Numbers 11

1 And it came to pass that when the people were giving themselves up to murmuring, it was grievous in the ears of Yahweh, —so Yahweh hearkened, and kindled was his anger, and the fire of Yahweh burned among them, and consumed the uttermost part of the camp.

One day the people complained to Yahweh about their troubles. When Yahweh heard what they were saying, he became angry. So he sent a fire which burned among the people at the edge of their camp.

2 Then did the people make outcry unto Moses, —and Moses prayed unto Yahweh, and the fire sank down.

Then the people cried out to Moses/me, and he/I prayed to Yahweh. Then the fire stopped burning.

3 So he called the name of that place, Taberah ["A Burning"] because there burned among them the fire of Yahweh.

So they called that place Taberah, [which means ‘burning’], because the fire from Yahweh had burned among them.

4 Moreover the mixed multitude that was in their midst concealed not their lusting, —and so even the sons of Israel, fell away and wept, and said: Who will grant us to eat flesh?

Then some troublemakers from other people-groups [who were traveling] with the Israelis began to want better food. And [when they started complaining] the Israeli people also started to complain.

5 We remember the fish that we did eat in Egypt, without money, —the cucumbers, and the water-melons, and the leeks and the onions, and the garlick.

They said, “We wish we had some meat!

6 But, now, our soul is dried up, there is nothing at all, —unless, unto the manna, [we turn] our eyes.

We remember the fish that we ate while we were in Egypt, fish that was given to us without (cost/asking us to pay for it). And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic [that we wanted]. But now we do not have any desire to eat, because all we have to eat is this manna!”

7 Now, the manna, was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof like the appearance of bdellium,

The manna resembled small white seeds.

8 The people used to go about and pick it up, and grind it with a pair of mill-stones, or pound it in a mortar, and boil it in a pot, and make it into round cakes, —then was the taste thereof like the taste of a sweet cake made with oil.

[Each morning] the people would go out and gather some [from the surface of the ground]. Then they made flour by grinding it or pounding it with stones. Then they [added water and] boiled it in a pot, or they made flat cakes with it [and baked them]. The cakes tasted like bread that was baked with [olive] oil.

9 When the dew came down upon the camp by night, the manna came down thereupon.

Each night the manna came down on their ground where their tents were, like dew [from the sky].

10 So then Moses heard the people weeping by their families, every one at the entrance of his tent, —then kindled the anger of Yahweh fiercely, and in the eyes of Moses, it was grievous.

Moses/I heard all the Israeli people complaining as they were standing in the entrances of their tents. Yahweh became very angry, and Moses/I was also very perturbed.

11 And Moses said unto Yahweh—Wherefore hast thou let thy servant come to grief, and wherefore have I not found favour in thine eyes, —that thou shouldest lay the burden of all this people upon me?

He/I [went into the Sacred Tent and] asked Yahweh, “Why have you caused me, your servant, to experience this trouble [RHQ]? Act mercifully to me! What wrong have I done, with the result that you have appointed me to take care of all of these people [RHQ]?

12 Did, I, conceive all this people, or, I, beget them, —that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father carrieth a suckling, unto the soil which thou didst swear unto their fathers?

(I am not their father./Am I their father?) [RHQ] Why have you told me to take care of them like a woman carries around her baby and (nurses it/gives it her milk) [MET, RHQ]? How can I take them to the land that you promised to give to our ancestors [RHQ]?

13 Whence should, I, have flesh to give to all this people, —for they keep weeping by me saying, Oh give us flesh that we may eat!

Where can I get meat to feed all these people? They keep complaining to me, saying, ‘Give us some meat to eat!’

14 Unable, am, I, by myself, to carry all this people, —for they are too heavy for me.

I cannot carry all these people’s burdens by myself! [They are like a heavy load [MET], and] I cannot carry this very heavy load any more.

15 But if, in this way, thou art going to deal with me, slay me, I beseech thee, slay, if I have found favour in thine eyes, —and let me not see my grief,

If you intend to act like this toward me, kill me now. If you are really concerned about me, be kind to me and [kill me to] end my misery [of trying to take care of them]!”

16 Then said Yahweh unto Moses—Gather thou unto me seventy men, from among the elders of Israel, of whom thou knowest that they are elders of the people and their overseers, —then shalt thou take them unto the tent of meeting, and they shall station themselves there with thee.

Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Summon 70 men whom you know are leaders among the Israeli people. Tell them to stand with you in front of the Sacred Tent.

17 Then will I come down, and speak with thee there, and will take of the spirit that is upon thee and put upon them, —and they shall carry, with thee, the burden of the people, and, thou, shalt not carry it by thyself.

I will come down and talk with you there. Then I will take some of [the power of] my Spirit that you have, and I will put [that power] on them also. They will help you to take care of some of the things that the people are concerned about, in order that you will not need to do it alone.

18 And, unto the people, shalt thou say: Hallow yourselves by to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh, for ye have wept in the ears of Yahweh saying—Who will grant us to eat flesh? for it was well with us in Egypt, —so then Yahweh will give you flesh and ye shall eat.

“Furthermore, say to the people, ‘Make yourselves acceptable to me, and tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were complaining, and Yahweh heard you when you were saying, “We want some meat to eat. We had better food in Egypt!” Now Yahweh will give you some meat, and you will eat it.

