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In the mean time Moses sent messengers from Cades to the king of Edom, to say: Thus saith thy brother Israel: Thou knowest all the labour that hath come upon us:
In what manner our fathers went down into Egypt, and there we dwelt a long time, and the Egyptians afflicted us and our fathers.
And how we cried to the Lord, and he heard us, and sent an angel, who hath brought us out of Egypt. Lo, we are now in the city of Cades, which is in the uttermost of thy borders,
And we beseech thee that we may have leave to pass through thy country. We will not go through the fields, nor through the vineyards, we will not drink the waters of thy wells, but we will go by the common highway, neither turning aside to the right hand, nor to the left, till we are past thy borders.
And Edom answered them: Thou shalt not pass by me: if thou dost I will come out armed against thee.
And the children of Israel said: We will go by the beaten way: and if we and our cattle drink of thy waters, we will give thee what is just: there shall be no difficulty in the price, only let us pass speedily.
But he answered: Thou shalt not pass. And immediately he came forth to meet them with an infinite multitude, and a strong hand,
Neither would he condescend to their desire to grant them passage through his borders. Wherefore Israel turned another way from him.
And when they had removed the camp from Cades, they came to mount Hor, which is in the borders of the land of Edom:
Where the Lord spoke to Moses:
Let Aaron, saith he, go to his people: for he shall not go into the land which I have given the children of Israel, because he was incredulous to my words, at the waters of contradiction.
Take Aaron and his son with him, and bring them up into mount Hor:
And when thou hast stripped the father of his vesture, thou shalt vest therewith Eleazar his son: Aaron shall be gathered to his people, and die there.
Moses did as the Lord had commanded: and they went up into mount Hor before all the multitude.
And when he had stripped Aaron of his vestments, he vested Eleazar his son with them.
And Aaron being dead in the top of the mountain, he came down with Eleazar.
And all the multitude seeing that Aaron was dead, mourned for him thirty days throughout all their families.
And when king Arad the Chanaanite, who dwelt towards the south, had heard this, to wit, that Israel was come by the way of the spies, he fought against them, and overcoming them carried off their spoils.
But Israel binding himself by vow to the Lord, said: If thou wilt deliver thus people into my hand, I will utterly destroy their cities.
And the Lord heard the prayers of Israel, and delivered up the Chanaanite, and they cut them off and destroyed their cities: and they called the name of that place Horma, that is to say, Anathema.
And they marched from mount Hor, by the way that leadeth to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom. And the people began to be weary of their journey and labour:
And speaking against God and Moses, they said: Why didst thou bring us out of Egypt, to die in the wilderness? There is no bread, nor have we any waters: our soul now loatheth this very light food.
Wherefore the Lord sent among the people fiery serpents, which bit them and killed many of them.
Upon which they came to Moses, and said; We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord and thee: pray that he may take away these serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
And the Lord said to him: Make a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: whosoever being struck shall look on it, shall live.
Moses therefore made a brazen serpent, and set it up for a sign: which when they that were bitten looked upon, they were healed.
And the children of Israel setting forwards camped in Oboth.
And departing thence they pitched their tents in Jeabarim, in the wilderness, that faceth Moab toward the east.
And removing from thence, they came to the torrent Zared:
Which they left and encamped over against Arnon, which is in the desert and standeth out on the borders of the Amorrhite. For Arnon is the border of Moab, dividing the Moabites and the Amorrhites.
Wherefore it is said in the book of the wars of the Lord: As he did in the Red Sea, so will he do in the streams of Arnon.
The rocks of the torrents were bowed down that they might rest in Ar, and lie down in the borders of the Moabites.
When they went from that place, the well appeared whereof the Lord said to Moses: Gather the people together, and I will give them water.
Then Israel sung this song: Let the well spring up. They sung thereto:
The well, which the princes dug, and the chiefs of the people prepared by the direction of the lawgiver, and with their staves. And they marched from the wilderness to Mathana.
From Mathana unto Nahaliel: from Nahaliel unto Bamoth.
From Bamoth, is a valley in the country of Moab, to the top of Phasga, which looked towards the desert.
And Israel sent messengers to Sehon king of the Amorrhites, saying:
I beseech thee that I may have leave to pass through thy land: we will not go aside into the fields or the vineyards, we will not drink waters of the wells, we will go the king's highway, till we be past thy borders.
And he would not grant that Israel should pass by his borders: but rather gathering an army, went forth to meet them in the desert, and came to Jasa and fought against them.
And he was slain by them with the edge of the sword, and they possessed his land from the Arnon unto the Jeboc, and to the confines of the children of Ammon: for the borders of the Ammonites, were kept with a strong garrison.
So Israel took all his cities, and dwelt in the cities of the Amorrhite, to wit, in Hesebon, and in the villages thereof.
Hesebon was the city of Sehon the king of the Amorrhites, who fought against the king of Moab: and took all the land, that had been of his dominion, as far as the Arnon.
Therefore it is said in the proverb: Come into Hesebon, let the city of Sehon be built and set up:
A fire is gone out of Hesebon, a flame from the city of Sehon, and hath consumed Ar of the Moabites, and the inhabitants of the high places of the Arnon.
Woe to thee Moab: thou art undone, O people of Chamos. He hath given his sons to flight, and his daughters into captivity to Sehon the king of the Amorrhites.
Their yoke is perished from Hesebon unto Dibon, they came weary to Nophe, and unto Medaba.
So Israel dwelt in the land of the Amorrhite.
And Moses sent some to take a view of Jazer: and they took the villages of it, and conquered the inhabitants.
And they turned themselves, and went up by the way of Basan, and Og the king of Basan came against them with all his people, to fight in Edrai.
And the Lord said to Moses: Fear him not, for I have delivered him and all his people, and his country into thy hand: and thou shalt do to him as thou didst to Sehon the king of the Amorrhites, the inhabitant of Hesebon.
So they slew him also with his sons, and all his people, not letting any one escape, and they possessed his land.
And they went forward and encamped in the plains of Moab, over against where Jericho is situate beyond the Jordan.
And Balac the son of Sephor, seeing all that Israel had done to the Amorrhite,
And that the Moabites were in great fear of him, and were not able to sustain his assault,
He said to the elders of Madian: So will this people destroy all that dwell in our borders, as the ox is wont to eat the grass to the very roots. Now he was at that time king in Moab.
He sent therefore messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, a soothsayer, who dwelt by the river of the land of the children of Ammon, to call him, and to say: Behold a people is come out of Egypt, that hath covered the face of the earth, sitting over against me.
Come therefore, and curse this people, because it is mightier than I: if by any means I may beat them and drive them out of my land: for I know that he whom thou shalt bless is blessed, and he whom thou shalt curse is cursed.
And the ancients of Moab, and the elders of Madian, went with the price of divination in their hands. And where they were come to Balaam, and had told him all the words of Balac:
He answered: Tarry here this night and I will answer whatsoever the Lord shall say to me. And while they stayed with Balaam, God came and said to him:
What mean these men that are with thee?
He answered: Balac the son of Sephor king of the Moabites hath sent to me,
Saying: Behold a people that is come out of Egypt, hath covered the face of the land: come and curse them, if by any means I may fight with them and drive them away.
And God said to Balaam: Thou shalt not go with them, nor shalt thou curse the people: because it is blessed.
And he rose in the morning and said to the princes: Go into your country, because the Lord hath forbid me to come with you.
The princes returning, said to Balac: Balaam would not come with us.
Then he sent many more and more noble than he had sent before:
Who, when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the son of Sephor, Delay not to come to me:
For I am ready to honour thee, and will give thee whatsoever thou wilt: come and curse this people.
Balaam answered: If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot alter the word of the Lord my God, to speak either more or less.
I pray you to stay here this night also, that I may know what the Lord will answer me once more.
God therefore came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: If these men be come to call thee, arise and go with them: yet so, that thou do what I shall command thee.
Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them.
And God was angry. And an angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat on the ass, and had two servants with him.
The ass seeing the angel standing in the way, with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the way,
The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were enclosed.
And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again:
And nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him.
And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider: who being angry beat her sides more vehemently with a staff.
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?
Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.
The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee. But he said: Never.
Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him falling flat on the ground.
And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me:
And unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived.
Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return.
The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee. He went therefore with the princes.
And when Balac heard it he came forth to meet him in a town of the Moabites, that is situate in the uttermost borders of Arnon.
And he said to Balaam: I sent messengers to call thee, why didst thou not come immediately to me? was it because I am not able to reward thy coming?
He answered him: Lo, here I am: shall I have power to speak any other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth?
So they went on together, and came into a city, that was in the uttermost borders of his kingdom.
And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.
And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.
And Balaam said to Balac: Build me here seven altars, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.
And when he had done according to the word of Balaam, they laid together a calf and a ram upon every altar.
And Balaam said to Balac: Stand a while by thy burnt offering, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet me, and whatsoever he shall command, I will speak to thee.
And when he was gone with speed, God met him. And Balaam speaking to him, said: I have erected seven altars, and have laid on everyone a calf and a ram.
And the Lord put the word in his mouth, and said: Return to Balac, and thus shalt thou speak.
Returning he found Balac standing by his burnt offering, with all the princes of the Moabites:
And taking up his parable, he said: Balac king of the Moabites hath brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east: Come, said he, and curse Jacob: make haste and detest Israel.