¹ Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.”

Now therefore, please stay ¹  the night here also, that I may know what more the Lord might say to me.” ² 

And Balaam ¹  said to Balak, “Station yourself here ²  by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there.

Moses said to the Gadites and the Reubenites, “Must your brothers go to war while you ¹  remain here?

Then they came very close to him and said, “We will build sheep folds here for our flocks and cities for our families, ¹ 

Why ¹  have you brought up the Lord’s community into this wilderness? So that ²  we and our cattle should die here?

So Moses said to them, “Remain ¹  here and I will hear ²  what the Lord will command concerning you.”

He replied to them, “Stay ¹  here tonight, and I will bring back to you whatever word the Lord may speak to me.” So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.

And early ¹  in the morning they went up to the crest of the hill country, ²  saying, “Here we are, and we will go up to the place that the Lord commanded, ³  for we have sinned.” ⁴ 

So when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent a messenger, ¹  and has brought us up out of Egypt. Now ²  we are here in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your country. ³ 

They told Moses, ¹  “We went to the land where you sent us. ²  It is indeed flowing with milk and honey, ³  and this is its fruit.

Then Moses said to Korah, “You and all your company present yourselves before the Lord – you and they, and Aaron – tomorrow.

Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead,

I, the Lord, have said, “I will surely do so to all this evil congregation that has gathered together against me. In this wilderness they will be finished, and there they will die!”’”

Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself ¹  by your burnt offering, and I will go off; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever he reveals to me ²  I will tell you.” ³  Then he went to a deserted height. ⁴ 

Now look, you are standing in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinners, to increase still further the fierce wrath of the Lord against the Israelites.

Moses said, “The people around me ¹  are 600,000 on foot; ²  but you say, ‘I will give them meat, ³  that they may eat ⁴  for a whole month.’

And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness, for there is no bread or water, and we ¹  detest this worthless ²  food.”

But Edom said to him, “You will not pass through me, ¹  or I will come out against ²  you with the sword.”