¹ And the children of Israel journeyed, and encamped in the plains of Moab on the other side of the Jordan from Jericho.

² And Balak the son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites.

³ And Moab was much afraid of the people, because they were many; and Moab was distressed because of the children of Israel.

⁴ And Moab said to the elders of Midian, Now will this company lick up all that is round about us, as an ox licks up the green herb of the field. Now Balak the son of Zippor was king of Moab at that time.

⁵ And he sent messengers to Balaam the son of Beor, to Pethor, which is on the river in the land of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Behold, a people is come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the land, and they abide over against me.

⁶ And now come, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are mightier than I: perhaps I may be able to smite them, and drive them out of the land; for I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

⁷ And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian departed, having the rewards of divination in their hand. And they came to Balaam, and spoke to him the words of Balak.

⁸ And he said to them, Lodge here this night, and I will bring you word again, according as Jehovah shall speak unto me. And the princes of Moab abode with Balaam.

⁹ And God came to Balaam, and said, Who are these men with thee?

¹⁰ And Balaam said to God, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me,

¹¹ Behold, a people is come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the land. Now come, curse me them: perhaps I may be able to fight against them, and drive them out.

¹² And God said to Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people; for they are blessed.

¹³ And Balaam rose up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, Go into your land; for Jehovah refuses to give me leave to Go with you.

¹⁴ And the princes of Moab rose up; and they went to Balak, and said, Balaam has refused to come with us.

¹⁵ Then sent Balak yet again princes, more, and more honourable than they.

¹⁶ And they came to Balaam, and said to him, Thus says Balak the son of Zippor: Suffer not thyself, I pray thee, to be restrained from coming to me;

¹⁷ for very highly will I honour thee, and whatever thou shalt say to me will I do; come therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people.

¹⁸ And Balaam answered and said to the servants of Balak, If Balak give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the commandment of Jehovah my God, to do less or more.

¹⁹ And now, I pray you, abide ye also here this night, and I shall know what Jehovah will say to me further.

²⁰ Then God came to Balaam at night, and said to him, If the men have come to call thee, rise up, [and] go with them; but only what I shall say unto thee shalt thou do.

²¹ And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

²² And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the Angel of Jehovah set himself in the way to withstand him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two young men were with him.

²³ And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand; and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field, and Balaam smote the ass to turn her into the way.

²⁴ And the Angel of Jehovah stood in a hollow of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.

²⁵ And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah, and she pressed herself against the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall; and he smote her again.

²⁶ Then the Angel of Jehovah went still further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.

²⁷ And the ass saw the Angel of Jehovah, and lay down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with his staff.

²⁸ And Jehovah opened the mouth of the ass, and she said to Balaam, What have I done to thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?

²⁹ And Balaam said to the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in my hand, for now would I kill thee!

³⁰ And the ass said to Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine to this day? was I ever wont to do so to thee? And he said, No.

³¹ Then Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of Jehovah standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed and prostrated himself on his face.

³² And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, it was I who came forth to withstand thee, for the way [thou walkest in] is for ruin before me.

³³ And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times; had she not turned from me, I had now certainly slain thee, and saved her alive.

³⁴ And Balaam said to the Angel of Jehovah, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me; and now, if it be evil in thine eyes, I will get me back again.

³⁵ And the Angel of Jehovah said to Balaam, Go with the men, but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that shalt thou speak. And Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

³⁶ And when Balak heard that Balaam came, he went out to meet him, to the city of Moab, which is on the border of the Arnon, which is at the extremity of the border.

³⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, Did I not earnestly send to thee to call thee? why didst thou not come to me? am I not surely able to honour thee?

³⁸ And Balaam said to Balak, Lo, I am come to thee; but shall I now be able at all to say anything? the word that God puts in my mouth, that shall I speak.

³⁹ And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kirjath-huzoth.

⁴⁰ And Balak offered oxen and small cattle, and sent to Balaam and to the princes that were with him.

⁴¹ And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up to the high places of Baal, and he saw from thence the extremity of the people.

¹ Meanwhile, when a multitude of many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they trampled on each other, he began to tell his disciples first of all, "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

² But there is nothing covered up, that will not be revealed, nor hidden, that will not be known.

³ Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. What you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

⁴ "I tell you, my friends, don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

⁵ But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

⁶ "Aren't five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God.

⁷ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don't be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸ "I tell you, everyone who confesses me before men, him will the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God;

⁹ but he who denies me in the presence of men will be denied in the presence of the angels of God.

¹⁰ Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

¹¹ When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, don't be anxious how or what you will answer, or what you will say;

¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that same hour what you must say."

¹³ One of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me."

¹⁴ But he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?"

¹⁵ He said to them, "Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man's life doesn't consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses."

¹⁶ He spoke a parable to them, saying, "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly.

¹⁷ He reasoned within himself, saying, 'What will I do, because I don't have room to store my crops?'

¹⁸ He said, 'This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

¹⁹ I will tell my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry."'

²⁰ "But God said to him, 'You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared--whose will they be?'

²¹ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."

²² He said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, don't be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear.

²³ Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

²⁴ Consider the ravens: they don't sow, they don't reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!

²⁵ Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height?

²⁶ If then you aren't able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest?

²⁷ Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don't toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

²⁸ But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?

²⁹ Don't seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious.

³⁰ For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things.

³¹ But seek God's Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.

³² Don't be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.

³³ Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don't grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn't fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys.

³⁴ For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

³⁵ "Let your waist be dressed and your lamps burning.

³⁶ Be like men watching for their lord, when he returns from the marriage feast; that, when he comes and knocks, they may immediately open to him.

³⁷ Blessed are those servants, whom the lord will find watching when he comes. Most certainly I tell you, that he will dress himself, and make them recline, and will come and serve them.

³⁸ They will be blessed if he comes in the second or third watch, and finds them so.

³⁹ But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what hour the thief was coming, he would have watched, and not allowed his house to be broken into.

⁴⁰ Therefore be ready also, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour that you don't expect him."

⁴¹ Peter said to him, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everybody?"

⁴² The Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his lord will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the right times?

⁴³ Blessed is that servant whom his lord will find doing so when he comes.

⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, that he will set him over all that he has.

⁴⁵ But if that servant says in his heart, 'My lord delays his coming,' and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken,

⁴⁶ then the lord of that servant will come in a day when he isn't expecting him, and in an hour that he doesn't know, and will cut him in two, and place his portion with the unfaithful.

⁴⁷ That servant, who knew his lord's will, and didn't prepare, nor do what he wanted, will be beaten with many stripes,

⁴⁸ but he who didn't know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes. To whoever much is given, of him will much be required; and to whom much was entrusted, of him more will be asked.

⁴⁹ "I came to throw fire on the earth. I wish it were already kindled.

⁵⁰ But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

⁵¹ Do you think that I have come to give peace in the earth? I tell you, no, but rather division.

⁵² For from now on, there will be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three.

⁵³ They will be divided, father against son, and son against father; mother against daughter, and daughter against her mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

⁵⁴ He said to the multitudes also, "When you see a cloud rising from the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming,' and so it happens.

⁵⁵ When a south wind blows, you say, 'There will be a scorching heat,' and it happens.

⁵⁶ You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you don't interpret this time?

⁵⁷ Why don't you judge for yourselves what is right?

⁵⁸ For when you are going with your adversary before the magistrate, try diligently on the way to be released from him, lest perhaps he drag you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.

⁵⁹ I tell you, you will by no means get out of there, until you have paid the very last penny."