Balaam said to God, 'Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent me word: A people has come out of Egypt and has spread over the face of the earth; now come, curse them for me; perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out' — Balaam reports Balak's request to God in full. He does not dissemble or minimize the request; he presents it clearly. His willingness to convey the message without editorial comment suggests openness to fulfilling it, yet he awaits God's verdict.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse