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.
Mambo we Moabu unodana Bhalamu
1 Ndizo Baiziraela bakamilika bakayenda bakanokotokela mu lubala gwe Moabu ku bhezhuba kwe gwizi gwe Jorodani kulingisana ne Jerikho.
2 Kukati Bhalaki nkololo wa Zipori ebona bunji gwe Baiziraela, ebuya ehwa tjabakathama Baamoni, 3 Mambo we Moabu kose ne bathu babe, bakakuligwa nge lutjo. 4 Ngono Bamoabu bakadwa sholotjena dze Midiyani bakati, “Nlunda uwoyu wawolobesa kose kwakatipoteleka se ng'ombe ithukudza fulo mu shango.” Ipapo Bhalaki wakabe ali mambo we Moabu mu misi iyeyo, 5 katuma batumwa kunodana Bhalamu nkololo wa Bheori ku Pethori pejo ne Gwizi gwe Yufuratesi, mu shango ye Amawu, kundwa beti, “Bona, kuna itjaba tjinodwa ku Egipiti, tjakaandama nge shango yose, tjakotokela pejo nami. 6 Izha ngeno tjinyolotjo, ndokukumbila, undilongele bathu ibaba bhiso, ngoti banji, pamwe swiyo ndingatubula kubakunda, abatata mu shango yangu. Ngoti ndoziba kuti ha ukombolela bathu, banokombolegwa, kakale ha ulonga bhiso, bathu banobe ne bhiso.”
7 Ipapo hadzasha dze Moabu ne dze Midiyani bakamilika bakabhata nshalu we ku kandila. Bakaswika kuna Bhalamu bakambudza tjabatumwa ndi Bhalaki. 8 Ngono kabadwa kati, “Pitshani busiku ipapa, ngono ndowomupa shandulo mangwana, Yahwe sekwa banowobe balebeleka nami.” Hadzasha dze Moabu dzikalala kuna Bhalamu.
9 Ndzimu ukazha kuna Bhalamu ukambhuzwa uti, “Aba bathu baunabo ndibo ani?”
10 Bhalamu kadabila Ndzimu eti, “Bhalaki nkololo wa Zipori mambo we Moabu wakabatuma kundili eti, 11 ‘Bona, kuna itjaba tjinodwa ku Egipiti, tjaandama nge shango yose. Ndokumbila, uzhe ngeno tjinyolotjo, undilongele bhiso mu bali, pamwe ndingatubula kubhayana nabo abatata.’ ”
12 Ndzimu ukadwa Bhalamu ukati, “Usitongobuya ukayenda ne balume ibaba, kakale usitongobuya ukalonga bhiso mu bathu be Iziraela, ngoti bakakombolegwa.”
13 Tjimuka Bhalamu kabinduka kayenda ku hadzasha dza Bhalaki kadzidwa kati, “Bgwililani ku shango ya kanyi kwenyu, ngoti Yahwe balamba ndiyenda namwi.” 14 Ipapo hadzasha dze Moabu dzikamilika dzikayenda, kuna Bhalaki dzikaswika dzindwa dziti, “Bhalamu walamba kuzha naswi.”
15 Shule kwa ipapo Bhalaki katuma hadzasha dzili njinji kupinda dze kutanga, kakale dzina tjilumbi kupinda. 16 Dzikanontulila matama dziti, “Bhalaki nkololo wa Zipori unomukumbila eti, ‘Ngakusibe ne tjimwe tjingamuma mbeli kuzha kundili. 17 Ndowomuwatsha kukulu kwazo, nenguba mungati ndimuthamileni, ndotjithama, ndomukumbila izhani muwondilongela bhiso mu bathu ibaba.’ ” 18 Koga Bhalamu kadwa balanda ba Bhalaki kati, “Nenguba Bhalaki angandipa ng'umba iye ili zhele siliva ne golide, andingatjuluke ndaulo ya Yahwe, Ndzimu wangu, nenguba ingabe ili mu kuthu kutukununu kene kukulu tjini. 19 Koga ndomukumbila pitshani busiku ipapa, sekwakathama bamwe, pamwe Yahwe bangalala baleba tjimwe nami.”
20 Ngono mu busiku igogo Ndzimu ukazha kuna Bhalamu ukandwa ukati, “Ha balume ibaba bazha kuwokudana, umilike uyende nabo, koga unothama tjandinowobe ndakudwa.”
