9. God came to Balaam and asked, ‘Who are these men with you?’
10. Balaam said to God, ‘Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message:
11. “A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.” ’
12. But God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.’
13. The next morning Balaam got up and said to Balak’s officials, ‘Go back to your own country, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you.’
14. So the Moabite officials returned to Balak and said, ‘Balaam refused to come with us.’
15. Then Balak sent other officials, more numerous and more distinguished than the first.
16. They came to Balaam and said:‘This is what Balak son of Zippor says: do not let anything keep you from coming to me,
17. because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.’
18. But Balaam answered them, ‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything great or small to go beyond the command of the Lord my God.
19. Now spend the night here so that I can find out what else the Lord will tell me.’
20. That night God came to Balaam and said, ‘Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.’
21. Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials.
22. But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
23. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.
24. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides.
25. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.
26. Then the angel of the Lord moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left.