this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee?

And he 31 said, Nay. Then 'Yahweh opened the eyes' of Balaam, and he saw the angel of Yahweh standing in the way, with his sword drawn in his hand :' and he 'bowed his head, and fell 32 on his face.' And 'the angel of Yahweh' said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times ? behold, I am come forth to oppose thee, because the way is 33. . . . * and the ass saw me, and turned aside before me these three times unless she had turned aside from me, 34 surely now I had even slain thee, and saved her alive. And

Balaam said unto the angel of Yahweh,' I have sinned; for I knew not that thou wert standing in the way against me. Now, therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. 35 And 'the angel of Yahweh' said unto Balaam, Go thy way: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. [So Balaam went his way and came unto Balak in Ar of Moab. And Balak made him a feast; and on the 39 morrow he brought him to the border of Israel]. So Balaam went with Balak and they came unto Kirjath-huzzoth (?)

THE ORACLE OF BALAAM.

23-28 And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Pisgah that 24 looketh down upon Jeshimon.' And when Balaam saw that it pleased Yahweh to bless Israel, he went not to meet [him] with enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel 3 dwelling according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him. And he took up his oracle, and said,

2

4

Balaam the son of Beor saith,

And the man whose eye. . . . † saith:

He saith, which heareth the words of El,

And knoweth the knowledge of Elyon

* Corrupt text. Usually translated "thy way is perverse before me."

†Translation doubtful. Either "is closed" (i. e. to the outward world) or "is opened" (i. e. clairvoyantly).

God, that bringeth them forth out of Egypt
Is to them as it were the horns (?) of the wild-ox.
Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob,
Neither is there any divination' with Israel :
Even now may one tell [the fate] of Jacob
And of Israel what God hath wrought.
He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,
And shall crunch their bones,

And his oppressors will he crush.

23-22

23

24-8b

He coucheth, he lieth down as a lion,

9

And as a lioness; who shall rouse him up ?

'Blessed be every one that blesseth thee, And cursed be every one that curseth thee.'

And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he 10 smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine

enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them. Therefore now flee thou to thy 11 place: I thought to 'promote thee unto great honor'; but, lo, Yahweh hath kept thee back from honor. And Balaam 12 said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 'If Balak would give me his 13 house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Yahweh, to do either good or bad'of mine own mind'; what Yahweh speaketh, that will I speak?' And now, be- 14 hold, I go unto my people: come, [and] I will foretell thee

what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days. 15 And he took up his oracle, and said,

16

17

18

19

25

Balaam the son of Beor saith,

And the man whose eye is . . . saith:
He saith, which heareth the words of El,
And knoweth the knowledge of Elyon
Which seeth the vision of Shaddai,
Falling down, and having his eyes open:
I see him, but not now:

I behold him, but not nigh:

There cometh forth a star out of Jacob,

And a 'sceptre' riseth out of Israel,

And smiteth through the temples of Moab,

Even the skull of all the sons of "tumult" (Seth).

And Edom shall be a possession,

Seir also shall be a possession, [which are] his enemies;
While Israel doeth valiantly.

And out of Jacob shall one have dominion,

And shall destroy the fugitives from the city.

Then Balaam rose up, and went and returned to his place : and Balak also went his way.

ISRAEL CORRUPTED BY THE WOMEN OF MOAB.

6

Now the people began to commit whoredom' with the 25 daughters of Moab for they called the people unto the 2 sacrifices of their gods; and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Yahweh said unto Moses, Take 4 all the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto Yahweh before the sun, that the fierce anger of Yahweh may turr away' from Israel.

THE INHERITANCE OF GAD AND REUBEN. MOSES PLEDGES THE TWO TRIBES TO HELP IN THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN.

[Now the children of Gad and the children of Reuben saw 32--3 the land which Yahweh had smitten before Israel]. Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon,

and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon. [And they desired the land because it was a good land for cattle. So they came near unto Moses] and said, 'If we have found 5 favor in thy sight,' let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession; bring us not over Jordan. And Moses 6 said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall ye sit here? And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing; if ye 20 will arm yourselves to go before Yahweh to the war, and 21 every armed man of you will pass over Jordan before Yahweh, until he hath driven out' his enemies from before him, 22 and the land be subdued before Yahweh then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless towards Yahweh, and towards Israel; and this land shall be unto you for a possession before Yahweh. But if ye will not do so, behold, ye 23 have sinned against Yahweh and be sure your sin will find you out. And the children of Gad and the children of 25 Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth. 'Our little ones, our wives, our 26 flocks, and all our cattle,' shall be there in the cities' of Gilead but thy servants will pass over, every man that is 27 armed for war, before Yahweh to battle, as my lord saith.

:

[LAST WORDS OF MOSES. JOSHUA HIS SUCCESSOR.}

[And Yahweh said unto Moses, The time is come that thou must die, for thou mayest not pass over this Jordan, [because thou believedst not when I called thee to lead my people forth out of Egypt (?)]. Call now Joshua the son of Nun, the Ephraimite, and make him leader over this people ; for he shall bring them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, saying, I will give it you. And when thou hast given him this charge, then go up into mount Pisgah, which is before thee, and when thou hast seen the land thou shalt

die there in the mount.

So Moses called Joshua and gave him commandment as Yahweh had said. And he blessed him and all the tribes of Israel, each one according to his blessing].

33

2

3

THE BLESSING OF MOSES.

Now this is the blessing, wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. And he said, Yahweh came from 'Sinai,'

And rose from Seir unto them;

He shined forth from mount Paran,

And he came from

In his right hand . .

Meribath-Kadesh.'

With love he cherished his people.

All his holy ones were in thy hand
And they

4b

An inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.

5

7b

8

9

A king arose for Jeshurun,

When the heads of the people were gathered,

All the tribes of Israel together.

Let Reuben live and not die;

And let not his men be few.

And of Simeon he said,

"Hear" (shema), Yahweh, the voice of Simeon

And bring him in to his own people.

And of Levi he said,

Thy Thummim and thy Urim are with the men of thy con

secrated one,

Whom thou didst "prove" at Massah,

For whom thou didst "strive" at the waters of Meribah; [With him] who said of father, and of mother, I have not seen them;

Who neither acknowledged his brethren,

Nor knew his own children: