In 1967 an archeologist found at Tell El-Deir Alla an inscription that they called the Book of Balaam Son of Beor. This looks to be about the same Balaam that's talked about in the bible book of Numbers. Remember the guy where his donkey is talking to him. Anyway these fragments where dated to about 800 BCE which makes them a bit older then the oldest ever found fragment of the bible, a silver cylinder with a verse from Numbers written on it. These fragments found in 1967 are not verses found in the bible.
What's interesting to me is in these writings Balaam is talking about the Elohim the gods, in plural. He also mentions these gods as Shaddai gods. In my studies I have discovered that the word Shaddai, most likely does not mean Almighty, which is what bible linguists will tell us, but in fact Shaddai means mountains. The word Elohim, which we have been told means God, but just in a more awesome sense, that's why its used in a plural way, in fact means exactly what the word really implies, Gods. These writings found in 1967 seem to prove this once and for all.
This understanding goes hand in hand with what was found at Ugarit, that El was the most high god, created offspring other gods some of which resided on the mountains. These gods were referred to as Elohim and when we see the word angels in the old testament this is also incorrect these are in fact also the gods, not lowly flying messengers with wings. Then last but not least YHWH the sign we have always been told was a symbol for the name of the one true god could be in fact stand for a, family of Gods. Below is the text found in 1967
When put together, the fragments tell the story of a prophet, Balaam son of Beor, had a vision in which the people would be chastised by a fiery judgment:
| The misfortunes of the Book of Balaam, son of Beor. A divine seer was he. | |
| The gods came to him at night. | |
| And he beheld a vision in accordance with El’s utterance. | |
| They said to Balaam, son of Beor: | |
| “So will it be done, with naught surviving. | |
| No one has seen [the likes of] what you have heard!” | |
| Balaam arose on the morrow; | |
| He summoned the heads of the assembly to him, | |
| And for two days he fasted, and wept bitterly. | |
| Then his intimates entered into his presence, | |
| and they said to Balaam, son of Beor, | |
| “Why do you fast, and why do you weep?” | |
| Then he said to them: “Be seated, and I will relate to you what the Shaddai gods have planned, | |
| And go, see the acts of the god!” | |
| “The gods have banded together; | |
| The Shaddai gods have established a council, | |
| And they have said to [the goddess] Shagar: | |
| ‘Sew up, close up the heavens with dense cloud, | |
| That darkness exist there, not brilliance; | |
| Obscurity and not clarity; | |
| So that you instill dread in dense darkness. | |
| And – never utter a sound again!’ | |
| It shall be that the swift and crane will shriek insult to the eagle, | |
| And a nest of vultures shall cry out in response. | |
| The stork, the young of the falcon and the owl, | |
| The chicks of the heron, sparrow and cluster of eagles; | |
| Pigeons and birds, [and fowl in the s]ky. | |
| And a rod [shall flay the cat]tle; | |
| Where there are ewes, a staff shall be brought. | |
| Hares – eat together! | |
| Free[ly feed], oh beasts [of the field]! | |
| And [freely] drink, asses and hyenas!” | |
| Heed the admonition, adversaries of Sha[gar-and-Ištar]! | |
| … skilled diviner. | |
| To skilled diviners shall one take you, and to an oracle; | |
| To a perfumer of myrrh and a priestess. | |
| Who covers his body with oil, | |
| And rubs himself with olive oil. | |
| To one bearing an offering in a horn; | |
| One augurer after another, and yet another. | |
| As one augurer broke away from his colleagues, | |
| The strikers departed … | |
| The Admonitions are Heeded; The Malevolent Gods are Punished, the Goddess Rescued, and the Land Saved | |
| They heard incantations from afar | |
| … | |
| Then disease was unleashed | |
| And all beheld acts of distress. | |
| Shagar-and-Ištar did not … | |
| The piglet [drove out] the leopard | |
| And the … drove out the young of the … | |
| … double offerings | |
| And he beheld … |