Numbers 11

1 It wasn't long before the people started to complain about how much they were suffering. When the Lord heard what they were saying, he became angry. Fire from the Lord burned them, destroying some on the edge of the camp.

And [when] the people complained, it displeased the LORD; and the LORD heard [it]: and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed [them that were] in the uttermost parts of the camp.

2 The people cried to Moses for help. He prayed to the Lord and the fire subsided.

And the people cried to Moses; and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched.

3 So that place was named Taberah, because the fire from the Lord burned them.

And he called the name of the place Taberah; because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.

4 A group of troublemakers among them had such intense food cravings they affected the Israelites who started crying again, asking “Who's going to get us some meat to eat?

And the mixed multitude that [was] among them fell to lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

5 We think back to all the fish we ate in Egypt that didn't cost us anything, as well as the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.

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

6 We're fading away here! The only thing we ever see is this manna!”

But now our soul [is] dried away; [there is] nothing at all, besides this manna, [before] our eyes.

7 Manna looked like coriander seeds, light in color like gum resin.

And the manna [was] as coriander-seed, and the color of it as the color of bdellium.

8 The people would go out and collect it, grind it up in a mill or crush it in a mortar. Then they would boil it in a pot and make it into flatbread. It tasted like pastries made with the best olive oil.

[And] the people went about, and gathered [it] and ground [it] in mills, or beat [it] in a mortar, and baked [it] in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.

9 When the dew came down on the camp at night the manna would come down with it.

And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.

10 Moses heard all the families crying at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became very angry, and Moses was also upset.

Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly: Moses also was displeased.

11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you made things so tough for me, your servant? Why are you so unhappy with me that you have placed on me the heavy responsibility for all these people?

And Moses said to the LORD, Why hast thou afflicted thy servant? and why have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

12 Are they my children? Did I give birth to them, so you could tell me, ‘Hold them close to your chest like a nurse carrying a baby’ and take them to the land you promised to give to their forefathers?

Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say to me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father beareth the sucking child, to the land which thou sworest to their fathers?

13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all of them? They keep on complaining to me, ‘Get us some meat to eat!’

Whence should I have flesh to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

14 I can't go on carrying all these people by myself—it's just too much.

I am not able to bear all this people alone, because [it is] too heavy for me.

15 If this is the way you're going to treat me, then please just kill me now so I don't have to face how depressed I've become. Please grant me this one request.”

And if thou dealest thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favor in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.

16 The Lord told Moses, “Bring before me seventy Israelite elders who you know are repected as leaders by the people Take them to the Tent of Meeting. They will stand there with you.

And the LORD said to Moses, Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them to the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

17 I will come down and talk with you there. I will take some of the Spirit you have and give it to them. They will take some of the responsibility for the people so you won't have to bear it alone.

And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou mayest not bear it thyself alone.

18 Tell the people: Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you'll have meat to eat, because you were complaining and the Lord heard you saying, ‘Who's going to get us some meat to eat? We were better off in Egypt!’ So the Lord is going to provide you with meat to eat.

And say thou to the people, Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for [it was] well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

19 You're going to eat it, not for just a day or two, and not for five or ten or twenty days.

Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

20 You're going to eat it for a whole month until it makes you vomit and it comes out through your nostrils, because you have rejected the Lord who is right here with you, complaining to him by saying, ‘Why on earth did we ever leave Egypt?’”

[But] even a whole month, until it shall come out at your nostrils, and it be lothsome to you; because ye have despised the LORD who [is] among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

21 But Moses replied, “Here I am with 600,000 people and you're telling me, ‘I'm going to give them meat and they'll eat it for a month’?

And Moses said, The people among whom I [am], [are] six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.

22 Even if all our flocks and herds were slaughtered, would that be enough for them? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough for them?”

Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice for them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them, to suffice for them?

23 “Doesn't the Lord have the power to do that?” the Lord responded. “Now you're going to find out whether what I've said will happen or not!”

And the LORD said to Moses, Is the LORD'S hand shortened? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass to thee, or not.

24 Moses went and shared with the people what the Lord said. He summoned seventy elders of the people and had them stand around the tent.

And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them around the tabernacle.

25 Then the Lord came down and talked to him. The Lord took some of the Spirit Moses had and gave it to them. They prophesied, but this didn't ever happen again.

And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the spirit that [was] upon him, and gave [it] to the seventy elders: and it came to pass, [that] when the spirit rested upon them; they prophesied, and did not cease.

26 However, two men named Eldad and Medad had stayed behind in the camp. The Spirit came on them too. (They had been put on the list of the seventy elders, but they hadn't gone to the tent. But they prophesied where they were in the camp anyway.)

But there remained two [of the] men in the camp, the name of the one [was] Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them, and they [were] of them that were described, but went not out to the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.

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

And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

28 Joshua, son of Nun, who had been Moses' assistant since he was young, reacted, saying, “Moses, my lord, you have to stop them!”

And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, [one] of his young men, answered and said, My lord, Moses, forbid them.

29 “Are you jealous for my reputation?” Moses replied. “I wish that every one of the Lord's people were prophets and that the Lord would give his Spirit to all of them!”

And Moses said to him, Enviest thou for my sake? I would that all the LORD'S people were prophets, [and] that the LORD would put his spirit upon them.

30 Then Moses went back to the camp with the elders of Israel.

And Moses withdrew into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

31 The Lord sent a wind that blew quail in from the sea and deposited them near the camp. They covered the ground to a depth of about two cubits and extended for a day's journey in every direction from the camp.

And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let [them] fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, around the camp, and as it were two cubits [high] upon the face of the earth.

32 All through that day and night, and all through the next day, the people went on collecting the quail. Everyone collected at least ten homers, and they spread them out to dry all around the camp.

And the people stood up all that day, and all [that] night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread [them] all abroad for themselves around the camp.

33 But while the people were still biting into the meat, before they even chewed it down, the Lord showed his burning anger against them, killing some of them with a severe disease.

And while the flesh [was] yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.

34 They named that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because that was where they buried the people who had these intense food cravings.

And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.

35 Then they moved on from Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth, where they stayed for some time.

[And] the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah to Hazeroth: and abode at Hazeroth.