Numeri 22

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.