Numbers 22:20
New International Version
That night God came to Balaam and said, “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you.”

New Living Translation
That night God came to Balaam and told him, “Since these men have come for you, get up and go with them. But do only what I tell you to do.”

English Standard Version
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise, go with them; but only do what I tell you.”

Berean Standard Bible
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.”

King James Bible
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men come to call thee, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say unto thee, that shalt thou do.

New King James Version
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.”

New American Standard Bible
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise and go with them; but you shall do only the thing that I tell you.”

NASB 1995
God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.”

NASB 1977
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up and go with them; but only the word which I speak to you shall you do.”

Amplified Bible
God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them, but you shall still do only what I tell you.”

Christian Standard Bible
God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “Since these men have come to summon you, get up and go with them, but you must only do what I tell you.”

American Standard Version
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And God came on Balaam in the night and said to him: “If these men came to call you, arise, go with them; only the response that I say to you, make that.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And God came to Balaam by night, and said to him, If these men are come to call thee, rise and follow them; nevertheless the word which I shall speak to thee, it shalt thou do.

Contemporary English Version
That night, God said, "Balaam, I'll let you go to Moab with Balak's messengers, but do only what I say."

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

English Revised Version
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him, If the men be come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
That night God came to Balaam and said, "If these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you."

Good News Translation
That night God came to Balaam and said, "If these men have come to ask you to go with them, get ready and go, but do only what I tell you."

International Standard Version
God came to visit Balaam that same night and told him, "If the men come to call on you, get up and go with them, but be sure to do only what I tell you to do."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And God came unto Balaam at night, and said unto him: 'If the men are come to call thee, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.'

Literal Standard Version
And God comes to Balaam by night and says to him, “If the men have come to call for you, rise, go with them, and only the thing which I speak to you—do it.”

Majority Standard Bible
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.”

New American Bible
That night God came to Balaam and said to him: If these men have come to summon you, go back with them; yet only on the condition that you do exactly as I tell you.

NET Bible
God came to Balaam that night, and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, get up and go with them; but the word that I will say to you, that you must do."

New Revised Standard Version
That night God came to Balaam and said to him, “If the men have come to summon you, get up and go with them; but do only what I tell you to do.”

New Heart English Bible
God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, "If the men have come to call you, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak to you, that you shall do."

Webster's Bible Translation
And God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, If the men come to call thee, rise and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say to thee, that shalt thou perform.

World English Bible
God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, “If the men have come to call you, rise up, go with them; but only the word which I speak to you, that you shall do.”

Young's Literal Translation
And God cometh in unto Balaam, by night, and saith to him, 'If to call for thee the men have come, rise, go with them, and only the thing which I speak unto thee -- it thou dost do.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Balak Summons Balaam
19So now, please stay here overnight as the others did, that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me.” 20That 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.” 21So in the morning Balaam got up, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.…

Cross References
Numbers 22:19
So now, please stay here overnight as the others did, that I may find out what else the LORD has to tell me."

Numbers 22:35
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.

Numbers 23:5
Then the LORD put a message in Balaam's mouth, saying, "Return to Balak and give him this message."

Numbers 23:12
But Balaam replied, "Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?"

Numbers 23:16
And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, "Return to Balak and speak what I tell you."

Numbers 24:4
the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open:

Numbers 24:13
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.


Treasury of Scripture

And God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, If the men come to call you, rise up, and go with them; but yet the word which I shall say to you, that shall you do.

God

Numbers 22:9
And God came unto Balaam, and said, What men are these with thee?

if the men

1 Samuel 8:5-9
And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations…

1 Samuel 12:12-19
And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king…

Psalm 81:12
So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

but ye

Numbers 22:35
And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

Numbers 23:12,26
And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth? …

Numbers 24:13
If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?

Jump to Previous
Balaam Bid Night Perform Rise Speak Summon Word
Jump to Next
Balaam Bid Night Perform Rise Speak Summon Word
Numbers 22
1. Balak's first message for Balaam is refused
15. His second message obtains him
22. An angel would have slain him, if he had not been saved by his donkey
36. Balak entertains him














(20) If the men come to call thee.--The words may be rendered Since (or, forasmuch as) the men have come to call thee. The messengers had already come for that purpose, as it is stated in Numbers 22:16, where the same verb is used. The phrase which is here rendered to "call" occurs also in Numbers 22:5.

Rise up, and go with them.--There is no real inconsistency with Numbers 22:12. The absolute and immutable prohibition had reference to the cursing. The going with the messengers, which was forbidden in mercy at first, was enjoined in judgment at last. God often punishes disobedience to His declared will by permitting the transgressors to "eat the fruit of their own way, and to be filled with their own devices" (Proverbs 1:31). "He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul" (Psalm 106:15). Comp. Psalm 81:12; Isaiah 66:4; Jeremiah 2:19. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
That night
לַיְלָה֒ (lay·lāh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity

God
אֱלֹהִ֥ים ׀ (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

came
וַיָּבֹ֨א (way·yā·ḇō)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Balaam
בִּלְעָם֮ (bil·‘ām)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1109: Balaam -- a prophet

and said,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Since
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

these men
הָאֲנָשִׁ֔ים (hā·’ă·nā·šîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

have come
בָּ֣אוּ (bā·’ū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to summon you,
לִקְרֹ֤א (liq·rō)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

get up
ק֖וּם (qūm)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 6965: To arise, stand up, stand

and go
לֵ֣ךְ (lêḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

with them,
אִתָּ֑ם (’it·tām)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's 854: Nearness, near, with, by, at, among

but you must only
וְאַ֗ךְ (wə·’aḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 389: A particle of affirmation, surely

do
תַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ (ṯa·‘ă·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

what
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

I tell you.”
אֲדַבֵּ֥ר (’ă·ḏab·bêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue


Links
Numbers 22:20 NIV
Numbers 22:20 NLT
Numbers 22:20 ESV
Numbers 22:20 NASB
Numbers 22:20 KJV

Numbers 22:20 BibleApps.com
Numbers 22:20 Biblia Paralela
Numbers 22:20 Chinese Bible
Numbers 22:20 French Bible
Numbers 22:20 Catholic Bible

OT Law: Numbers 22:20 God came to Balaam at night (Nu Num.)
Numbers 22:19
Top of Page
Top of Page