Numbers 22
1 Then the Israelis traveled west to the area of Moab that was in the valley of the Jordan [River], across the river from Jericho [city].
Y MOVIERON los hijos de Israel, y asentaron en los campos de Moab, de esta parte del Jordán de Jericó.
2 But King Balak, the son of Zippor, who ruled Moab, found out what the Israelis had done to the Amor people-group.
Y vió Balac, hijo de Zippor, todo lo que Israel había hecho al Amorrheo.
3 [When he saw that] the Israelis were very numerous, he and his people became terrified.
Y Moab temió mucho á causa del pueblo que era mucho; y angustióse Moab á causa de los hijos de Israel.
4 So the king of Moab [went to] the leaders of the Midian people-group and said to them, “This huge group [of Israelis] will (wipe out/destroy) everything around them, like an ox devours grass!” Balak was the king of Moab.
Y dijo Moab á los ancianos de Madián: Ahora lamerá esta gente todos nuestros contornos, como lame el buey la grama del campo. Y Balac, hijo de Zippor, era entonces rey de Moab.
5 He sent messengers to [a prophet named] Balaam, who was living in his own area, in Pethor [town], near the [Euphrates] River. He sent this message to request that Balaam would come [to help him]: “A huge group of people has arrived here from Egypt. [It looks like] they are covering the entire land! And they have begun to live close to us.
Por tanto envió mensajeros á Balaam hijo de Beor, á Pethor, que está junto al río en la tierra de los hijos de su pueblo, para que lo llamasen, diciendo: Un pueblo ha salido de Egipto, y he aquí cubre la haz de la tierra, y habita delante de mí:
6 Because they are very powerful/numerous, [we are afraid of them. So] please come and curse them for me. Then my army may be able to defeat them and expel them from the land [where they are now living]. I know that good things will happen to the people whom you bless, and disasters will happen to the people whom you curse.”
Ven pues ahora, te ruego, maldíceme este pueblo, porque es más fuerte que yo: quizá podré yo herirlo, y echarlo de la tierra: que yo sé que el que tú bendijeres, será bendito, y el que tú maldijeres, será maldito.
7 [Balak’s messengers, who were] leaders of both the Moab and Midian people-groups, took money with them to pay Balaam in order that he would [come and] curse the Israelis. They went to Balaam and told him what Balak had said.
Y fueron los ancianos de Moab, y los ancianos de Madián, con las dádivas de adivinación en su mano, y llegaron á Balaam, y le dijeron las palabras de Balac.
8 Balaam said, “Stay here tonight. [Tomorrow morning] I will tell you whatever Yahweh tells me that I should say to you.” So the leaders from Moab stayed there that night.
Y él les dijo: Reposad aquí esta noche, y yo os referiré las palabras, como Jehová me hablare. Así los príncipes de Moab se quedaron con Balaam.
9 During the night, God appeared to Balaam and asked him, “(Who are/Tell me about) these men who are staying with you.”
Y vino Dios á Balaam, y díjole: ¿Qué varones son estos [que están] contigo?
10 Balaam replied, “Balak, the king of Moab, sent these men to tell me this:
Y Balaam respondió á Dios: Balac hijo de Zippor, rey de Moab, ha enviado á mí [diciendo]:
11 ‘A huge group of people has come from Egypt, and they have spread all over this area. Please come immediately to curse them. Then I may be able to defeat them and expel them [from this area].’”
He aquí este pueblo que ha salido de Egipto, cubre la haz de la tierra: ven pues ahora, y maldícemelo; quizá podré pelear con él, y echarlo.
12 God replied to Balaam, “Do not go with them! I have blessed those people, so you must not curse them!”
Entonces dijo Dios á Balaam: No vayas con ellos, ni maldigas al pueblo; porque es bendito.
13 The next morning, Balaam got up and told Balak’s men, “Go back home. [But go by yourselves, because] Yahweh is not allowing me to go with you.”
Así Balaam se levantó por la mañana, y dijo á los príncipes de Balac: Volveos á vuestra tierra, porque Jehová no me quiere dejar ir con vosotros.