19 Not one day, shall ye eat nor two days, —nor five days nor ten days, nor twenty days:

You will eat meat not only for one or two days, nor only for five or ten or 20 days.

20 for a month of days until it cometh forth out of your nostrils, so shall it become to you a loathsome thing, —because ye have refused Yahweh who is in your midst, and have wept before him, saying, Wherefore now came we forth out of Egypt?

[You will eat meat every day] for one month, and then you will loathe/despise it, and it will cause you to want to vomit. [This will happen] because you have rejected Yahweh who is here among you, and you have wailed in his presence, saying [“We would have had better food to eat] if we had not left Egypt [RHQ].”’”

21 And Moses said, Six hundred thousand footmen, are the people in whose midst am, I, yet thou hast said—Flesh, will I give unto them, and they shall eat for a month of days.

But Moses/I replied to Yahweh, “There are 600,000 men [plus women and children] here with me, so ([why] do you say ‘I will give them plenty of meat every day for a month!’?/it does not seem right for you to say ‘I will give them plenty of meat every day for a month!’) [RHQ]

22 Shall the flocks and herds, be slaughtered for them, that it may suffice for them? Shall all the fishes of the sea, be gathered together unto them that it may suffice for them?

Even if we killed all the sheep and cattle, that would not [RHQ] be enough [to provide meat for all of them] Even if we caught all the fish in the sea [and gave it to them], that would not be enough [RHQ]!”

23 Then said Yahweh unto Moses, Shall the hand of Yahweh, fail? Now, shalt thou see whether my word come to pass unto thee or not.

But Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Do you think that I [SYN] have no power? You will now see if I can do what I say I will do.”

24 And Moses went forth and spake unto the people the words of Yahweh, —and gathered together seventy men from among the elders of the people, and caused them to stand round about the tent.

So Moses/I went out [from the Sacred Tent] and told the people what Yahweh had said. Then he/I gathered together the 70 leaders and told them to stand around the Sacred Tent.

25 Then Yahweh came down, in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave unto the seventy men—the elders. And it came to pass that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and then did so no more.

Then Yahweh came down in the cloud [that was above the tent] and spoke to Moses/me. He took some of [the power of] the Spirit that he had given to Moses/me and gave it to the 70 leaders. By means of the power of the Spirit within them, they (prophesied/spoke messages that Yahweh gave them), but they did that only once.

26 Now there were two men left behind in the camp—the name of the one, was Eldad and the name of the other, Medad, so then the spirit, rested on them—they, being among them who were written, though they had not gone forth unto the tent, —but they prophesied in the camp.

Two of the leaders whom Moses/I appointed, Eldad and Medad, were not there when the rest of them gathered together. They had not left [their tents] to go and stand around the Sacred Tent. But Yahweh’s Spirit came on them also, and they started to (prophesy/speak messages from Yahweh).

27 And there ran a young man, and told Moses and said, —Eldad and Medad, are prophesying in the camp!

So a young man ran and told Moses/me, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in all their tents!”

28 Then responded Joshua son of Nun the attendant of Moses from his youth, and said, —My lord Moses forbid them!

Joshua, who had helped Moses/me since he was a young man, said, “Sir, tell them to stop doing that!”

29 But Moses said unto him, Art, thou, jealous for, me? Oh would that, all the people of Yahweh, were prophets! Yea let Yahweh put his spirit upon them!

But Moses/I replied, “(Are you worried that they might injure my reputation/Do you think that I want to be the only one who prophesies) [RHQ]? I wish that all Yahweh’s people could (prophesy/speak messages from Yahweh). I wish that Yahweh would give the power of his Spirit to all of them!”

30 Then was Moses received back into the camp, —he and the elders of Israel.

Then Moses/I and all the leaders went back to their/our tents.

31 Now, a wind, had sprung up, from Yahweh, and cut off quails from the sea, and let them lie over the camp—as it were a days journey here and a days journey there, round about the camp, —and as it were two cubits on the face of the land.

Then Yahweh sent a strong wind from the sea. It blew quail into the area all around the camp for miles in every direction, [and caused the quail to fall onto the ground]. They were piled up on the ground about (3 feet/1 meter) high!

32 And the people rose up all that day and all the night and all the next day, and gathered the quails, he that did least, gathered ten homers, —and they spread them out for themselves spreading away, round about the camp.

So the people went out and gathered up the quail all that day, and all that night, and all of the following day. [It seemed as though] everyone gathered at least 50 bushels! They spread the quail out on the ground all around the camp, [so that the quail would dry out].

33 The flesh, was yet between their teeth, not yet chewed, —when the anger of Yahweh, had kindled upon the people, and Yahweh smote the people, with an exceeding great plague.

[Then they cooked them and started to eat them]. But while they were still eating the meat [MTY], Yahweh [showed that he] was very angry with them. He struck them with a severe plague/sickness, [and many people died].

34 And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah—because there, they buried the people who had lusted,

The people who died and were buried were the ones who had said they wanted to eat meat [like they had formerly eaten in Egypt]. So they called that place Kibroth-Hattaavah, [which means ‘graves of those who craved’].

35 From Kibroth-hattaavah, the people set forward to Hazeroth, —and they remained in Hazeroth.

From there, the Israelis continued walking [east] until they arrived at Hazeroth [town], where they stopped and stayed [for a long time].