1 N ow the people complained about their troubles in the hearing of the Lord. When the Lord heard it, His anger burned. The fire of the Lord burned among them, and destroyed some around the outer parts of the tents.

Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

2 T hen the people cried to Moses and he prayed to the Lord, and the fire went out.

The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire died out.

3 S o the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

4 T he mixed group of people among them had strong desires. The people of Israel cried again and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?

The rabble who were among them had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “ Who will give us meat to eat?

5 W e remember all the fish we could eat free in Egypt, and all the fruit and vegetables and spices.

We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic,

6 B ut now our strength is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this bread from heaven.”

but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.”

7 N ow the bread from heaven was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium.

Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

8 T he people would go and gather it and beat it between stones. They boiled it in a pot or made bread with it. It tasted like bread made with oil.

The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil.

9 W hen the grass became wet around the tents at night, the bread from heaven would fall.

When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it. The Complaint of Moses

10 M oses heard all the people crying in every family, each man at the door of his tent. The Lord became very angry with them and Moses was not pleased.

Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly, and Moses was displeased.

11 S o Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your eyes, that You have laid the troubles of all these people on me?

So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me?

12 D id I give birth to all these people? Did I bring them out, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them close to your heart as a nurse carries a nursing baby, to the land You promised their fathers’?

Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’?

13 W here am I to get meat to give to all these people? They cry in front of me, saying, ‘Give us meat so we may eat!’

Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’

14 I am not able to carry all these people alone. The load is too heavy for me.

I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me.

15 S o if You are going to act this way toward me, I beg You to kill me now, if I have found favor in Your eyes. Do not let me see how bad off I am.” The Seventy Leaders

So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.” Seventy Elders to Assist

16 T he Lord said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the leaders of Israel, whom you know to be the leaders of the people, the men who rule over them. Bring them to the meeting tent and let them stand there with you.

The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.

17 T hen I will come down and speak with you there. I will take of the Spirit Who is upon you, and will put Him upon them. Then they will carry the troubles of the people with you so you will not carry them all alone.

Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.

18 S ay to the people, ‘Make yourselves holy for tomorrow, and you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you cried and said, “If only someone would give us meat to eat! For it was well with us in Egypt.” So the Lord will give you meat and you will eat.

Say to the people, ‘ Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat.

19 Y ou will not eat it for only one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days.

You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,

20 B ut you will eat it a whole month, until it comes out of your nose and you hate it, because you have turned away from the Lord Who is among you. You have cried before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

21 B ut Moses said, “The people whom I am among are 600, 000 on foot. And You have said, ‘I will give them meat so they may eat for a whole month.’

But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600, 000 on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’

22 W ill enough flocks and cattle be killed to feed them? Or will enough fish be gathered from the sea to feed them?”

Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?”

23 T he Lord said to Moses, “Is there an end to the Lord’s power? Now you will see if My Word will come true for you or not.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not.”

24 S o Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men from the leaders of the people, and had them stand around the meeting tent.

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tent.

25 T hen the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took of the Spirit Who was upon him and put Him upon the seventy leaders. When the Spirit rested upon them, they spoke the word of the Lord. But they did not do it again.

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.

26 B ut two men had stayed among the tents. Their names were Eldad and Medad, and the Spirit rested upon them. They were among those who had been chosen, but had not gone out to the meeting tent. So they spoke the word of the Lord among the tents.

But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp.

27 A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are speaking the word of the Lord among the tents.”

So a young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 T hen Joshua the son of Nun, the helper of Moses since he was young, said, “Moses, my lord, do not let them.”

Then Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “ Moses, my lord, restrain them.”

29 B ut Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my good? If only all the Lord’s people would speak for God, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”

But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”

30 T hen Moses and the leaders of Israel returned to the tents. The Lord Sends Quails

Then Moses returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel. The Quail and the Plague

31 N ow a wind went out from the Lord. It brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the place where the tents were set up. They fell all around the tents, about as far on each side as it takes to travel in a day. They lay on the ground as deep as two cubits.

Now there went forth a wind from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground.

32 T he people worked all day and all night and all the next day gathering the quail. He who gathered the least gathered enough to fill 110 baskets. And they spread them out for themselves all around the tents.

The people spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

33 W hile the meat was still between their teeth and not yet eaten, the Lord became angry with the people. The Lord sent a bad sickness upon the people.

While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague.

34 S o the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah. Because there they buried the people who had wanted meat to eat.

So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy.

35 T he people left Kibroth-hattaavah and went to Hazeroth. And they stayed at Hazeroth.

From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.