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 God said to Balaam, “You must not go with them; you must not curse the people, ¹  for they are blessed.” ² 

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.”

And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor: ‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming ¹  to me.

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 the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?”

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 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 

When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at a city of Moab which was on the border of the Arnon at the boundary of his territory.

Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send again and again ¹  to you to summon you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?” ² 

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.”

Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself ¹  by your burnt offering, and I will go off; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me ²  I will tell you.” ³  Then he went to a deserted height. ⁴ 

Then God met Balaam, who ¹  said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”

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’?”

Balak said to Balaam, “Come, please; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God ¹  to let you curse them for me from there.” ² 

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

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