agaynst me. Come nowe therfore & curse this people for my sake. For they are to myghtye for me, yf so peraduenture I myght be able to smyte them, and to dryue them out of the lande. For I wote that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and whom thou cursest, is cursed.
And the elders of Moab and the elders of Madian departed, hauyng the rewarde of the sothsaynge in theyr hand. And they came vnto Balaam, and tolde hym the wordes of Balac. He answered them: Tary here this nyght, and I wyll bryng you worde, euen as the Lorde shall say vnto me. And the lordes of Moab abode with Balaam.
And god came vnto Balaam, & sayd. What [unspec C] men are these with the? And Balaam sayde vnto God. Balac the sonne of Ziphor kynge of Moab hath sent vnto me, sayeng: beholde there is a people come out of Egypte and co∣uereth the face of the earth: come nowe ther∣fore, and curse them for my sake, yf so perad∣uenture I may be able to ouercome them in battayle, & to dryue them out. And god sayde vnto Balaam: Go not thou with them, ney∣ther curse the people, for they are blessed.
And Balaam rose vp in the mornynge & sayd vnto the Lordes of Balac: get you vnto your lande: for the Lorde wyll not suffre me to go with you. And the lordes of Moab rose vp, and went vnto Balac and sayd: Balaam wolde not come with vs. And Balac sent a∣gayne a greater company of Lordes & more honourable then they, which came to Balaā & tolde hym. Thus sayth Balac the sonne of Ziphor: oh, let nothynge let the, but come vn∣to me, for I wyll greatly promote the vnto great honour, and wyll do what soeuer thou sayest vnto me, come I praye the, curse this people for my sake.
And Balaam answered and sayd vnto the seruauntes of Balac: If Balac wolde gyue [unspec D] me his house full of syluer and golde, I can not go beyond the worde of the lorde my god, to do lesse or more. Now therfore tary ye here this nyght: that I may wete, what the Lorde wyll say vnto me more. And God came vnto Balaam by nyght, & sayde vnto hym: If the men come to call the, ryse vp, and go with them: But loke what I saye vnto the, that shalt thou do.
And Balaam rose vp earlye, and sadled his Asse and went with the lordes of Moab. And the coūtenaunce of god was ☞ angrye bycause he went. And the angell of the lorde stode in the way agaynst him, as he rode vpō his Asse, & his two seruaunt{is} were with hym. And when the Asse saw the angel of the lorde stande in the way, & hauyng a swerd drawen in his hande, the Asse turned a syde out of the way, and went out into the felde. And Balaā smote the asse, to turne her into the way.
But the angell of the Lorde stoode in a [unspec E] path bytwene the vyneyardes, and there was a wall on the one syde, and an other on the o∣ther. And when the asse sawe the angel of the lorde, she wrenched vnto the wall, and thrust Balaams fote vnto the wall, and he smote her agayne. And the angell of the lorde went forther & stode in a narowe place, where was no way to turne, eyther to the right hande or to the lefte. And when the asse sawe the angel of the Lorde, she fell downe vnder Balaam: and Balaam was wrothe, and smote the asse with a staffe. And the lord opened the mouth of the asse, and she sayd vnto Balaam. What haue I done vnto the, that thou hast smyten me nowe thre tymes? And Balaam sayd vn∣to the asse: bycause thou hast mocked me: I wolde also there were a swerde in my hande, for euen nowe wolde I kyll the. And the Asse sayde vnto Balaam: Am not I thyne Asse, which thou hast ryddē vpon synce thou wast borne vnto this day? Was I euer wonte to do so vnto the? he sayd: nay.
And the Lorde opened the eyes of Balaam, [unspec F] and he saw the angell of the Lorde standyng in the way, hauynge a swerde drawen in his hande. He bowed hymselfe therfore, and fell flat on his face. And the angell of the Lorde sayd vnto hym. Wherfore hast thou smyten thyne asse thre tymes? Beholde, I came out as an aduersary, bycause thou makest thy way contrary vnto me, and the Asse sawe me and wente backe fro me thre tymes, or els yf she had not turned fro me ❀ (gyuynge place to me that stode in the vvaye,) I had surely slayne the, & saued her alyue. Balaam sayde vnto the angell of the Lorde: I haue synned: for I wyst not that thou stodest in the waye agaynst me. Nowe therfore yf it please the, I wyll turne home agayne. The angell sayde vnto Balaam: Go with the men: but, what I say vnto the, that shalte thou speake. And so Balaam went with the lordes of Balac.
And when Balac herde that Balaam was [unspec G] come, he went out to mete hym vnto a Citye of Moab, whiche is in the border of Arnon, euen in the vttermost coost. And Balac sayd vnto Balaam: dyd I not sende for the, to call the? And wherfore camest thou not vnto me? bycause I am not able to promote the vnto honoure? And Balaam made answere vnto Balac: Lo, I am come vnto the. And can I nowe say any thynge at all. The worde that