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.
The King of Moab Sends for Balaam
1 The Israelites moved on and set up camp in the plains of Moab east of the Jordan and opposite Jericho.
2 When the king of Moab, Balak son of Zippor, heard what the Israelites had done to the Amorites and how many Israelites there were, 3 he and all his people became terrified. 4 The Moabites said to the leaders of the Midianites, “This horde will soon destroy everything around us, like a bull eating the grass in a pasture.” So King Balak 5 sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor near the Euphrates River in the land of Amaw. They brought him this message from Balak: “I want you to know that a whole nation has come from Egypt; its people are spreading out everywhere and threatening to take over our land. 6 They outnumber us, so please come and put a curse on them for me. Then perhaps we will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know that when you pronounce a blessing, people are blessed, and when you pronounce a curse, they are placed under a curse.”
7 So the Moabite and Midianite leaders took with them the payment for the curse, went to Balaam, and gave him Balak's message. 8 Balaam said to them, “Spend the night here, and tomorrow I will report to you whatever the Lord tells me.” So the Moabite leaders stayed with Balaam.
9 God came to Balaam and asked, “Who are these people that are staying with you?”
10 He answered, “King Balak of Moab has sent them to tell me 11 that a people who came from Egypt has spread out over the whole land. He wants me to curse them for him, so that he can fight them and drive them out.”
12 God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them, and do not put a curse on the people of Israel, because they have my blessing.”
13 The next morning Balaam went to Balak's messengers and said, “Go back home; the Lord has refused to let me go with you.” 14 So they returned to Balak and told him that Balaam had refused to come with them.
15 Then Balak sent a larger number of leaders, who were more important than the first. 16 They went to Balaam and gave him this message from Balak: “Please don't let anything prevent you from coming to me! 17 I will reward you richly and do anything you say. Please come and curse these people for me.”
18 But Balaam answered, “Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not disobey the command of the Lord my God in even the smallest matter. 19 But please spend the night, as the others did, so that I may learn whether or not the Lord has something else to tell me.”
20 That night God came to Balaam and said, “If these men have come to ask you to go with them, get ready and go, but do only what I tell you.” 21 So the next morning Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite leaders.
Balaam and His Donkey
22 God was angry that Balaam was going, and as Balaam was riding along on his donkey, accompanied by his two servants, the angel of the Lord stood in the road to bar his way. 23 When the donkey saw the angel standing there holding a sword, it left the road and turned into the fields. Balaam beat the donkey and brought it back onto the road. 24 Then the angel stood where the road narrowed between two vineyards and had a stone wall on each side. 25 When the donkey saw the angel, it moved over against the wall and crushed Balaam's foot against it. Again Balaam beat the donkey. 26 Once more the angel moved ahead; he stood in a narrow place where there was no room at all to pass on either side. 27 This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down. Balaam lost his temper and began to beat the donkey with his stick. 28 Then the Lord gave the donkey the power of speech, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you? Why have you beaten me these three times?”
29 Balaam answered, “Because you have made a fool of me! If I had a sword, I would kill you.”
30 The donkey replied, “Am I not the same donkey on which you have ridden all your life? Have I ever treated you like this before?”
“No,” he answered.
31 Then the Lord let Balaam see the angel standing there with his sword; and Balaam threw himself face downward on the ground. 32 The angel demanded, “Why have you beaten your donkey three times like this? I have come to bar your way, because you should not be making this journey. 33 But your donkey saw me and turned aside three times. If it hadn't, I would have killed you and spared the donkey.”
34 Balaam replied, “I have sinned. I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me; but now if you think it is wrong for me to go on, I will return home.”
35 But the angel said, “Go on with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with them.
Balak Welcomes Balaam
36 When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at Ar, a city on the Arnon River at the border of Moab. 37 Balak said to him, “Why didn't you come when I sent for you the first time? Did you think I wasn't able to reward you enough?”
38 Balaam answered, “I came, didn't I? But now, what power do I have? I can say only what God tells me to say.” 39 So Balaam went with Balak to the town of Huzoth, 40 where Balak slaughtered cattle and sheep and gave some of the meat to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
Balaam's First Prophecy
41 The next morning Balak took Balaam up to Bamoth Baal, from where Balaam could see a part of the people of Israel.
