Study Desk

The Lord said to Moses, "Don't be afraid of him. I will hand him, his whole army, and his land over to you. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the Amorite king who lived in Heshbon."

So the Israelites killed Og and his sons and all his army; no one was left alive. And they took his land.

He sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, near the Euphrates River in his native land. Balak said, "A nation has come out of Egypt that covers the land. They have camped next to me,

But Balaam answered Balak's servants, "King Balak could give me his palace full of silver and gold, but I cannot disobey the Lord my God in anything, great or small.

Balaam got up the next morning and put a saddle on his donkey. Then he went with the Moabite leaders.

But God became angry because Balaam went, so the angel of the Lord stood in the road to stop Balaam. Balaam was riding his donkey, and he had two servants with him.

When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a sword in his hand, the donkey left the road and went into the field. Balaam hit the donkey to force her back on the road.

When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord , she lay down under Balaam. This made him so angry that he hit her with his stick.

Then the Lord let Balaam see the angel of the Lord , who was standing in the road with his sword drawn. Then Balaam bowed facedown on the ground.

When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at Ar in Moab, which was beside the Arnon, at the edge of his country.

So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak and all the leaders of Moab were still standing beside his burnt offering

So Balaam went to Balak, where he and the leaders of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. Balak asked him, "What did the Lord say?"

God is not a human being, and he will not lie. He is not a human, and he does not change his mind. What he says he will do, he does. What he promises, he makes come true.

Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he pounded his fist. He said to Balaam, "I called you here to curse my enemies, but you have continued to bless them three times.

‘Balak could give me his palace filled with silver and gold, but I still cannot go against the Lord 's commands. I could not do anything, good or bad, on my own, but I must say what the Lord says.'

Edom will be conquered; his enemy Edom will be conquered, but Israel will grow wealthy.

Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.

Moses and the Israelites were gathered at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, crying there. Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in plain sight of Moses and all the people.

Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, so he left the meeting and got his spear.

He followed the Israelite into his tent and drove his spear through both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman. Then the terrible sickness among the Israelites stopped.