Study Desk

Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.

The people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

So their posterity perished from Heshbon to Dibon, and we laid waste until fire spread to Medeba."

So they killed him, his sons, and all his people, until there was no survivor left; and they took possession of his land.

Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were so numerous; Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel.

So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed with the fees for divination in their hand; and they came to Balaam, and gave him Balak's message.

He said to them, "Stay here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, just as the Lord speaks to me"; so the officials of Moab stayed with Balaam.

So Balaam rose in the morning, and said to the officials of Balak, "Go to your own land, for the Lord has refused to let me go with you."

So the officials of Moab rose and went to Balak, and said, "Balaam refuses to come with us."

You remain here, as the others did, so that I may learn what more the Lord may say to me."

So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the officials of Moab.

The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back onto the road.

When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord , it scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck it again.

The angel of the Lord said to Balaam, "Go with the men; but speak only what I tell you to speak." So Balaam went on with the officials of Balak.

So he returned to Balak, who was standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab.

So Balak said to him, "Come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only part of them, and shall not see them all; then curse them for me from there."

So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah. He built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

So Balak said to Balaam, "Come now, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there."

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.