Bible in a Year.

On the seventieth day, we encounter one of the most curious passages in the Bible: Balaam and his talking donkey, in Numbers 22, revealing how God can use any means to accomplish His will. Deuteronomy 23 reinforces the importance of purity and respect for God's presence in the camp. Psalm 105 celebrates the wonders God has wrought throughout Israel's history, inviting us to remember His promises and eternal faithfulness.

1. And they went forward and encamped in the plains of Moab, over against where Jericho is situate beyond the Jordan.

2. And Balac the son of Sephor, seeing all that Israel had done to the Amorrhite,

3. And that the Moabites were in great fear of him, and were not able to sustain his assault,

4. He said to the elders of Madian: So will this people destroy all that dwell in our borders, as the ox is wont to eat the grass to the very roots. Now he was at that time king in Moab.

5. He sent therefore messengers to Balaam the son of Beer, a soothsayer, who dwelt by the river of the land of the children of Ammon, to call him, and to say: Behold a people is come out of Egypt, that hath covered the face of the earth, sitting over against me.

6. Come therefore, and curse this people, because it is mightier than I: if by any means I may beat them and drive them out of my land: for I know that he whom thou shalt bless is blessed, and he whom thou shalt curse is cursed.

7. And the ancients of Moab, and the elders of Madian, went with the price of divination in their hands. And when they were come to Balaam, and had told him all the words of Balac:

8. He answered: Tarry here this night, and I will answer whatsoever the Lord shall say to me. And while they stayed with Balaam, God came and said to him:

9. What mean these men that are with thee?

10. He answered: Balac the son of Sephor king of the Moabites hath sent to me,

11. Saying: Behold a people that is come out of Egypt, hath covered the face of the land: come and curse them, if by any means I may fight with them and drive them away.

12. And God said to Balaam : Thou shalt not go with them, nor shalt thou curse the people: because it is blessed.

13. And he rose in the morning and said to the princes: Go into your country, because the Lord hath forbid me to come with you.

14. The princes returning, said to Balac: Balaam would not come with us.

15. Then he sent many more and more noble than he had sent before:

16. Who, when they were come to Balaam, said: Thus saith Balac the son of Sephor, Delay not to come to me:

17. For I am ready to honour thee, and will give thee whatsoever thou wilt: come and curse this people.

18. Balaam answered: If Balac would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot alter the word of the Lord my God, to speak either more or less.

19. I pray you to stay here this night also, that I may know what the Lord will answer me once more.

20. God therefore came to Balaam in the night, and said to him: It these men be come to call thee, arise and go with them: yet so, that thou do what I shall command thee.

21. Balaam arose in the morning, and saddling his ass went with them.

22. And God was angry. And an angel of the Lord stood in the way against Balaam, who sat on the ass, and had two servants with him.

23. The ass seeing the angel standing in the way, with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again to the way,

24. The angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were enclosed.

25. And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again:

26. And nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him.

27. And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider: who being angry beat her sides more vehemently with a staff.

28. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said: What have I done to thee? Why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time?

29. Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee.

30. The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee. But he said: Never.

31. Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, and he worshipped him falling flat on the ground.

32. And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me:

33. And unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived.

34. Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displease thee that I go, I will return.

35. The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee. He went therefore with the princes.

36. And when Balac heard it he came forth to meet him in a town of the Moabites, that is situate in the uttermost borders of Arnon.

37. And he said to Balaam: I sent messengers to call thee, why didst thou not come immediately to me? was it because I am not able to reward thy coming?

38. He answered him: Lo, here I am: shall I have power to speak any other thing but that which God shall put in my mouth?

39. So they went on together, and came into a city, that was in the uttermost borders of his kingdom.

40. And when Balac had killed oxen and sheep, he sent presents to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him.

41. And when morning was come, he brought him to the high places of Baal, and he beheld the uttermost part of the people.

1. An eunuch, whose testicles are broken or cut away, or yard cut off, shall not enter into the church of the Lord.

2. A mamzer, that is to say, one born of a prostitute, shall not enter into the church of the Lord, until the tenth generation.

3. The Ammonite and the Moabite, even after the tenth generation shall not enter into the church of the Lord for ever:

4. Because they would not meet you with bread and water in the way, when you came out of Egypt: hand because they hired against thee Balaam, the son of Beer, from Mesopotamia in Syria, to curse thee.

5. And the Lord thy God would not hear Balaam, and he turned his cursing into thy blessing, because he loved thee.

6. Thou shalt not make peace with them, neither shalt thou seek their prosperity all the days of thy life for ever.

7. Thou shalt not abhor the Edomite, because he is thy brother: nor the Egyptian, because thou wast a stranger in his land.

