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.”

Then Balaam ¹  uttered ²  his oracle, saying, “Balak, the king of Moab, brought me ³  from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, ‘Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me; come, denounce Israel.’ ⁴ 

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.”

When Balaam ¹  came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

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.”

Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me,

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.

But the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you may only speak ¹  the word that I will speak to you.” ²  So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you. Now, am I able ¹  to speak ²  just anything? I must speak ³  only the word that God puts in my mouth.”

Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there.”

‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond ¹  the commandment ²  of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will, ³  but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak’?

My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, ¹  how Balaam son of Beor responded to him. Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal, so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly.” ²