And Balaam said to the donkey, “You have made me look stupid; I wish ¹  there were a sword in my hand, for I would kill you right now.”

Then on the next morning Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to Bamoth Baal. ¹  From there he saw the extent of the nation.

¹ Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”

Then the Lord put a message ¹  in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” ² 

Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary ¹  you have only blessed them!” ² 

Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message ¹  in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.”

But Balaam replied ¹  to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord speaks, ²  I must do’?”

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.”

Then he uttered this oracle: ¹  “The oracle ²  of Balaam son of Beor; the oracle of the man whose eyes are open; ³ 

Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack ¹  against Israel. He summoned ²  Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment ³  on you.

By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, ¹  who loved the wages of unrighteousness, ² 

I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept ¹  prophesying good things about ²  you, and I rescued you from his power. ³ 

And Balaam ¹  said to Balak, “Station yourself here ²  by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there.

When Balaam lifted up his eyes, he saw Israel camped tribe by tribe; ¹  and the Spirit of God came upon him.

And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pressed herself into the wall, and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he beat her again. ¹ 

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his sword drawn in his hand; so he bowed his head and threw himself down with his face to the ground. ¹ 

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fee for divination in their hand. They came to Balaam and reported ¹  to him the words of Balak.

He replied to them, “Stay ¹  here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

But I have a few things against you: You have some people there who follow the teaching of Balaam, ¹  who instructed Balak to put a stumbling block ²  before the people ³  of Israel so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality. ⁴ 

So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, ¹  for the Lord has refused to permit me to go ²  with you.”