¹¹ ‘A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.’”

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger burned^(A) against Balaam. He struck his hands together^(B) and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies,^(C) but you have blessed them^(D) these three times.^(E)

⁵ However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse^(A) into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves^(B) you.

² because they had not met the Israelites with food and water but had hired Balaam^(A) to call a curse down on them.^(B) (Our God, however, turned the curse into a blessing.)^(C)