“Balaq”

Balaq, king of Moav, asks his prophet, Bil‘am, to curse Israel. God then sends an angel to protect his people; Bil‘am’s donkey sees the angel, strikes its owner, preventing him from fulfilling his task 3 times. Instead, 3 times Bil‘am ends up blessing Israel. The people fall under the spell of the Moabites and begin to worship their god, Peor. A plague then spreads through the camp. Pinchas kills Zimri, prince of the tribe of Shim‘on, who took a Midianite princess to his tent. The plague eventually dies out.