Israel defeated King Sihon and King Og

21 Then the Israelites had representatives visit Sihon. He ruled the Amorite people group. The representatives said, 22 We ask that you allow us to travel through your country. We will stay on the King’s Highway, the main road, until we have left your region. We promise not to walk through your fields or vineyards. We will not even drink any of your water.” 23 However, Sihon refused to let the Israelites travel through his country. Instead, he assembled his entire army and marched out into the desolate area to attack the Israelites. When he and his army arrived at the town of Jahaz, they attacked the Israelites. 24 The Israelites defeated and killed him and his army. They took the area he ruled for themselves. This area went from the Arnon River in the south, to the Jabbok River in the north, to the area where the Ammonites lived in the east. The Ammonites would have been difficult to defeat, so the Israelites stopped at the area where the Ammonites lived. 25 So the Israelites captured all the towns where the Amorites had lived, including the town of Heshbon and all its surrounding villages. The Israelites began to live in those towns and villages. 26 Here is how Heshbon became the city from which Sihon ruled the Amorites: Sihon attacked one of the kings who had ruled the Moabites previously. He defeated that king’s army and took over his territory, which went to the Arnon River in the south.

27 Poets spoke about that in this way:

“Travel to Heshbon!

People need to rebuild it.

Then, Sihon can rule from Heshbon.

28 

Sihon’s army marched from his city, Heshbon,

like a fire going out and burning up everything.

They destroyed the town of Ar in Moab

and the people who controlled the hilltop shrines along the Arnon River.

29 

How terrible for you Moabite people!

You have died, you people who worship Chemosh!

Chemosh let the Moabite men and women become refugees and prisoners.

Sihon, who rules the Amorites, conquered them.

30 

We Amorites defeated those Moabites!

We destroyed everything from the city of Heshbon to the city of Dibon.

We destroyed everything up to the place that people call Nophah,

near the city of Medeba.”

31 After all that, the Israelites began to live in the region where the Amorites had lived.

32 Now Moses had some Israelites explore Jazer. Then, the Israelites attacked and took over Jazer and its surrounding villages. They made the Amorites who had lived there leave. 33 Then the Israelites turned north and went toward the region of Bashan. Og, the king of that area, and all his soldiers marched south to fight against them at the city of Edrei.

34 Yahweh told Moses, “I will cause your army to defeat him and all his army. I will also cause you to capture all their land. So, do not be afraid of him. Do to him what you did to Sihon, the king of the Amorite people, who ruled in the city of Heshbon.”

35 So the Israelites killed Og, his sons, and his entire army. They did not allow any of them to remain alive. Then, the Israelites took the area Og had ruled for themselves.

22 Then the Israelites kept traveling. They set up their tents in the flatlands that were part of Moab, on the east side of the Jordan River, across from the city of Jericho.

2 King Balak, Zippor’s son, ruled Moab at that time. He learned about everything the Israelites had done to the Amorites. 3 He and his people, the Moabites, realized how many Israelites there were. So, they were extremely afraid of the Israelites. 4 The people who led the Moabites told the people who led the Midianites, “Very soon this Israelite community will destroy everything around us, just as an ox devours all the grass in a field.” Now King Balak, Zippor’s son, ruled Moab during this time.

5 So King Balak had representatives visit Balaam, Beor’s son. He lived in the town of Pethor near the Euphrates River. That was his native country. The representatives would ask Balaam to visit Balak. This was their message: “Listen to this! A group of people left Egypt and now they are living near me. There are so many of them that they cover the entire region. 6 They are more powerful than we are. So, please travel here. For my sake, call on God to do bad things to them. Then maybe my army will be able to defeat them and force them to leave my region. I ask because I believe that when you call on God to do good things to people, those good things happen to them. When you call on God to do bad things to people, those bad things happen to them.

7 The representatives were the people who led the Moabites and the Midianites. They had money with them to pay Balaam for his work. They traveled to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.

8 Balaam replied, “Stay here tonight. In the morning, I will answer your request. I will tell you what Yahweh tells me.” So, the Moabite officials stayed there that night.

9 During the night, God made himself present to Balaam. He asked Balaam, “Who are these men who are staying with you?”

10 Balaam replied, “King Balak, Zippor’s son, rules Moab. He had these men visit me. 11 They told me that a group of people left Egypt and are now living near Moab. There are so many of them that they cover the entire region. They asked me to travel there and for their sake to call upon God to do bad things to this group of people. That way, their army may be able to defeat this group of people and force them to leave that region.”

