UBalaki ulanda uBileyamu
1Abantwana bakwa-Israyeli bahamba, bamisa emathafeni akwaMowabi ngaphesheya kweJordani ngaseJeriko.
2UBalaki indodana kaSipori wabona konke akwenzile u-Israyeli kuwo ama-Amori. 3UMowabi wayesesaba kakhulu abantu, ngokuba babebaningi; uMowabi waba nosizi ngenxa yabantwana bakwa-Israyeli.
4UMowabi wathi kumalunga akwaMidiyani: “Manje leli bandla liyakukhotha konke okungakithi nxazonke, njengalokhu inkabi ikhotha utshani bedlelo.”
UBalaki indodana kaSipori wayeyinkosi yakwaMowabi ngaleso sikhathi. 5Wathuma izithunywa kuBileyamu indodana kaBeyori ePethori elingasemfuleni ezweni labantwana babantu bakhe ukumbiza ngokuthi: “Bheka, nampa abantu abaphumile eGibithe; bheka, basibekela ubuso bomhlaba; sebehlala malungana nami; 6ngalokho ake uze manje, ungiqalekisele laba bantu, ngokuba bayangahlula; mhlawumbe ngingaze ngibe namandla ukuba sibanqobe, ngibaxoshe ezweni, ngokuba ngiyazi ukuthi ombusisayo ubusisiwe, nomqalekisayo uqalekisiwe.”
7Amalunga akwaMowabi namalunga akwaMidiyani asuka enenkokhelo yokubhula esandleni sawo; ayesefika kuBileyamu, akhuluma kuye amazwi kaBalaki.
8Wathi-ke kuwo: “Hlalani lapha lobu busuku, nginibuyisele izwi, njengalokhu uJehova eyakukhuluma kimi.” Izikhulu zakwaMowabi zahlala-ke kuBileyamu.
9UNkulunkulu wafika kuBileyamu, wathi: “Ngobani lawa madoda akuwe na?”
10UBileyamu wathi kuNkulunkulu: “UBalaki indodana kaSipori, inkosi yakwaMowabi, uthumile kimi wathi: 11‘Bheka, abantu abaphumile eGibithe basibekela ubuso bomhlaba; woza kalokhu, ungiqalekisele bona; mhlawumbe ngingaze ngibe namandla ukulwa nabo, ngibaxoshe.’ ”
12UNkulunkulu wathi kuBileyamu: “Awuyikuhamba nawo; awuyikuqalekisa abantu, ngokuba babusisiwe.”
13UBileyamu wavuka ekuseni, wathi kuzo izikhulu zikaBalaki: “Buyelani ezweni lakini, ngokuba uJehova uyangalela ukuba ngihambe nani.”
14Izikhulu zakwaMowabi zasuka, zaya kuBalaki, zathi: “UBileyamu uyala ukufika nathi.”
15UBalaki wabuye wathuma izikhulu, ziningi, zidumile kunezokuqala. 16Zafika kuBileyamu, zathi kuye: “Usho kanje uBalaki indodana kaSipori, uthi: ‘Ake ungavinjwa lutho ukuza kimi, 17ngokuba ngiyakukunika udumo olukhulu, nakho konke ongitshela khona ngiyakukwenza; ake uze ngalokho manje, ungiqalekisele laba bantu.’ ”
18UBileyamu waphendula wathi kuzo izinceku zikaBalaki: “Noma uBalaki ebeyakunginika indlu yakhe igcwele isiliva negolide, anginakulidlula izwi likaJehova uNkulunkulu wami ukwenza okuncane nokukhulu. 19Ngalokho ake nihlale nani lapha lobu busuku, ukuze ngazi ukuthi uJehova useyakukhulumani kimi futhi.”
20UNkulunkulu weza kuBileyamu ebusuku, wathi kuye: “Uma amadoda efika ukukubiza, vuka uhambe nawo; kepha lelo zwi kuphela engilikhuluma kuwe uyakulenza.”
