16. They came to Balaam and said to him, “This is what Balak son of Zippor says: ‘Let nothing keep you from coming to me,
17. for I will greatly honor you and do whatever you ask me. So please come and put a curse on these people for me! ’ ”
18. But Balaam responded to the servants of Balak, “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the command of the Lord my God to do anything small or great.
19. Please stay here overnight as the others did, so that I may find out what else the Lord has to tell me.”
20. God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”
21. When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab.
22. But God was incensed that Balaam was going, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand on the path to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
23. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord standing on the path with a drawn sword in His hand, she turned off the path and went into the field. So Balaam hit her to return her to the path.
24. Then the Angel of the Lord stood in a narrow passage between the vineyards, with a stone wall on either side.
25. The donkey saw the Angel of the Lord and pressed herself against the wall, squeezing Balaam’s foot against it. So he hit her once again.
26. The Angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or the left.
27. When the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord, she crouched down under Balaam. So he became furious and beat the donkey with his stick.
28. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and she asked Balaam, “What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times? ”