12 Then God told Balaam, “You must not travel back with them! I intend to do good things to this group of people. So, you must not call on me to do bad things to this group of people.”

13 When Balaam woke up the next morning, he told the officials who served Balak, “Yahweh will not allow me to travel back with you. So, return to your country without me.”

14 So the Moabite officials returned to King Balak. They told him, “Balaam said that he would not travel back with us.”

15 So King Balak had another group of officials visit Balaam. There were more of these officials, and they were more important than the previous officials. 16 They traveled to where Balaam was. They told him, “We speak for King Balak, Zippor’s son. We ask that you do not let anything keep you from traveling back with us. 17 If you travel back with us, King Balak will reward you very much. Also, he will do everything you tell him to do. We only ask that you travel back with us. For our sake, call on God to do bad things to this people group.”

18 Balaam told the men who served King Balak, “Suppose that King Balak offered me all the money and possessions he has. Even in that case, I would not be able to disobey what Yahweh, the God I worship, tells me to do, no matter how unimportant. 19 For now, I ask that you stay here tonight, just as the previous officials did. Tonight, I will find out what else Yahweh may say to me.”

20 During the night, God made himself present to Balaam. He told Balaam, “Since these men have arrived here to ask you to travel back with them, you may leave with them when you get up in the morning. However, you must do only what I tell you to do!”

21 So the next morning, Balaam got up, put a saddle on his donkey, and left with the Moabite officials. 22 Then, because Balaam left with them, God was angry. So, an angel representing Yahweh stood in the road to oppose Balaam. Meanwhile, Balaam was riding on his donkey. He had two servants with him. 23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel representing Yahweh standing in the road. The angel held a sword and was ready to use it. So, the donkey turned off the road into the open country. But Balaam hit the donkey to force it back onto the road. 24 Then the angel representing Yahweh stood on a narrow road between two vineyards. There were walls on both sides.

25 When the donkey saw the angel representing Yahweh standing there, it squeezed up against the wall. When it did that, it also squeezed Balaam’s foot between it and the wall. So, Balaam hit the donkey again. 26 Then the angel representing Yahweh went further ahead. He stopped in a place that was so narrow that no one could get by on either side. 27 When the donkey saw the angel representing Yahweh standing there, it lay down on the ground with Balaam still sitting on it. Balaam was angry, and he hit the donkey with his walking stick. 28 Then Yahweh enabled the donkey to speak! It asked Balaam, “Why have you hit me three times? How have I acted against you?”

29 Balaam replied, “You have treated me very badly! I wish I had a sword and could kill you right now!”

30 The donkey replied, “I am your own donkey. You have ridden on me since you bought me. Have I ever acted like this?”

Balaam said, “No.”

31 Then Yahweh enabled Balaam to see the angel representing Yahweh. The angel was standing in the road. He held a sword and was ready to use it. So Balaam fearfully and respectfully bowed down before the angel.

32 The angel representing Yahweh told Balaam, “You should not have hit your donkey three times! Listen to me! I consider what you are doing to be wrong. So, I came here to oppose you. 33 Your donkey realized I was here. It tried to move away from me those three times. If it had not done that, I would have killed you already. However, I would have let the donkey live.”

34 Then Balaam told the angel representing Yahweh, “I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. Because of that, I did what was wrong. You seem to think that traveling with these men is wrong. If that is true, I will go back home.”

35 The angel representing Yahweh replied, “You may travel with these men. However, you must say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam traveled on with the officials who served Balak.

36 When King Balak learned that Balaam was coming, he traveled to welcome him. He traveled to the town in Moab that is alongside the Arnon River, near the edge of his territory. 37 When Balaam arrived, Balak told him, “I had people travel to you to ask you to visit me here! Why did you refuse to go with them at first? Surely you know that I can reward you well.”

38 Balaam replied, “Listen, I am here. But you need to know that I cannot say whatever I want. Instead, I can only say what God tells me to say.”

39 Then Balaam traveled with Balak to the town of Kiriath Huzoth. 40 There, Balak offered sheep and oxen as sacrifices. He sent some of the meat to Balaam and to the officials who were with Balak. 41 The next morning Balak led Balaam up to the town of Bamoth Baal. From there, Balaam observed some of the Israelites at the edge of their campsite.