The People Complain
1 Nowwhenthe people complained, it displeased theLord;for theLordheardit,and His anger was aroused. So thefire of theLordburned among them, and consumedsomein the outskirts of the camp.
2 Then the peoplecried out to Moses, and when Mosesprayed to theLord, the fire was quenched.
3 So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of theLordhad burned among them.
4 Now themixed multitude who were among them yielded tointense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said:“Who will give us meat to eat?
5 We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
6 but nowour whole beingisdried up;thereisnothing at all except this mannabeforeour eyes!”
7 Nowthe mannawaslike coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.
8 The people went about and gatheredit,grounditon millstones or beatitin the mortar, cookeditin pans, and made cakes of it; andits taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.
9 Andwhen the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; andthe anger of theLordwas greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased.
11 So Moses said to theLord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me?
12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me,‘Carry them in your bosom, as aguardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which Youswore to their fathers?
13 Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’
14 I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burdenistoo heavy for me.
15 If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—anddo not let me see my wretchedness!”
The Seventy Elders
16 So theLordsaid to Moses: “Gather to Meseventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people andofficers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.
17 Then I will come down and talk with you there.I will take of the Spirit thatisupon you and will putthesameupon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bearityourself alone.
18 Then you shall say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have weptin the hearing of theLord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? Foritwaswell with us in Egypt.” Therefore theLordwill give you meat, and you shall eat.
19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,
20 butfora whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you havedespised theLordwho is among you, and have wept before Him, saying,“Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”
21 And Moses said,“The people whom Iamamongaresix hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eatfora whole month.’
22 Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
23 And theLordsaid to Moses,“Has theLord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whetherwhat I say will happen to you or not.”
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of theLord, and hegathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle.
25 Then theLordcame down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit thatwasupon him, and placedthesameupon the seventy elders; and it happened,when the Spirit rested upon them, thatthey prophesied, although they never didsoagain.
26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of onewasEldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now theywereamong those listed, but whohad not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp.
27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant,oneof his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord,forbid them!”
29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you zealous for my sake?Oh, that all theLord’s people were prophetsandthat theLordwould put His Spirit upon them!”
30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
The Lord Sends Quail
31 Now awind went out from theLord, and it brought quail from the sea and leftthemfluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground.
32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered tenhomers); and they spreadthemout for themselves all around the camp.
33 But while themeatwasstill between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of theLordwas aroused against the people, and theLordstruck the people with a very great plague.
34 So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.