The Berean Pursuit
Then the Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho.
Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was terrified of the people because they were numerous. Indeed, Moab dreaded the Israelites. So the Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde will devour everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field."
Since Balak son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time, he sent messengers to Balaam son of Beor at Pethor, which is by the Euphrates in the land of his people.
"Behold, a people has come out of Egypt," said Balak. "They cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. So please come now and put a curse on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed."
The elders of Moab and Midian departed with the fees for divination in hand. They came to Balaam and relayed to him the words of Balak.
"Spend the night here," Balaam replied, "and I will give you the answer that the LORD speaks to me." So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.
Then God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"
And Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 'Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.'?"
But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed."
So Balaam got up the next morning and said to Balak's princes, "Go back to your homeland, because the LORD has refused to let me go with you."
And the princes of Moab arose, returned to Balak, and said, "Balaam refused to come with us."
Then Balak sent other princes, more numerous and more distinguished than the first messengers. They came to Balaam and said, "This is what Balak son of Zippor says: 'Please let nothing hinder you from coming to me, for I will honor you richly and do whatever you say. So please come and put a curse on this people for me!'?"
But Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, "If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything small or great to go beyond the command of the LORD my God. So now, please stay here overnight as the others did, that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me."
That night God came to Balaam and said, "Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you." So in the morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
Then God's anger was kindled because Balaam was going along, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, she turned off the path and went into a field. So Balaam beat her to return her to the path.
Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow passage between two vineyards, with walls on either side. And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD and pressed herself against the wall, crushing Balaam's foot against it. So he beat her once again.
And the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn to the right or left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam, and he became furious and beat her with his staff.
Then the LORD opened the donkey's mouth, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you that you have beaten me these three times?"
Balaam answered the donkey, "You have made a fool of me! If I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now!"
But the donkey said to Balaam, "Am I not the donkey you have ridden all your life until today? Have I ever treated you this way before?"
"No," he replied.
Then the LORD opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. And Balaam bowed low and fell facedown.
The angel of the LORD asked him, "Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you, because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If she had not turned away, then by now I would surely have killed you and let her live."
"I have sinned," Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, "for I did not realize that you were standing in the road to confront me. And now, if this is displeasing in your sight, I will go back home."
But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, "Go with the men, but you are to speak only what I tell you." So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
When Balak heard that Balaam was coming, he went out to meet him at the Moabite city on the Arnon border, at the edge of his territory. And he said to Balaam, "Did I not send you an urgent summons? Why did you not come to me? Am I really not able to richly reward you?"
"See, I have come to you," Balaam replied, "but can I say just anything? I must speak only the word that God puts in my mouth."
So Balaam accompanied Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. Balak sacrificed cattle and sheep, and he gave portions to Balaam and the princes who were with him.
The next morning, Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal. From there he could see the outskirts of the camp of the people.
Then Balaam said to Balak, "Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams."
So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
"Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone," Balaam said to Balak. "Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you."
So Balaam went off to a barren height, and God met with him. "I have set up seven altars," Balaam said, "and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram."
Then the LORD put a message in Balaam's mouth, saying, "Return to Balak and give him this message."
So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Moab.
And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:
"Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the mountains of the east.
'Come,' he said, 'put a curse on Jacob for me;
come and denounce Israel!'
How can I curse what God has not cursed?
How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced?
For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
Behold, a people dwelling apart,
not reckoning themselves among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous;
let my end be like theirs!"
Then Balak said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!"
But Balaam replied, "Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?"
Then Balak said to him, "Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp-not all of them. And from there, curse them for me."
So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Balaam said to Balak, "Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there."
And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, "Return to Balak and speak what I tell you."
So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab.
"What did the LORD say?" Balak asked.
Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:
"Arise, O Balak, and listen;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor.
God is not a man, that He should lie,
or a son of man, that He should change His mind.
Does He speak and not act?
Does He promise and not fulfill?
I have indeed received a command to bless;
He has blessed, and I cannot change it.
He considers no disaster for Jacob;
He sees no trouble for Israel.
The LORD their God is with them,
and the shout of the King is among them.
God brought them out of Egypt
with strength like a wild ox.
For there is no spell against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob and Israel,
'What great things God has done!'
Behold, the people rise like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion,
not resting until they devour their prey
and drink the blood of the slain."
Now Balak said to Balaam, "Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!"
But Balaam replied, "Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?"
"Please come," said Balak, "I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there."
And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.
Then Balaam said, "Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams."
So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
And when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as on previous occasions, but he turned his face toward the wilderness. When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came upon him, and he lifted up an oracle, saying:
"This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,
the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwellings, O Israel!
