DENISON

[column A]

ad Móysen: Ne tímeas eum, quia in manu tua trádidi illum, et omnem pópulum ac terram ejus: faciésque illi sicut fecísti Sehon, regi Amorrhæórum habitatóri Hesébon. Percussérunt ígitur et hunc cum fíliis suis, universúmque pópulum ejus usque ad interneciónem, et possedérunt terram illíus. XXII. Profectíque castrametáti sunt in campéstribus Moab, ubi trans Jordánem Jéricho sita est. Videns autem Balac fílius Sephor ómnia quæ fécerat Israël Amorrhaeo, et quod pertimuíssent eum Moábitæ, et ímpetum ejus ferre non possent, dixit ad majóres natu Mádian: Ita delébit hic pópulus omnes, qui in nostris fínibus commorántur, quómodo solet bos herbas usque ad radíces cárpere. Ipse erat eo témpore rex in Moab. Misit ergo núntios ad Bálaam fílium Beor aríolum, qui habitábat super flumen terræ filiórum Ammon, ut vocárent eum, et dícerent: Ecce egréssus est pópulus ex Ægýpto, qui opéruit superfíciem terræ, sedens contra me. Veni ígitur, et máledic pópulo huic, quia fórtior me est: si quómodo possim percútere et ejícere eum de terra mea. Novi enim quod benedíctus sit cui benedíxeris, et maledíctus in quem maledícta congésseris. Perrexerúntque senióres Moab, et majóres natu Mádian, habéntes divinatiónis prétium in mánibus. Cumque veníssent ad Bálaam, et narrássent ei ómnia verba Balac, ille respóndit: Manéte hic nocte, et respondébo quidquid mihi díxerit Dóminus. Manéntibus illis apud Bálaam, venit Deus, et ait ad eum: Quid sibi volunt hómines isti apud te? Respóndit: Balac fílius Sephor rex Moabitárum misit ad me, dicens: Ecce pópulus qui egréssus est de Ægýpto, opéruit superfíciem terræ: veni, et máledic ei, si quómodo possim pugnans abígere eum. Dixítque Deus ad Bálaam: Noli ire cum eis, neque malédicas pópulo: quia benedíctus est. Qui mane consúrgens dixit ad príncipes: Ite in terram vestram, quia prohíbuit me Dóminus veníre vobíscum. Revérsi príncipes dixérunt ad Balac: Nóluit Bálaam veníre nobíscum. Rursum ille multo plures et nobilióres quam ante míserat, misit. Qui cum veníssent ad Bálaam, dixérunt: Sic dicit Balac fílius Sephor: Ne cúncteris veníre ad me: parátus sum honoráre te, et quidquid volúeris, dabo tibi: veni, et máledic pópulo isti. Respóndit Bálaam: Si déderit mihi Balac plenam domum suam argénti et auri, non pótero immutáre verbum Dómini Dei mei, ut vel plus, vel minus loquar. Óbsecro ut hic maneátis étiam hac nocte, et scire queam quid mihi rursum respóndeat Dóminus. Venit ergo Deus ad Bálaam nocte, et ait ei: Si vocáre te venérunt hómines isti, surge, et vade cum eis: ita dumtáxat, ut quod tibi præcépero, fácias. Surréxit Bálaam mane, et strata ásina sua proféctus est cum eis. Et irátus est Deus. Stetít-

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-que ángelus Dómini in via contra Bálaam, qui insidébat ásinæ, et duos púeros habébat secum. Cernens ásina ángelum stantem in via, evagináto gládio, avértit se de itínere, et ibat per agrum. Quam cum verberáret Bálaam, et vellet ad sémitam redúcere, stetit ángelus in angústiis duárum maceriárum, quibus víneæ cingebántur. Quem videns ásina, junxit se paríeti, et attrívit sedéntis pedem. At ille íterum verberábat eam: et nihilóminus ángelus ad locum angústum tránsiens, ubi nec ad déxteram, nec ad sinístram póterat deviáre, óbvius stetit. Cumque vidísset ásina stantem ángelum, concídit sub pédibus sedéntis: qui irátus, veheméntius cædébat fuste látera ejus. Aperuítque Dóminus os ásinæ, et locúta est: Quid feci tibi? cur pércutis me ecce jam tértio? Respóndit Bálaam: Quia commeruísti, et illusísti mihi: útinam habérem gládium, ut te percúterem! Dixit ásina: Nonne ánimal tuum sum, cui semper sedére consuevísti usque in præséntem diem? dic quid símile umquam fécerim tibi. At ille ait: Numquam. Prótinus apéruit Dóminus óculos Bálaam, et vidit ángelum stantem in via, evagináto gládio, adoravítque eum pronus in terram. Cui ángelus: Cur, inquit, tértio vérberas ásinam tuam? ego veni ut adversárer tibi, quia pervérsa est via tua, mihíque contrária: et nisi ásina declinásset de via, dans locum resisténti, te occidíssem, et illa víveret. Dixit Bálaam: Peccávi, nésciens quod tu stares contra me: et nunc si dísplicet tibi ut vadam, revértar. Ait ángelus: Vade cum istis, et cave ne áliud quam præcépero tibi loquáris. Ivit ígitur cum princípibus. Quod cum audísset Balac, egréssus est in occúrsum ejus in óppido Moabitárum, quod situm est in extrémis fínibus Arnon. Dixítque ad Bálaam: Misi núntios ut vocárent te: cur non statim venísti ad me? an quia mercédem advéntui tuo réddere néqueo? Cui ille respóndit: Ecce adsum: numquid loqui pótero áliud, nisi quod Deus posúerit in ore meo? Perrexérunt ergo simul, et venérunt in urbem, quæ in extrémis regni ejus fínibus erat. Cumque occidísset Balac boves et oves, misit ad Bálaam, et príncipes qui cum eo erant, múnera. Mane autem facto, duxit eum ad excélsa Baal, et intúitus est extrémam partem pópuli. XXIII. Dixítque Bálaam ad Balac: Ædífica mihi hic septem aras, et para tótidem vítulos, ejusdémque númeri aríetes. Cumque fecísset juxta sermónem Bálaam, imposuérunt simul vítulum et aríetem super aram. Dixítque Bálaam ad Balac: Sta paulísper juxta holocáustum tuum, donec vadam, si forte occúrrat mihi Dóminus, et quodcúmque imperáverit, loquar tibi. Cumque abiísset velóciter, occúrrit illi Deus. Locutúsque ad eum Bálaam: Septem, inquit, aras

[Numbers 21:34-23:4]

...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. 35 So they slew him also with his sons, and all his people, not letting any one escape, and they possessed his land.

1 And they went forward and encamped in the plains of Moab, over against where Jericho is situate beyond the Jordan. 2 And Balac the son of Sephor, seeing all that Israel had done to the Amorrhite, 3 And that the Moabites were in great fear of him, and were not able to sustain his assault, 4 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. 5 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. 6 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. 7 And the ancients of Moab, and the elders of Madian, went with the price of divination in their hands. And when they were come to Balaam, and had told him all the words of Balac: 8 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: 9 What mean these men that are with thee? 10 He answered: Balac the son of Sephor king of the Moabites hath sent to me, 11 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. 12 And God said to Balaam: Thou shalt not go with them, nor shalt thou curse the people: because it is blessed. 13 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. 14 The princes returning, said to Balac: Balaam would not come with us. 15 Then he sent many more and more noble than he had sent before: 16 Who, when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the son of Sephor, Delay not to come to me: 17 For I am ready to honour thee, and will give thee whatsoever thou wilt: come and curse this people. 18 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. 19 I pray you to stay here this night also, that I may know what the Lord will answer me once more. 20 God therefore came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: It these men be come to call thee, arise and go with them: yet so, that thou do what I shall command thee. 21 Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them. 22 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. 23 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, 24 The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were enclosed. 25 And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again: 26 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. 27 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. 28 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? 29 Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee. 30 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. 31 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. 32 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: 33 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. 34 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. 35 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. 36 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. 37 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? 38 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? 39 So they went on together, and came into a city, that was in the uttermost borders of his kingdom. 40 And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41 And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.

1 And Balaam said to Balac: Build me here seven altars, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams. 2 And when he had done according to the word of Balaam, they laid together a calf and a ram upon every altar. 3 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. 4 And when he was gone with speed, God met him. And Balaam speaking to him, said: I have erected seven altars...