1 Abantwana bakwa-Israyeli bahamba, bamisa emathafeni akwaMowabi ngaphesheya kweJordani ngaseJeriko.
2 UBalaki indodana kaSipori wabona konke akwenzile u-Israyeli kuwo ama-Amori.
3 UMowabi wayesesaba kakhulu abantu, ngokuba babebaningi; uMowabi waba nosizi ngenxa yabantwana bakwa-Israyeli.
4 UMowabi wathi kumalunga akwaMidiyani: “Manje leli bandla liyakukhotha konke okungakithi nxazonke, njengalokhu inkabi ikhotha utshani bedlelo.”UBalaki indodana kaSipori wayeyinkosi yakwaMowabi ngaleso sikhathi.
5 Wathuma izithunywa kuBileyamu indodana kaBeyori ePethori elingasemfuleni ezweni labantwana babantu bakhe ukumbiza ngokuthi: “Bheka, nampa abantu abaphumile eGibithe; bheka, basibekela ubuso bomhlaba; sebehlala malungana nami;
6 ngalokho ake uze manje, ungiqalekisele laba bantu, ngokuba bayangahlula; mhlawumbe ngingaze ngibe namandla ukuba sibanqobe, ngibaxoshe ezweni, ngokuba ngiyazi ukuthi ombusisayo ubusisiwe, nomqalekisayo uqalekisiwe.”
7 Amalunga akwaMowabi namalunga akwaMidiyani asuka enenkokhelo yokubhula esandleni sawo; ayesefika kuBileyamu, akhuluma kuye amazwi kaBalaki.
8 Wathi-ke kuwo: “Hlalani lapha lobu busuku, nginibuyisele izwi, njengalokhu uJehova eyakukhuluma kimi.” Izikhulu zakwaMowabi zahlala-ke kuBileyamu.
9 UNkulunkulu wafika kuBileyamu, wathi: “Ngobani lawa madoda akuwe na?”
10 UBileyamu wathi kuNkulunkulu: “UBalaki indodana kaSipori, inkosi yakwaMowabi, uthumile kimi wathi:
11 ‘Bheka, abantu abaphumile eGibithe basibekela ubuso bomhlaba; woza kalokhu, ungiqalekisele bona; mhlawumbe ngingaze ngibe namandla ukulwa nabo, ngibaxoshe.’ ”
12 UNkulunkulu wathi kuBileyamu: “Awuyikuhamba nawo; awuyikuqalekisa abantu, ngokuba babusisiwe.”
13 UBileyamu wavuka ekuseni, wathi kuzo izikhulu zikaBalaki: “Buyelani ezweni lakini, ngokuba uJehova uyangalela ukuba ngihambe nani.”
14 Izikhulu zakwaMowabi zasuka, zaya kuBalaki, zathi: “UBileyamu uyala ukufika nathi.”
15 UBalaki wabuye wathuma izikhulu, ziningi, zidumile kunezokuqala.
16 Zafika kuBileyamu, zathi kuye: “Usho kanje uBalaki indodana kaSipori, uthi: ‘Ake ungavinjwa lutho ukuza kimi,
17 ngokuba ngiyakukunika udumo olukhulu, nakho konke ongitshela khona ngiyakukwenza; ake uze ngalokho manje, ungiqalekisele laba bantu.’ ”
18 UBileyamu waphendula wathi kuzo izinceku zikaBalaki: “Noma uBalaki ebeyakunginika indlu yakhe igcwele isiliva negolide, anginakulidlula izwi likaJehova uNkulunkulu wami ukwenza okuncane nokukhulu.
19 Ngalokho ake nihlale nani lapha lobu busuku, ukuze ngazi ukuthi uJehova useyakukhulumani kimi futhi.”
20 UNkulunkulu weza kuBileyamu ebusuku, wathi kuye: “Uma amadoda efika ukukubiza, vuka uhambe nawo; kepha lelo zwi kuphela engilikhuluma kuwe uyakulenza.”
