| − | Balaam was a pagan magician hired by Balak, king of [[Moab]], to curse [[Israel]] according to Numbers 22. Balaam refused to curse Israel for Balak, because [[God]] told him that they were blessed and not cursed. The first words spoken on a telephone, "What hath God wrought," come from one of Balaam's oracles. He is famous for having a talking donkey. | + | Balaam was a pagan magician hired by Balak, king of [[Moab]], to curse [[Israel]] according to Numbers 22. Balaam refused to curse Israel for Balak, because [[God]] told him that they were blessed and not cursed. He is famous for having a talking donkey. |