13. So Balaam got up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land, for the Lord has refused to permit me to go with you.”
14. So the princes of Moab departed and went back to Balak and said, “Balaam refused to come with us.”
15. Balak again sent princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first.
16. And they came to Balaam and said to him, “Thus says Balak son of Zippor: ‘Please do not let anything hinder you from coming to me.
17. For I will honor you greatly, and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.’”
18. Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “Even if Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I could not transgress the commandment of the Lord my God to do less or more.
19. Now therefore, please stay the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me.”
20. God came to Balaam that night, and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but the word that I will say to you, that you must do.”
21. So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
22. Then God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord stood in the road to oppose him. Now he was riding on his donkey and his two servants were with him.
23. And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn in his hand, so the donkey turned aside from the road and went into the field. But Balaam beat the donkey, to make her turn back to the road.
24. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a path among the vineyards, where there was a wall on either side.