13
So Balaam rose in the morning and said to the princes of Balak, "Go back to your land, for the Lord has refused to give me permission to go with you."
14
And the princes of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, "Balaam refuses to come with us."
15
Then Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more honorable than they.
16
And they came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: 'Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me;
17
for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.' "
18
Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, "Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.
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Now therefore, please, you also stay here tonight, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me."
20
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, "If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you--that you shall do."
21
So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
22
Then God's anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
23
Now the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.