They spread out like palm groves,
like gardens beside a stream,
like aloes the LORD has planted,
like cedars beside the waters.
Water will flow from his buckets,
and his seed will have abundant water.
His king will be greater than Agag,
and his kingdom will be exalted.
God brought him out of Egypt
with strength like a wild ox,
to devour hostile nations and crush their bones,
to pierce them with arrows.
He crouches, he lies down like a lion;
like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?
Blessed are those who bless you
and cursed are those who curse you."
Then Balak's anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together and said to Balaam, "I summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times. Therefore, flee at once to your home! I said I would richly reward you, but instead the LORD has denied your reward."
Balaam answered Balak, "Did I not already tell the messengers you sent me that even if Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the LORD? I will speak whatever the LORD says. Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you what this people will do to your people in the days to come."
Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying,
"This is the prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of a man whose eyes are open,
the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who bows down with eyes wide open:
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come forth from Jacob,
and a scepter will arise from Israel.
He will crush the skulls of Moab
and strike down all the sons of Sheth.
Edom will become a possession,
as will Seir, his enemy;
but Israel will perform with valor.
A ruler will come from Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city."
Then Balaam saw Amalek and lifted up an oracle, saying:
"Amalek was first among the nations,
but his end is destruction."
Next he saw the Kenites and lifted up an oracle, saying:
"Your dwelling place is secure,
and your nest is set in a cliff.
Yet Kain will be destroyed
when Asshur takes you captive."
Once more Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying:
"Ah, who can live
unless God has ordained it?
Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus;
they will subdue Asshur and Eber,
but they too will perish forever."
Then Balaam arose and returned to his homeland, and Balak also went on his way.
While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab, who also invited them to the sacrifices for their gods. And the people ate and bowed down to these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD burned against them.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of the people and execute them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that His fierce anger may turn away from Israel."
So Moses told the judges of Israel, "Each of you must kill all of his men who have joined in worshiping Baal of Peor."
Just then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and the whole congregation of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. On seeing this, Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, got up from the assembly, took a spear in his hand, followed the Israelite into his tent, and drove the spear through both of them-through the Israelite and on through the belly of the woman.
So the plague against the Israelites was halted, but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.
Then the LORD said to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the Israelites; for he was zealous for My sake among them, so that I did not consume the Israelites in My zeal. Declare, therefore, that I am granting him My covenant of peace. It will be a covenant of permanent priesthood for him and his descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites."
The name of the Israelite who was slain with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. And the name of the slain Midianite woman was Cozbi, the daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.
And the LORD said to Moses, "Attack the Midianites and strike them dead. For they assailed you deceitfully when they seduced you in the matter of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of the Midianite leader, the woman who was killed on the day the plague came because of Peor."
Many have undertaken to compose an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and whose wife Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and decrees of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well along in years.
One day while Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And at the hour of the incense offering, the whole congregation was praying outside.
Just then an angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear.
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous-to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
"How can I be sure of this?" Zechariah asked the angel. "I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years."
"I am Gabriel," replied the angel. "I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time."
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he took so long in the temple. When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained speechless. And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
After these days, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. She declared, "The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people."
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin pledged in marriage to a man named Joseph, who was of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. The angel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. So the angel told her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. His kingdom will never end!"
"How can this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"
The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Look, even Elizabeth your relative has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail."
"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it happen to me according to your word." Then the angel left her.
In those days Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judah, where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord's word to her will be fulfilled."
Then Mary said:
"My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One has done great things for me.
Holy is His name.
His mercy extends to those who fear Him,
from generation to generation.
He has performed mighty deeds with His arm;
He has scattered those who are proud
in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but has exalted the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
but has sent the rich away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful,
as He promised to our fathers,
to Abraham and his descendants forever."
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah. But his mother replied, "No! He shall be called John."
They said to her, "There is no one among your relatives who bears this name." So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they were all amazed. Immediately Zechariah's mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God.
All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events. And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, "What then will this child become?" For the Lord's hand was with him.
Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
because He has visited and redeemed His people.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of His servant David,
as He spoke through His holy prophets,
those of ages past,
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us,
to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember His holy covenant,
the oath He swore to our father Abraham,
to grant us deliverance from hostile hands,
that we may serve Him without fear,
in holiness and righteousness before Him
all the days of our lives.
And you, child, will be called
a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord
to prepare the way for Him,
to give to His people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the Dawn will visit us from on high,
to shine on those who live in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet
into the path of peace."
And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.