Numbers 11

1 Meanwhile, there arose a murmur among the people against the Lord, as if they were grief-stricken because of their labors. And when the Lord had heard it, he was angry. And when the fire of the Lord was enflamed against them, it devoured those who were at the extreme end of the camp.

Now the people complained about their troubles as Yahweh listened. Yahweh heard the people and became angry. Fire from Yahweh burned among them and consumed some of the camp on its edges.

2 And when the people had cried out to Moses, Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire was consumed.

Then people called out to Moses, so Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire stopped.

3 And he called the name of that place, ‘The Burning,’ because the fire of the Lord had burned against them.

That place was named Taberah, because Yahweh's fire burned among them.

4 So then, the mix of common people, who had ascended with them, were enflamed with desire, and sitting and weeping, with the sons of Israel joining them, they said, “Who will give us flesh to eat?

Some foreign people began to camp with Israel's descendants. They wanted better food to eat. Then the people of Israel began to weep and say, “Who will give us meat to eat?

5 We remember the fish that we ate freely in Egypt; we call to mind the cucumbers, and melons, and leeks, and onions, and garlic.

We remember the fish that we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.

6 Our life is dry; our eyes look out to see nothing but manna.”

Now our appetite is gone, because all we can see is this manna.”

7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, but with the color of bdellium.

Manna was like coriander seed. It looked like resin.

8 And the people wandered about, gathering it, and they crushed it with a millstone, or ground it with a mortar; then they boiled it in a pot, and made biscuits out of it, with a taste like bread made with oil.

The people walked around and gathered it. They ground it in mills, beat it in mortars, boiled it in pots, and made it into cakes. It tasted like fresh olive oil.

9 And when the dew descended in the night over the camp, the manna descended together with it.

When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna also fell.

10 And so, Moses heard the people weeping by their families, each one at the door of his tent. And the fury of the Lord was greatly enflamed. And to Moses also the matter seemed intolerable.

Moses heard the people weeping in their families, and every man was at the entrance to his tent. Yahweh was very angry, and in Moses' eyes their complaining was wrong.

11 And so he said to the Lord: “Why have you afflicted your servant? Why do I not find favor before you? And why have you imposed the weight of this entire people upon me?

Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why are you not pleased with me? You make me carry the load of all these people.

12 Could I have conceived this entire multitude, or have given birth to them, so that you might say to me: Carry them in your bosom, as a nursemaid usually carries a little infant, and bring them into the land, about which you have sworn to their fathers?

Did I conceive all these people? Have I given them birth so that you should say to me, 'Carry them closely to your chest as a father carries a baby?' Should I carry them to the land that you swore to their ancestors to give them?

13 From where would I obtain the flesh to give to so great a multitude? They weep against me, saying, ‘Give us flesh, so that we may eat.’

Where can I find meat to give to all this people? They are weeping in front of me and are saying, 'Give us meat to eat.'

14 I alone am unable to sustain this entire people, because it is too heavy for me.

I cannot bear all these people alone. They are too much for me.

15 But if it seems to you otherwise, I beg you to put me to death, and so may I find grace in your eyes, lest I be afflicted with such evils.”

Since you are treating me this way, kill me now—if I find favor in your eyes—do not let me see my misery.”

16 And the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be elders, as well as teachers, of the people. And you shall lead them to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, and you shall cause them to stand there with you,

Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring to me seventy of Israel's elders. Be sure that they are elders and officers of the people. Bring them to the tent of meeting to stand there with you.

17 so that I may descend and speak to you. And I will take from your spirit, and I will deliver it to them, so that, with you, they may sustain the burden of the people, and so that you will not be weighed down alone.

I will come down and talk with you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will bear the burden of the people with you. You will not have to bear it alone.

18 You shall also say to the people: Be sanctified. Tomorrow you will eat flesh. For I have heard you say: ‘Who will give us flesh to eat? It was well with us in Egypt.’ So then, may the Lord give you flesh. And you will eat,

Say to the people, 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow and you will indeed eat meat, for you have wept and Yahweh has heard. You said, “Who will give us meat to eat? It was good for us in Egypt.” Therefore Yahweh will give you meat, and you will eat it.