21UBileyamu wavuka ekuseni, wabophela imbongolo yakhe, wahamba nezikhulu zakwaMowabi. 22Intukuthelo kaNkulunkulu yavutha ngokuba wahamba; ingelosi kaNkulunkulu yema endleleni ukuba imelane naye. Wayekhwele imbongolo yakhe, izinceku zakhe ezimbili zinaye. 23Imbongolo yabona ingelosi kaJehova imi endleleni, inenkemba yayo ehoshiweyo esandleni sayo; imbongolo yachezuka endleleni, yaya ensimini, kepha uBileyamu wayishaya imbongolo ukuyibuyisela endleleni.
24Ingelosi kaJehova yayisima endleleni engumngcingo phakathi kwezivini, kwaba ludonga ngalapha nodonga ngalapha. 25Imbongolo yayibona ingelosi kaJehova, yazigqula odongeni, yalimaza unyawo lukaBileyamu ngasodongeni; wabuye wayishaya.
26Ingelosi kaJehova yaqhubeka yema endaweni eminyeneyo, lapho kwakungekho khona indlela yokujika ngakwesokunene noma ngakwesokhohlo. 27Imbongolo yayibona ingelosi kaJehova, yalala phansi kukaBileyamu; intukuthelo kaBileyamu yavutha, wayishaya imbongolo ngenduku yakhe. 28UJehova wavula umlomo wembongolo, yathi kuBileyamu: “Ngenzeni kuwe ukuba ungishaye kathathu na?”
29UBileyamu wathi embongolweni: “Ngokuba ungiswabulele; sengathi ngabe kukhona inkemba esandleni sami, ngokuba ngabe sengikubulele.”
30Kepha imbongolo yathi kuBileyamu: “Angisiyo imbongolo yakho oyikhwele konke ukuhamba kwakho kuze kube manje na? Ngangivama ukwenza kanjalo kuwe na?”
Wathi: “Qha.”
31UJehova wayesevula-ke amehlo kaBileyamu, wayibona ingelosi kaJehova imi endleleni, inenkemba yayo ehoshiweyo esandleni sayo; wagoba ikhanda, wawa ngobuso bakhe.
32Ingelosi kaJehova yathi kuye: “Uyishayeleni imbongolo yakho kathathu na? Bheka, ngiphumele ukumelana nawe, ngokuba indlela yakho iyingozi phambi kwami; 33imbongolo yangibona, yachezuka phambi kwami kathathu; uma ibingachezukanga kimi, ngabe sengikubulele, ngayisindisa yona.”
34Wathi uBileyamu kuyo ingelosi kaJehova: “Ngonile; ngokuba bengingazi ukuthi umi endleleni umelene nami; ngalokho uma kukubi emehlweni akho, ngiyakubuyela emuva.”
35Yayisithi ingelosi kaJehova kuBileyamu: “Hamba nalawa madoda, kepha lelo zwi kuphela engiyakulikhuluma kuwe uyakulikhuluma.” UBileyamu wayesehamba nezikhulu zikaBalaki.
36UBalaki esezwa ukuthi uBileyamu uyeza, waphuma ukumhlangabeza e-Iri Mowabi elisemkhawulweni wase-Arinoni, liseceleni komkhawulo. 37UBalaki wathi kuBileyamu: “Angithumanga nokuthuma kuwe ukukubiza na? Awufikanga ngani kimi? Anginamandla yini okukunika udumo na?”
38UBileyamu wathi kuBalaki: “Bheka, sengifikile kuwe, anginamandla nokho manje okukhuluma utho. Izwi uNkulunkulu alifaka emlonyeni wami, ngiyakukhuluma lona.”
39UBileyamu wahamba noBalaki, bafika eKiriyati Husoti. 40UBalaki wanikela ngezinkabi nangezimvu, wazithuma kuBileyamu nakuzo izikhulu ezinaye. 41Kwathi ekuseni uBalaki wamthatha uBileyamu, wamyisa ezindaweni eziphakemeyo zikaBali, wabona elapho inxenye yabantu.