8. They that are born of them, in the third generation shall enter into the church of the Lord.

9. When thou goest out to war against thy enemies, thou shalt keep thyself from every evil thing.

10. If there be among you any man, that is defiled in a dream by night, he shall go forth out of the camp.

11. And shall not return, before he be washed with water in the evening: and after sunset he shall return into the camp.

12. Thou shalt have a place without the camp, to which thou mayst go for the necessities of nature,

13. Carrying a paddle at thy girdle. And when thou sittest down, thou shalt dig round about, and with the earth that is dug up thou shalt cover

14. That which thou art eased of: (for the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thy enemies to thee:) and let thy camp be holy, and let no uncleanness appear therein, lest he go away from thee.

15. Thou shalt not deliver to his master the servant that is fled to thee.

16. He shall dwell with thee ill the place that shall please him, and shall rest, in one of thy cities: give him no trouble.

17. There shall be no whore among the daughters of Israel, nor whoremonger among the sons of Israel.

18. Thou shalt not offer the hire of a strumpet, nor the price of a dog, in the house of the Lord thy God, whatsoever it be that thou hast vowed: because both these are an abomination to the Lord thy God.

19. Thou shalt not lend to thy brother money to usury, nor corn, nor any other thing:

20. But to the stranger. To thy brother thou shalt lend that which he wanteth, without usury: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all thy works in the land, which thou shalt go in to possess.

21. When thou hast made a vow to the Lord thy God, thou shalt not delay to pay it: because the Lord thy God will require it. And if thou delay, it shall be imputed to thee for a sin.

22. If thou wilt not promise, thou shalt be without sin.

23. But that which is once gone out of thy lips, thou shalt observe, and shalt do as thou hast promised to the Lord thy God, and hast spoken with thy own will and with thy own mouth.

24. Going into thy neighbour's vineyard, thou mayst eat as many grapes as thou pleasest: but must carry none out with thee:

25. If thou go into thy friend's corn, thou mayst break the ears, and rub them in thy hand: but not reap them with a sickle.

1. Alleluia. Give glory to the Lord, and call upon his name: declare his deeds among the Gentiles.

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2. Sing to him, yea sing praises to him: relate all his wondrous works.

3. Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord.

4. Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened: seek his face evermore.

5. Remember his marvellous works which he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth.

6. O ye seed of Abraham his servant; ye sons of Jacob his chosen.

7. He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.

8. He hath remembered his covenant for ever: the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.

9. Which he made to Abraham; and his oath to Isaac:

10. And he appointed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting testament:

11. Saying: To thee will I give the land of Chanaan, the lot of your inheritance.

12. When they were but a small number: yea very few, and sojourners therein:

13. And they passed from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people.

14. He suffered no man to hurt them: and he reproved kings for their sakes.

15. Touch ye not my anointed: and do no evil to my prophets.

16. And he called a famine upon the land: and he broke in pieces all the support of bread.

17. He sent a man before them: Joseph, who was sold for a slave.

18. They humbled his feet in fetters: the iron pierced his soul,

19. until his word came. The word of the Lord inflamed him.

20. The king sent, and he released him: the ruler of the people, and he set him at liberty.

21. He made him master of his house, and ruler of all his possession.

22. That he might instruct his princes as himself, and teach his ancients wisdom.

23. And Israel went into Egypt: and Jacob was a sojourner in the land of Cham.

24. And he increased his people exceedingly: and strengthened them over their enemies,

25. He turned their heart to hate his people: and to deal deceitfully with his servants.

26. He sent Moses his servant: Aaron the man whom he had chosen.

27. He gave them power to shew his signs, and his wonders in the land of Cham.

28. He sent darkness, and made it obscure: and grieved not his words.

29. He turned their waters into blood, and destroyed their fish.

30. Their land brought forth frogs, in the inner chambers of their kings.

31. He spoke, and there came divers sorts of flies and sciniphs in all their coasts.

32. He gave them hail for rain, a burning fire in the land.

33. And he destroyed their vineyards and their fig trees: and he broke in pieces the trees of their coasts.

34. He spoke, and the locust came, and the bruchus, of which there was no number.

35. And they devoured all the grass in their land, and consumed all the fruit of their ground.

36. And he slew all the firstborn in their land: the firstfruits of all their labour.

37. And he brought them out with silver and gold: and there was not among their tribes one that was feeble.

38. Egypt was glad when they departed: for the fear of them lay upon them.

39. He spread a cloud for their protection, and fire to give them light in the night.

40. They asked, and the quail came: and he filled them with the bread of heaven.

41. He opened the rock, and waters flowed: rivers ran down in the dry land.

42. Because he remembered his holy word, which he had spoken to his servant Abraham.

43. And he brought forth his people with joy, and his chosen with gladness.

44. And he gave them the lands of the Gentiles: and they possessed the labours of the people:

45. That they might observe his justifications, and seek after his law.