⁴ Moab said to the elders of Midian, “This mob will lick up everything around us just like an ox licks up grass in the pasture.”

Balak, the son of Zippor, was the king of the Moabites at this time. ⁵ He sent messengers to Pethor which is near the river^[a] in his native land, to Balaam, the son of Beor, to summon him. He said, “Behold, a people has come out of Egypt and they cover the surface of the earth. They are now living opposite me. ⁶ Please come now and curse this people for me for they are too powerful for me. Maybe then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. I know well that whomever you bless is blessed, and whomever you curse is cursed.”