21 UBileyamu wavuka ekuseni, wabophela imbongolo yakhe, wahamba nezikhulu zakwaMowabi.
22 Intukuthelo kaNkulunkulu yavutha ngokuba wahamba; ingelosi kaNkulunkulu yema endleleni ukuba imelane naye. Wayekhwele imbongolo yakhe, izinceku zakhe ezimbili zinaye.
23 Imbongolo yabona ingelosi kaJehova imi endleleni, inenkemba yayo ehoshiweyo esandleni sayo; imbongolo yachezuka endleleni, yaya ensimini, kepha uBileyamu wayishaya imbongolo ukuyibuyisela endleleni.
24 Ingelosi kaJehova yayisima endleleni engumngcingo phakathi kwezivini, kwaba ludonga ngalapha nodonga ngalapha.
25 Imbongolo yayibona ingelosi kaJehova, yazigqula odongeni, yalimaza unyawo lukaBileyamu ngasodongeni; wabuye wayishaya.
26 Ingelosi kaJehova yaqhubeka yema endaweni eminyeneyo, lapho kwakungekho khona indlela yokujika ngakwesokunene noma ngakwesokhohlo.
27 Imbongolo yayibona ingelosi kaJehova, yalala phansi kukaBileyamu; intukuthelo kaBileyamu yavutha, wayishaya imbongolo ngenduku yakhe.
28 UJehova wavula umlomo wembongolo, yathi kuBileyamu: “Ngenzeni kuwe ukuba ungishaye kathathu na?”
29 UBileyamu wathi embongolweni: “Ngokuba ungiswabulele; sengathi ngabe kukhona inkemba esandleni sami, ngokuba ngabe sengikubulele.”
30 Kepha imbongolo yathi kuBileyamu: “Angisiyo imbongolo yakho oyikhwele konke ukuhamba kwakho kuze kube manje na? Ngangivama ukwenza kanjalo kuwe na?”Wathi: “Qha.”
31 UJehova wayesevula-ke amehlo kaBileyamu, wayibona ingelosi kaJehova imi endleleni, inenkemba yayo ehoshiweyo esandleni sayo; wagoba ikhanda, wawa ngobuso bakhe.
32 Ingelosi kaJehova yathi kuye: “Uyishayeleni imbongolo yakho kathathu na? Bheka, ngiphumele ukumelana nawe, ngokuba indlela yakho iyingozi phambi kwami;
33 imbongolo yangibona, yachezuka phambi kwami kathathu; uma ibingachezukanga kimi, ngabe sengikubulele, ngayisindisa yona.”
34 Wathi uBileyamu kuyo ingelosi kaJehova: “Ngonile; ngokuba bengingazi ukuthi umi endleleni umelene nami; ngalokho uma kukubi emehlweni akho, ngiyakubuyela emuva.”
35 Yayisithi ingelosi kaJehova kuBileyamu: “Hamba nalawa madoda, kepha lelo zwi kuphela engiyakulikhuluma kuwe uyakulikhuluma.” UBileyamu wayesehamba nezikhulu zikaBalaki.
36 UBalaki esezwa ukuthi uBileyamu uyeza, waphuma ukumhlangabeza e-Iri Mowabi elisemkhawulweni wase-Arinoni, liseceleni komkhawulo.
37 UBalaki wathi kuBileyamu: “Angithumanga nokuthuma kuwe ukukubiza na? Awufikanga ngani kimi? Anginamandla yini okukunika udumo na?”
38 UBileyamu wathi kuBalaki: “Bheka, sengifikile kuwe, anginamandla nokho manje okukhuluma utho. Izwi uNkulunkulu alifaka emlonyeni wami, ngiyakukhuluma lona.”
39 UBileyamu wahamba noBalaki, bafika eKiriyati Husoti.
40 UBalaki wanikela ngezinkabi nangezimvu, wazithuma kuBileyamu nakuzo izikhulu ezinaye.
41 Kwathi ekuseni uBalaki wamthatha uBileyamu, wamyisa ezindaweni eziphakemeyo zikaBali, wabona elapho inxenye yabantu.