Numbers 11

1The people complained about their hardships in Yahweh's hearing, Yahweh heard, his anger burned, and Yahweh's fire blazed among them, consuming the edge of the camp.

2The people cried out to Moses; Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire subsided.

3He called the name of that place Taberah, because Yahweh's fire burned among them.

4The rabble among them craved intensely; they returned and wept, even the sons of Israel, and said, "Who will feed us meat?"

5We remember the fish we ate in Egypt without cost—the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.

6But now our appetite is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna in our sight.

7The manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of bdellium.

8The people roved about, gathered it, ground it in the mills or crushed it in the mortar, boiled it in the pan, and made cakes of it. Its flavor was like the flavor of fresh oil.

9When dew came down on the camp at night, manna came down on it.

10Moses heard the people weeping family by family, every man at the entrance to his tent; and Yahweh's anger burned greatly; and it was evil in Moses' eyes.

11Moses said to Yahweh, "Why have you afflicted your servant? Why have I not found grace in your eyes, that you place the burden of all this people on me?"

12Did I conceive all this people? Did I bear them, that you tell me, "Carry them in your bosom, as one who nurses carries a nursing infant to the land you swore to their fathers"?

13Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep to me, saying, “Give us meat, that we may eat.”

14I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too heavy for me.

15If you are treating me like this, kill me outright, if I have found favor in your eyes; and do not let me see my misery.

16Yahweh said to Moses, "Gather seventy men for me from Israel's elders whom you know are the people's elders and its officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you."

17I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit which is on you and place it on them; they will bear the burden of the people with you, that you do not bear it yourself alone.

18And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat flesh, because you wept in Yahweh's hearing, saying, "Who will feed us flesh? For it was good for us in Egypt." Therefore Yahweh will give you flesh, and you will eat.

19You will not eat one day, not two days, not five days, not ten days, not twenty days.

20for a whole month, until it comes out through your nostrils and becomes repulsive to you; because you have rejected Yahweh who is among you and have wept before him, saying, "Why did we come out from Egypt?"

21Moses said, "The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand men on foot, yet you have said, 'I will give them flesh to eat for a whole month.'"

22Shall sheep and cattle be killed for them and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them and be enough for them?

23Yahweh said to Moses, "Is my hand short? Now you will see whether my word comes true for you or not."

24Moses went out, spoke the words of Yahweh to the people, gathered seventy men from the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tabernacle.

25Yahweh descended in the cloud and spoke to him, took some of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed it upon the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but did not continue.

26Two men were left in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad, and the Spirit settled upon them; they were among those enrolled but did not go out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp.

27A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."

28Joshua son of Nun, Moses' servant among his young men, answered, "My lord Moses, forbid them!"

29Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for me? Who would appoint all Yahweh's people prophets, that Yahweh would put his Spirit upon them!"

30Moses entered the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

31A wind went out from Yahweh, bringing quails from the sea and letting them fall beside the camp—like a day's journey one way and like a day's journey the other way all around the camp, and like two cubits above the earth's surface.

32The people arose all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails; the one who gathered fewest collected ten homers, and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

33The flesh was still between their teeth before it was chewed when Yahweh's anger burned against the people, and Yahweh struck the people with a very great plague.

34He called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.

35From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out to Hazeroth, and they were there.