19 not for one day, nor for two, nor for five, nor for ten, nor even for twenty,

You will not eat meat for only one day, two days, five days, ten days, or twenty days,

20 but for up to a month of days, until it exits from your nostrils, and until it turns into nausea for you, because you have slipped away from the Lord, who is in your midst, and because you have wept before him, saying: ‘Why did we go forth out of Egypt?’”

but you will eat meat for a whole month until it comes out of your nostrils. It will disgust you because you have rejected Yahweh, who is among you. You have wept before him. You said, “Why did we leave Egypt?”'”

21 And Moses said: “There are six hundred thousand footmen of this people, and yet you say, ‘I will give them flesh to eat for a whole month.’

Then Moses said, “I am with 600,000 people, and you have said, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month.'

22 Could a multitude of sheep and oxen be slain, so that there would be enough food? Or will the fishes of the sea be gathered together, in order to satisfy them?”

Should we kill flocks and herds to satisfy them? Should we catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them?”

23 And the Lord answered him: “Can the hand of the Lord be ineffective? Soon now, you shall see whether my word will be fulfilled in this work.”

Yahweh said to Moses, “Is my hand short? Now you will see whether or not my word is true.”

24 And so, Moses went and explained the words of the Lord to the people. Gathering together seventy men from the elders of Israel, he caused them to stand around the tabernacle.

Moses went out and told the people Yahweh's words. He gathered seventy of the people's elders and positioned them around the tent.

25 And the Lord descended in a cloud, and he spoke to him, taking from the Spirit which was in Moses, and giving to the seventy men. And when the Spirit had rested in them, they prophesied; nor did they cease afterwards.

Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Yahweh took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but only on that occasion and not again.

26 Now there had remained in the camp two of the men, of whom one was called Eldad, and the other Medad, upon whom the Spirit rested; for they also had been enrolled, but they did not go forth to the tabernacle.

Two men remained in the camp, named Eldad and Medad. The Spirit also rested on them. Their names were written on the list, but they had not gone out to the tent. Nevertheless, they prophesied in the camp.

27 And when they were prophesying in the camp, a boy ran and reported to Moses, saying: “Eldad and Medad prophesy in the camp.”

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

28 Promptly, Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses and chosen from many, said: “My lord Moses, prohibit them.”

Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his chosen men, said to Moses, “My master Moses, stop them.”

29 But he said, “Why are you jealous on my behalf? Who decides that any of the people may prophesy and that God may give to them his Spirit?”

Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all of Yahweh's people were prophets and that he would put his Spirit on them all!”

30 And Moses returned, with those greater by birth of Israel, into the camp.

Then Moses and the elders of Israel went back to the camp.

31 Then a wind, going out from the Lord and moving forcefully across the sea, brought quails and cast them into the camp, across a distance of one day’s journey, in every part of the camp all around, and they flew in the air two cubits high above the ground.

Then a wind came from Yahweh and brought quail from the sea. They fell near the camp, about a day's journey on one side and a day's journey on the other side. The quail surrounded the camp about two cubits above the ground.

32 Therefore, the people, rising up, gathered quails all that day and night, and the next day; he who did least well gathered ten homers. And they dried them throughout the camp.

The people were busy gathering quail all that day, all the night, and all the next day. No one gathered less than ten homers of quail. They shared the quail all through the camp.

33 The flesh was still between their teeth, neither had this kind of food ceased, and behold, the fury of the Lord was provoked against the people, and he struck them with an exceedingly great scourge.

While the meat was still between their teeth, while they were chewing it, Yahweh became angry at them. He attacked the people with a very great disease.

34 And that place was called, ‘The Graves of Lust.’ For there, they buried the people who had desired.

That place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved meat.

35 Then, departing from the Graves of Lust, they arrived in Hazeroth, and they stayed there.

From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed.