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Balak, the king of the Moabites, was afraid Once in Moab, Balaam speaks the words of
because he saw how numerous the Israelites the Lord and blesses the Israelites instead of
were and knew what they had previously done cursing them. Balak asks him again and again
to the Amorites. He convened "the elders of to curse the Israelites, and each time Balaam
Midian" to ask their prophet, Balaam, to im- blesses them: "Now is the time to say of Jacob
pose a magical curse on the Israelites. and of Israel: 'See what God has wrought!'"
(23:23), and again: "How goodly are your
Indeed, "the elders of Moab and Mid- tents, O Jacob, your dwellings-places, O' Is-
ian...came to Balaam, son of Beor..." (Num- rael!" (Num.24:5)
bers 22:7) That evening, Balaam himself
spoke with God, "[but] God said to Balaam: The Bible reminds us of this incident again in
You are not to go with them or curse the peo- Deuteronomy, declaring: "No Ammonite or
ple; for they are to be blessed.'" (22:12) Moabite, even down to the tenth generation,
shall become a member of the assembly of the
Nevertheless, "Balaam saddled his donkey, Lord... because they hired Balaam son of Beor
and went with the officials of Moab." (Num from Pethor in Aram-naharaim to revile you.
22:21) God was angry with Balaam and sent The Lord your God... turned his denunciation
His angel to stand in the middle of the road into a blessing..." (Deut.23:3-6)
with a sword. The donkey saw the Angel of
the Lord and got off the road. Balaam did not The Deir 'Alla fragments report other events
see the Angel; he just struck the donkey to turn from a different perspective. They say that in-
him back on the road. deed, "[Balaam] beheld a vision according to
the revelation of God." According to the text
After the third time, the "Lord opened the fragments, Balaam understands from this vi-
mouth of the donkey" who asks Balaam why he sion that a grievous divine judgment is in store
is beating him over and over again. Balaam for him. He wants to repent and thereby fore-
answers: "Because you have made a fool of stall the threatened punishment. This part of
me! " And he tells the donkey that if he had a the story is similar to Jonah's repentance in
sword, he would kill him. Nineveh, in the book of Jonah.

Then, Balaam's donkey teaches his master a In both the Bible and the Deir 'Alla texts, di-
lesson: "Am I not your donkey, which you vine beings "come" to Balaam at night, and in
have ridden all your life to this day? Have I both, he beholds visions and relates to others
been in the habit of treating you this way?" what has been disclosed to him.
Balaam answered: "No."
A second group of text fragments, found at
Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes and he Deir 'Alla near the first set, contain a series of
saw the Angel. The latter told him: "I have curses that refer to "maggots", "insufficient
come out as an adversary because your way is clothing", or sayings such as, "you shall lie on
contrary to me." (Num 22:32) Balaam asks for your eternal bed of rest", and "death shall take
forgiveness for having sinned. The Angel of away the child who is in the womb." This par-
the Lord simply commands Balaam to go with allels similar curses found in some passages
the officials of the Moabite king, "but speak of the Bible. According to archaeologists, it
only what I tell you to speak." (Num 22:35) may be that these phrases were actually ut-
tered by Balaam, though they are not men-
tioned in the Bible.

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