ndo Balak, omuzandu wa Sipor, wa ri ombara yOvamoab. 5 Neye opa tumina ovahindwa ku Balaam, omuzandu wa Beor, kOpetor tji tji ri meṋe yonḓonḓu Eufrat, mehi rOvaamavi kutja ve kemuisane nu ve katje nai: “Tara, pe ere otjiwaṋa okuza kOengipte; nambano tja vandeke ehi arihe, nu tja tono ozondanda ouhunga na ami. 6 Ngo tji ya, arikana, u ndji sengire otjiwaṋa hi, tjinga atji ri otjinamasa pu ami. Nani me tji havere ne tji pitisa mehi randje. Ami tjinga ame tjiwa kutja ove ngu mo sere ondaya, ma serwa ondaya, nu ngu mo sengi, ma sengwa.”
7 Ovanane vOvamoab novOvamidian otji va twara otjisuta tjokusenga, ave ya ku Balaam nave mu tjivisa ombuze ya Balak. 8 Balaam opa zirira nai ku wo: “Rareye muno ouṱuku mbwi. Tjazumba otji me mu tjivisa ihi Muhona tji me ndji raere.” Ovanane vOvamoab otji va kara pu Balaam.
9 Nu Ndjambi weya ku Balaam ne mu pura a tja: “Ovarumendu mba mbe ri puna ove, oowaṋi?”
10 Balaam wa zira nai ku Ndjambi: “Balak, ombara yOvamoab, omuzandu wa Sipor, we ndji tjivisa a tja: 11 ‘Tara, pe notjiwaṋa tji tja pita mOengipte, notjo tja vandeke ehi arihe. Indjo, arikana u ndji sengire tjo. Ngahino me tji havere ne tji pitisa mehi.’ ”
12 Ndjambi arire tja tja ku Balaam: “O i puna wo, nu o sengi otjiwaṋa hi, orondu otjo tja serwa ondaya.”
13 Balaam tja penduka omuhuka wependukirwa wa tja nai kovatumwa va Balak: “Yarukeye kehi reṋu, Muhona we ndji tjaere okuyenda puna eṋe.” 14 Ovatumwa va Moab otji va yaruka nave katja nai: “Balaam wa panḓa okuya puna eṱe.”
15 Balak opa hindira rukwao ovanane ovengi novananḓengu pu imba ovatenga. 16 Nowo tji va kavaza ku Balaam va katja nai ku ye: “Balak, omuzandu wa Sipor, wa tja: ‘Arikana, ape kara otjiṋa tji matji ku tjaere okuya ku ami. 17 Ami me ku pe ondjambi onene, nu me ku tjitire avihe, mbi mo hee. Arikana, indjo u ndji sengire otjiwaṋa hi!’ ”
18 Nungwari Balaam wa zira nai kovahindwa va Balak: “Balak nandi me ndji pe osilveri nongoldo aihe, ndji mai urisa ondjuwo ye youhona, himee yenene okukatuka omarakiza wa Muhona, Ndjambi wandje, nokutjita okaṋa nandarire okaṱiṱi. 19 Eṋe wina, arikaneye, rareye muno ouṱuku mbwi kutja mbi tjiwe Muhona mbi me ndji raere komurungu.”
20 Nu Ndjambi weya ku Balaam mouṱuku na tja ku ye: “Ovarumendu mba tji ve ya okukueta, sekama nu twende puna wo; nungwari imbi mbi me ku raere porwavyo, nga rire mbi mo tjiti.” 21 Balaam arire tja penduka mependukirwa na kutire okasino okazenḓu na kayenda puna ovanane vOvamoab.
Okasino ka Balaam
22 Nungwari Ndjambi wa ṱomazenge, Balaam tja kumuka a kavire kokasino ke okazenḓu, novakarere ve vevari averi puna ye; nomuengeri wa Muhona wa kakurama mondjira okumutjaera. 23 Nokasino tji ka muna omuengeri wa Muhona ngwa kurama mondjira nengaruvyo meke re, otji ka yepa mondjira nake i mokuti. Nungwari Balaam wa tona okasino ne ke kotora mondjira.
24 Tjazumba omuengeri wa Muhona wa kakurama mokaira okamango pokati kovikunino vyomivite pu pa ri otumbo twomawe kominda aviyevari. 25 Okasino tji ka muna omuengeri wa Muhona ke rikwaṋena korumbo nake ṋiṋikizire ombaze ya Balaam ku rwo; neye we ke tona rukwao. 26 Nomuengeri wa Muhona wa ryama rukwao na kakurama poṋa popamango pu pe ha ri ondjira okutanaukira kokunene poo kokumuho. 27 Okasino tji ka muna omuengeri wa Muhona arire tji ka rara pehi. Nu Balaam wa ṱomazenge tjinene na tono okasino nokati.
28 Muhona wa tjita okasino kutja ke hungire, noko ka tja ku Balaam: “Mbe ku tjiti tjike nu mo ndji toneneye ovikando avihe vitatu nao?”
29 Balaam arire tja ziri nai kokasino: “Orondu tjinga amo ndji nyandisa! Andakuzu mba ri nengaruvyo, tjiri, etje ku zepa.”
30 Okasino arire tji ka ziri nai ku Balaam: “Kawami ngu mbi ri okasino koye ku wa kavira oure womuinyo woye nga ku ndinondi are? Mbi na pu mbe ku tjitire nai are?”
Neye arire tja ziri a tja: “Kako.”
31 Muhona arire tja paturura omeho wa Balaam kutja a mune omuengeri wa Muhona ngwa kurama mondjira nengaruvyo meke re. Balaam arire tja u onḓurumika. 32 Nomuengeri wa Muhona we mu pura a tja: “Okutjavi tji wa tono okasino koye povikando vitatu nai? Tara, ami omuini mba sekama okukutjaera mondjira, tjinga au ha sokukara nouyenda otja imbwi. 33 Nungwari okasino ke ndji munu nake yepe momurungu wandje potutatu. Andakuzu kake yepere momurungu wandje, tjiri, etje ku zepa ne yama okasino.”
34 Balaam opa zirira nai komuengeri wa Muhona: “Ami mba katuka, tjinga ambi ha tjivirwe kutja ove wa kurama mondjira okundjitjaera. Nungwari nambano ondjito yandje tji i hi nokutjata kove me yaruka.”
35 Nomuengeri wa Muhona wa tja ku Balaam: “Twende puna ovarumendu mba, nungwari kahungire embo ndi porwaro, ndi mbe ku raere.” Balaam otja kayenda puna ovanane va Balak.
Balak ma yakura Balaam
36 Balak tja zuva kutja Balaam u ri mondjira, arire tje mu tjakanenene motjihuro Ar, tji tji ri komukuro wonḓonḓu Arnon, komukuro wehi re. 37 Balak wa tja ku Balaam: “Hi ku tuminine ovahindwa potuingi okukekuisana are? Okutjavi tji u he ere ku ami? Wa tjangovasi ami hi nokuyenena okukupa ondjambi are?”
38 Nu Balaam wa zira nai: “Owami ngwi, mbe ya kove. Nu nai ami me yenene okuhungira otjiṋa are? Ami me hungire inga omambo porwe Ndjambi nge ndji raere.” 39 Balaam otja ya puna Balak nave kavaza kOkirjat-Husot. 40 Nu Balak wa zepa ozongombe nozonyanda na hindi onyama tjiva ku Balaam na kovanane mba ri puna ye.
41 Nu mependukirwa Balak wa toora Balaam ne mu rondisa kozondunda za Bamot-Baal kaa mwine otjiwaṋa tjiva tjOvaisrael.
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.