Bhalamu ne donki tjitje
21 Kukati tjimuka Bhalamu kabinduka kabelesa donki tjitje kayenda ne makulukota e Moabu. 22 Koga Ndzimu ukazhala bushongola ngobe ayenda, ngono kukati Bhalamu ali mu zila akatatha donki tjitje ana balanda babe babili, ntumwa wa Yahwe kama mu zila mbeli kukwe kumpinganyidza. 23 Kukati donki tjibona ntumwa wa Yahwe ali mile mu zila akabhata thumo nge luboko, tjikapambuka mu zila, tjikangina mu shango. Ngono Bhalamu katjiloba katjibgwiliza mu zila. 24 Ipapo ntumwa wa Yahwe kama pakati kwe zijana ipakati kwe minda mibili ye mizhambi pakamanikana, zijana inopinda pakati kwe makuma. 25 Ngono kukati donki tjibona ntumwa wa Yahwe, tjikasedzela ku guma tjikazwiyilidza gumbo la Bhalamu mu guma, ngono katjiloba kakale. 26 Ipapo ntumwa wa Yahwe kayendila mbeli kanoma pakamanikana kwazo pakabe kusina paungapinda ndipo. 27 Kukati donki tjibona ntumwa wa Yahwe, tjikalala pasi Bhalamu ali pezhugwi kwatjo. Ngono Bhalamu kazhala bushongola katjiloba nge lukombo gugwe. 28 Ndizo Yahwe bakazhula donki nlomo tjikabhuzwa Bhalamu tjikati, “Apa ndakuthamani kwaungadza uka ndiloba zwingapa katatu kene?”
29 Bhalamu kadabila donki eti, “Ngobe wandizana matope! Dzene ndabe ndakabhata thumo ndabe ndowokubulaya sakuno wali.”
30 Ngono donki tjikabhuzwa Bhalamu tjikati, “Apa anditeli donki tjitjo tje tjinga tjawakatatha butjilo gugo gose kuswikila nasi kene. Apa kuna pandakatongo kuthama sa ikoku kene?”
Bhalamu kadabila eti, “Aa.”
31 Ipapo Yahwe bakazhula Bhalamu mesho, ngono kabona ntumwa wa Yahwe ali mile mu zila akabhata thumo. Bhalamu kakotamisa nsholo kawila pasi akatshibika buso. 32 Ngono ntumwa wa Yahwe kambhuzwa kati, “Apa ini waloba donki tjitjo zwingapa katatu? Bona, ndazha se tjita tjitjo, ngobe zila yawakatobela yakakombama. 33 Koga donki tjitjo tjandibona tjikapambukila ntome katatu. Ha tjabe tjisajalo, ndobe ndakubulaya itjo ndibe nditjiletja tjitjila.”
34 Ipapo Bhalamu kadwa ntumwa wa Yahwe kati, “Ndatjinya, ngobe ndabe ndisaziba kuti wabe uli mile mu zila kundidziba. Ndizo ngwenu, ha ubona kwakabipa kudwilidza gwendo, ndowoshandukila kanyi.” 35 Ngono ntumwa wa Yahwe kadwa Bhalamu kati, “Yenda ne balume ibaba, koga ulebe dama landinowobe ndakubudza kuti uli lebe.” Ndizo Bhalamu kayenda ne hadzasha dza Bhalaki.
Bhalaki unoamutjila Bhalamu
36 Kukati Bhalaki ehwa kuti Bhalamu waswika, kabhuda kanonshanganidza pa gwizi gwe Arinoni mu nzi nkulu we Moabu pa n'gathu we ntuthu uwe. 37 Bhalaki kabhuzwa Bhalamu kati, “Apa andizokutumila thumi kukudana kene? Ini usakazha kundili? Andingatubule kukuwatsha kene?” 38 Bhalamu kadabila Bhalaki eti, “Bona, ndazha ku kuli! Apa ngwenu ndina simba landingalebeleka nawe nge buzhalo kene? Dama lingalongwa nge Ndzimu mu nlomo wangu ndilo landingalebeleka.” 39 Ndizo Bhalamu kayenda na Bhalaki kunoti ku Kiriathihuzothi. 40 Ngono Bhalaki kabhaya tjibhayilo tje ng'ombe ne pkhwizi, katumila nyama kuna Bhalamu ne hadzasha dzaakabe anadzo.
Bulebesambeli gwa Bhalamu gwe kutanga
41 Tjimuka Bhalaki katola Bhalamu kan'yisa kwakatuthumala ku Bhamotibali, ngono kati ali ipapo Bhalamu kabona bushomanana gwe bathu.