Midrash sobre Números 23:2

And when the elders of Moab heard these words, it pleased them greatly to send for Balaam, ‎the son of Beor, and Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent messengers unto Balaam ‎saying: Behold there is a people come out of Egypt; behold they cover the face of the earth, ‎and they abide over against me. Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for ‎they are too mighty for me; peradventure I shall prevail, that we smite them, and that I may ‎drive them out of the land; for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom ‎thou cursest is cursed. And [the messengers of Balak went, and they brought Balaam to curse ‎the people. But when Balaam came to curse Israel, the Lord said unto him: Curse not this ‎people for it is blessed. And Balak requested Balaam day after day to curse Israel, but Balaam ‎did not hearken unto Balak on account of the word of the Lord which he had spoken unto ‎Balaam;

(Numb. 23:2–3:) THEN BALAK DID AS BALAAM HAD {SAID} [COMMANDED]. <SO BALAK AND BALAAM OFFERED A BULL AND A RAM ON EACH ALTAR>. THEN BALAAM SAID <TO BALAK>: STAND BESIDE <YOUR BURNT OFFERINGS, AND LET ME GO. PERHAPS THE LORD WILL COME TO MEET ME, AND WHATEVER HE SHOWS ME I WILL TELL YOU.> SO HE WENT ALONE (rt.: ShPH). <Balaam> had been at ease (rt.: ShPH) about cursing. Thus he had been at ease until that moment, but from that moment on he was troubled.

18 (Numb. 22:41) “So it came to pass in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to the high places of Baal, [and from there he saw the edge of the people]”: Balak was a more of a master of divinations and auguries than Balaam, for [Balaam] was being dragged along after him like a blind man. What did the two of them resemble? Someone who had a knife in his hand but did not know [where to find] the [animal] joints, while his companion knew the joints but did not have a knife in his hand. Balak saw the places in which Israel would fall and (ibid.) “brought him up into the high places of Baal.” [This was Baal] Peor, where he saw that Israel would fall. (Numb. 23:1) “Then Balaam said unto Balak, ‘Build seven altars for me here’”: Why seven altars? [They] corresponded to seven righteous ones from Adam to Moses, who built seven altars and had been accepted: Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. Then [Balaam] said, “Why did you accept these? Was it not because of the service (the sacrifices) which they performed before you that you accepted them? Is it not [more] suitable for you to be served by seventy nations and not by [merely] one nation?” The holy spirit answered him (in Prov. 17:1), “Better a dry morsel with tranquility.” Better (in the words of Lev. 7:10) “a grain offering mixed with oil or dry” than (in Prov. 17:1) “a house full of quarrelsome feasting”;²⁸The words HOUSE and FEASTING can also mean “temple” and “sacrifice” respectively. for you want to introduce strife between Me and Israel. (Numb. 23:2-3) “Then Balak did […] and he offered. [...]; so he went alone (rt.: shph)”: [Balaam’s] intent was to curse; for he had been at ease rt.: shph) until that moment, but from that moment on he was troubled. (Numb. 23:4) “Then God encountered Balaam”: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You evil man! What are you doing?” (Ibid., cont.) “And [Balaam] said unto him, ‘I have prepared the seven altars [and offered a ram and a bull on each altar]’:” [The matter] is comparable to a money-changer who lies about the weights. When the head of the marketplace came, he noticed him. He said to him, “What are you doing inflating and lying about the weights?” [The money changer then] said to him, “I have already sent a gift²⁹Gk.: doron. to your house.” So also it was in the case of Balaam. The holy spirit cried out to him. It said to him, “You evil man! What are you doing.” He said to it (in Numb. 23:4), “I have prepared the seven altars [and offered a ram and a bull on each altar].” It said to him (in Prov. 15:17), “’Better a meal of vegetable greens [where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred in it].’ Better the dinner of unleavened bread and bitter herbs which Israel ate in Egypt, than bulls which you offer with hands of [hatred].” (Numb. 23:5) “So the Lord put a word (davar) in Balaam's mouth,” which twisted his mouth and pierced it,³⁰Both “twisted” and “pierced” connote the use of a bit on a horse. as one would drive a nail into a board. R. Eliezer (understanding davar as word) says, “An angel was speaking,” [as stated] (in Numb. 23:5), “Return unto Balak and speak thus.” (Numb. 23:6) “So he returned unto him, and there he was standing beside his burnt offerings with all the ministers of Moab,” who stood anxiously awaiting [the time] when he would come.