14 So the men from Moab returned to King Balak and they reported to him, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
Y los príncipes de Moab se levantaron, y vinieron á Balac, y dijeron: Balaam no quiso venir con nosotros.
15 But Balak sent another [group of] leaders to Balaam. It was a group that was larger and they were more important [than the men in the first group].
Y tornó Balac á enviar otra vez más príncipes, y más honorables que los [otros].
16 They went to Balaam and told him this: “This is what King Balak says: ‘Please do not allow anything to hinder you from coming here.
Los cuales vinieron á Balaam, y dijéronle: Así dice Balac, hijo de Zippor: Ruégote que no dejes de venir á mí:
17 I will pay you (a lot of money/very well) [if you come], and I will do anything that you ask me to do. Just come and curse these [Israeli] people for me!’”
Porque sin duda te honraré mucho, y haré todo lo que me dijeres: ven pues ahora, maldíceme á este pueblo.
18 But Balaam answered them, “Even if Balak would give me a palace filled with silver and gold, I would not do anything to disobey Yahweh, (my God/the God whom I [worship]).
Y Balaam respondió, y dijo á los siervos de Balac: Aunque Balac me diese su casa llena de plata y oro, no puedo traspasar la palabra de Jehová mi Dios, para hacer cosa chica ni grande.
19 But stay here one more night, like the other messengers did, and I will find out if Yahweh has anything more to say to me.”
Ruégoos por tanto ahora, que reposéis aquí esta noche, para que yo sepa qué me vuelve á decir Jehová.
20 That night God appeared to Balaam again and said to him, “These men have come to request that you go back with them, so you may go with them, but do only what I tell you [to do]!”
Y vino Dios á Balaam de noche, y díjole: Si vinieren á llamarte hombres, levántate y ve con ellos: empero harás lo que yo te dijere.
21 So the next morning, Balaam put a saddle on his donkey and he departed [with two of his servants] along with the men from Moab.
Así Balaam se levantó por la mañana, y cinchó su asna, y fué con los príncipes de Moab.
22 [Even though God had given Balaam permission to go, he was still angry]. So he sent one of his angels to Balaam. This angel stood in the road to block Balaam’s path. As Balaam and the two servants were riding on their donkeys,
Y el furor de Dios se encendió porque él iba; y el ángel de Jehová se puso en el camino por adversario suyo. Iba, pues, él montado sobre su asna, y con él dos mozos suyos.
23 Balaam’s donkey saw the angel. The angel was standing in the road and was holding a sword in his hand, [but Balaam did not see him]. Balaam’s donkey turned off the road into a field. So Balaam struck the donkey and forced it to go back onto the road.
Y el asna vió al ángel de Jehová, que estaba en el camino con su espada desnuda en su mano; y apartóse el asna del camino, é iba por el campo. Entonces hirió Balaam al asna para hacerla volver al camino.
24 Then the angel stood in a place where the road was very narrow, between two vineyards, with walls on each side of the road.
Mas el ángel de Jehová se puso en una senda de viñas [que tenía] pared de una parte y pared de otra.
25 When the donkey saw the angel standing there, it walked very close to the wall [to try to get past the angel]. As a result, it bashed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam struck the donkey again.
Y viendo el asna al ángel de Jehová, pegóse á la pared, y apretó contra la pared el pie de Balaam: y él volvió á herirla.
26 Then the angel went further along the road and stood at a place that was extremely narrow, with the result that the donkey could not get past at all.
Y el ángel de Jehová pasó más allá, y púsose en una angostura, donde no había camino para apartarse ni á diestra ni á siniestra.
27 This time, when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down [on the ground] with Balaam sitting on top of it. Balaam became extremely angry, and he struck the donkey again with his walking stick.
Y viendo el asna al ángel de Jehová, echóse debajo de Balaam: y enojóse Balaam, é hirió al asna con el palo.
28 Then Yahweh enabled the donkey to speak! It said to Balaam, “What bad thing have I done to you that caused you to strike me three times?”
Entonces Jehová abrió la boca al asna, la cual dijo á Balaam: ¿Qué te he hecho, que me has herido estas tres veces?
29 Balaam shouted, “I struck you because you have caused me to appear to be foolish! If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!”
Y Balaam respondió al asna: Porque te has burlado de mí: ¡ojalá tuviera espada en mi mano, que ahora te mataría!
30 But the donkey answered, “I am your own donkey [RHQ], the one that you have always ridden! Have I ever done anything like this previously?” Balaam said, “No.”
Y el asna dijo á Balaam: ¿No soy yo tu asna? sobre mí has cabalgado desde que tú me tienes hasta este día; ¿he acostumbrado á hacerlo así contigo? Y él respondió: No.
31 Then Yahweh enabled Balaam to see the angel standing on the road, holding a sword in his hand. Balaam [realized that it was an angel and] prostrated himself on the ground in front of the angel.
Entonces Jehová abrió los ojos á Balaam, y vió al ángel de Jehová que estaba en el camino, y [tenía] su espada desnuda en su mano. Y [Balaam] hizo reverencia, é inclinóse sobre su rostro.
32 The angel asked him, ‘(Why did you strike your donkey three times?/ You should certainly not have struck the donkey three times! [RHQ] I have come to block your path because what you are planning to do is wrong.
Y el ángel de Jehová le dijo: ¿Por qué has herido tu asna estas tres veces? he aquí yo he salido para contrarrestarte, porque tu camino es perverso delante de mí:
33 Three times your donkey saw me and turned away from me. If it had not done that, I would certainly have killed you already, but I would have allowed the donkey to live.”
El asna me ha visto, y hase apartado luego de delante de mí estas tres veces: y si de mí no se hubiera apartado, yo también ahora te mataría á ti, y á ella dejaría viva.
34 Then Balaam said to the angel, “I have sinned. But I did not realize that you were standing there, trying to block my path. So if you do not want me to continue going, I will return home.”
Entonces Balaam dijo al ángel de Jehová: He pecado, que no sabía que tú te ponías delante de mí en el camino: mas ahora, si te parece mal, yo me volveré.
35 But the angel replied, “I will allow you to go with these men, but you must say only what I tell you to say!” So Balaam went on with the leaders whom Balak [had sent].
Y el ángel de Jehová dijo á Balaam: Ve con esos hombres: empero la palabra que yo te dijere, esa hablarás. Así Balaam fué con los príncipes de Balac.
36 When King Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went to meet him at a Moab town alongside the Arnon [River] that was at the border of his own land.
Y oyendo Balac que Balaam venía, salió á recibirlo á la ciudad de Moab, que está junto al término de Arnón, que es el cabo de los confines.
37 [When he arrived where] Balaam was, he said to him, “I sent you [RHQ] a message saying that you should come immediately [RHQ]! Why did you not come immediately? [Did you think that] I was not able to pay you a lot of money for coming?”
Y Balac dijo á Balaam: ¿No envié yo á ti á llamarte? ¿por qué no has venido á mí? ¿no puedo yo honrarte?
38 Balaam replied, “I have come here now, but I am not able to say anything [that I want to]. I will say only the words that God tells me to say [MTY].”
Y Balaam respondió á Balac: He aquí yo he venido á ti: mas ¿podré ahora hablar alguna cosa? La palabra que Dios pusiere en mi boca, esa hablaré.
39 Then Balaam went with Balak to Kiriath-Huzoth [town].
Y fué Balaam con Balac, y vinieron á la ciudad de Husoth.
40 There Balak killed some cattle and sheep as sacrifices, and offered [parts of the meat] to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.
Y Balac hizo matar bueyes y ovejas, y envió á Balaam, y á los príncipes que estaban con él.
41 [They slept there], and the next morning Balak took Balaam part way up [the mountain] to Bamoth-Baal [village]. From there, they could see some of the Israeli people who were down below.
Y el día siguiente Balac tomó á Balaam, é hízolo subir á los altos de Baal, y desde allí vió la extremidad del pueblo.
