Month: October 2025

[Moses said] “When we were at Mount Sinai, the Lord our Go said to us, ‘You have stayed at this mountain long enough It is time to break camp and more on. Go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all the neighboring regions-the Jordan Valley, the hill country, the western foothills, the Negev, and the costal plain. Go to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, and all the way to the great Euphrates River. Look, I am giving all this and to you! Go in an occupy it, for it is the land the Lord swore to give to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to all their descendants.'” (vv. 6-8, NLT)

This is the message that Balaam delivered:

“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes sees clearly, the message of the one who hears the word of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open: ‘I see Him, but not hear and now. I perceive Him, but fat in the distant future.

A star will rise from Jacob.: a scepter will emerge from Israel. It will crush the foreheads of Moab’e people, cracking the skulls of the people of Sheth. Edom will be taken over, and Seir, its enemy will be conquered, while Israel marches on in triumph A ruler will rise in Jacob who will destroy the survivors in it.”

Then Balaam looked over toward the people of Amalek and delivered this message:

“Amalek was the greatest of nations, but its destiny is destruction!”

Then he looked over toward the Kenites and delivered this message:

“Your home is secure; you nest is set in the rocks. But the Kenites will be destroyed when Assyria takes you captive.”

Balaam concluded his message s by saying:

“Alas, who can survive unless God has willed it? Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; they will oppress Assyria and afflict Eber, but they, too, wil be utterly destroyed.

Then Balaam and Balak returned to their homes. (vv. 15-25, NLT)

By now Balaam realized that the Lord was determined to bless Israel, so he did not resort to divination as before. Instead, he turned and looked out toward the wilderness, where he saw the people of Israel campefd, tribe by tribe. Then the Spirit of God came upon him, and this is the message he delivered:

“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the mesage of the man whose eyes see clearly, the message of the one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open: How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob; how lovely are your homes, O Israel! They spread before me like palm groves, like gardens by the riverside. They are like tall trees planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters. Water will flow from their buckets; their offspring will have all they need.

Their king will be greater that Agag; their kingdom will be exalted. God brought them out of Egypt; for them He is as strong as a wild ox. He devours all the nations that oppose Him, breaking their bones in pieces, shooting them with arrows. Like a lion, Israel crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to arouse her? Blessed is everyone who blesses you, O Israel, and cursed is everyone who curses you.” (vv 1-9 NLT)

So Balaam returned and found the king standing besides his burnt offerings wiht all the officials of Moab. “What did the Lord say?” Balak asked eagerly.

This was the message Balaam delivered:
“Rise up, Balak, and listen! Hear me, son of Zippor. God is not a. man. So He does not lie. He is not human, so He does not change His mind. Has He ever spoken and failed to act? Has He ever promised and not carried it through? God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!

No misfortune is in His plan for Jacob: no trouble is in store for Israel. For the Lord their God is with them; He has been proclaimed the king. God brought them out of Egypt; for them He is as strong as wild ox. No curse can touch Jacob; no magic has any power against Israel. For now it will be said of Jacob, ‘What wonders God has done for Israel!’

These people rise up like a lioness, like a majestic lion rousing itself. They refuse to rest until they have feasted on prey, drink the blood of the slaughtered!”

Then Balak said to Balaam, “Fine, but if won’t curse them, at least don’t bless them!”

But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can only do what the Lord tells me?” (vv. 17-26, NLT)

Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak. Then He said, “Go back to Balak and give him My message.”

So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. This was the message Balaam delivered:

“Balak summoned me to come from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills, ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me! Come and announce Israel’s doom.’

But how can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I condemn those whom the Lord has not condemned? I see them from the cliff tops; I watch them from the hills. I see a people who live by themselves, set apart from other nations. Who can count Jacob’s descendants, as numerous as the dust? Who can even count even a fourth of Israel’s people? Le me die like the righteous; let my life end like theirs.”

Then King Balak demanded of Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brough you to curse my enemies? Instead, you have blessed them!”

But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the Lord puts in my mouth.” (vv. 1-12, NLT)

But the angel of the Lord told Balaam, “Go with these men but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials. When King Balak heard that Balaam was on the way, he went out to meet him at a Moabite town on the Arnon River at the farthest part border of his land.

“Didn’t I ent you an urgent invitation? Why didn’t you come right away? Balak asked. “Didn’t you believe me when I said that I would reward you richly?”

Balaam replied, “Look, now I have come, but I have nor power to say whatever I want. I will speak only the message that God puts in my mouth.” Then Balaam accompanied Balak to iriath-huzoth., where the king sacrificed cattle and sheep. He sent portions of the meat to Balaam and the officials who were with him. The next morning, Balak atook Balaam up to Bamoth-baal. From there he couldvsee some of the people of Israel spread out below them. (vv. 35-41, NLT)

So the next morning, Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and started off with the Moabite officials. But God was angry that Balaam was going, so He sent an angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between to vineyard walls. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot agains the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again. Then the angel of the Lord moved father down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all. This time when the donkey say the angel, it lay down und Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal with his staff.

Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done that deserves you beating me three times?” it asked Balaam.

“You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If i had my sword with me, I would kill you!”

“But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?”

“No,”, Balaam admitted.

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him.

“Why did you beat your donkey those three times.?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I a have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me. Tree times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.”

Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.” (vv 21-34, NLT)

That night God came to Balaam and asked him, “Who are these men visiting you?”

Balaam said to God, “Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me this message: ‘Look, a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt, and they cover the face of the earth. Come and curse these people for me. Then perhaps will be able to stand up to them and drive them from the land.'”

But God told Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse these people, for they have been blessed.”

The next morning, Balaam got up and told Balak’s officials, “Go on home! The Lord will not let me go with you.”

So the Moabite official returned to King Balak and reported, “Balaam refused to come with us.” Then Balak tried again. This time he sent a larger number of even more distinguished officials then those he had send the first time. They went to Balaam and delivered the same message to him: “This what Balak son of Zippor says: Please don’t let anything stop you from coming to help me. I will pay you very well and do whatever you tel me. Just come and curse these people for me!”

But Balaam responded to Balak’s messengers, “Even if Balak were to give me his palace filed with silver and gold, I would be powerless to do anything against the will of the Lord my God. But stay here one more night, and I will see if the Lord has anything else to say to me.”

That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.” (vv 9-20, NLT)

Then the people of Israel traveled to the plains of Moab and camped east of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. Balak son of Zippor, the Moabite king, had seen everything the Israelites did to the Amorites. And when the people of Moab saw how many Israelites were there, they were terrified. The king of Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This mob will devour everything insight, like an ox devours grass in the field!”

So Balak, king of Moab, sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor, who was living in his native land of Pethor near the Euprates River. His message read: “Look a vast horde of people has arrived from Egypt. They cover the face of the earth and are threatening me. Please come and curse these people for me because they are too powerful for me. Then perhaps I will be able to conquer them and drive them from the land. I know that blessings fall on any people you bless, and curse fall on people you curse.”

Balak’s messengers, who were elders of Moab and MIdian, set out with money to pay Balaam to place a curse upon Israel.They went to Balaam and delivered Balak’s message to him. “Stay here overnight,” Balaam said. In the morning I will tell you whatever the Lord directs me to say.” So the officials from Moab stayed there with Balaam. (vv 1-8, NLT)

Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness? they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned agains the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed! (vv. 4-9, NLT)