Exodus 16

1 The people journeyed on from Elim, and all the community of Israelites came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.

The whole Israelite community left Elim and went to the Desert of Sin, between Elim and Sinai. This was on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt.

2 The whole community of Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.

There in the desert they complained to Moses and Aaron.

3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by Yahweh's hand in the land of Egypt when we were sitting by the pots of meat and were eating bread to the full. For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill our whole community with hunger.”

“The Lord should've killed us back in Egypt!” the Israelites told them. “At least there we could sit down beside stewpots of meat and eat bread until we were full. But you had to bring all of us out here in the desert to starve us all to death!”

4 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people will go out and gather a day's portion every day so that I may test them to see whether or not they will walk in my law.

The Lord told Moses, “Just watch! I'm going to rain down bread from heaven for you! Each day the people are to go out and collect enough for that day. I'm going to test them by this to find out whether they'll follow my instructions or not.

5 It will come about on the sixth day, that they will gather twice as much as what they gathered every day before, and they will cook what they bring in.”

On the sixth day they are to collect twice as much as usual and prepare it.”

6 Then Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “In the evening you will know that it is Yahweh who has brought you out from the land of Egypt.

So Moses and Aaron explained to all the Israelites, “This evening you will have the proof that it was the Lord who led you out of Egypt,

7 In the morning you will see Yahweh's glory, for he hears your complaining against him. Who are we for you to complain against us?”

and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord displayed as he responds to the complaints he's heard you making against him. For why should you be complaining to us? We're nobodies!”

8 Moses also said, “You will know this when Yahweh gives you meat in the evening and bread in the morning to the full—for he has heard the complaints that you speak against him. Who are Aaron and I? Your complaints are not against us; they are against Yahweh.”

Then Moses continued, “The Lord is going to give you meat to eat this evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, for he has heard your complaints against him. Why are you complaining to us nobodies? Your complaints aren't directed against us, but against the Lord.”

9 Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community of the people of Israel, 'Come near before Yahweh, for he has heard your complaints.'”

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole Israelite community, ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, because he has heard your complaints.’”

10 It came about, as Aaron spoke to the whole community of the people of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, Yahweh's glory appeared in the cloud.

While Aaron was still speaking to all the Israelites, they looked toward the desert and saw the glory of the Lord appear in a cloud.

11 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

12 “I have heard the complaints of the people of Israel. Speak to them and say, 'In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.'”

“I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have as much bread as you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 It came about in the evening that quails came up and covered the camp. In the morning the dew lay round about the camp.

That evening quail flew in and landed, filling the camp. In the morning dew covered the ground all around the camp.

14 When the dew was gone, there on the surface of the wilderness were thin flakes like frost on the ground.

Once the dew had gone, there was something thin and flaky on the desert, looking like frost crystals on the ground.

15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said one to another, “What is it?” They did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread that Yahweh has given you to eat.

When the Israelites saw it, they asked each another, “What is it?” because they had no idea what it was. So Moses explained to them, “It's the bread the Lord has provided for you to eat.

16 This is the command that Yahweh has given: 'You must gather, each one of you, the amount you need to eat, an omer for each person of the number of your people. This is how you will gather it: Gather enough to eat for every person who lives in your tent.'”

This is what the Lord has ordered you to do: ‘All of you shall collect as much as is needed. Take an omer for each person in your tent.’”

17 The people of Israel did so. Some gathered more, some gathered less.

So the Israelites did as they were told. Some collected more, while others collected less.

18 When they measured it with an omer measure, those who had gathered much had nothing left over, and those who had gathered little had no lack. Each person gathered enough to meet their need.

But when they measured it out in omers, those who had collected a lot didn't have any left over, while those who had only collected a little still had enough. Each person collected gathered as much as they needed to eat.

19 Then Moses said to them, “No one must leave any of it until morning.”

Then Moses said to them, “No one is to leave any of it until the morning.”

20 However, they did not listen to Moses. Some of them left some of it until morning, but it bred worms and became foul. Then Moses became angry with them.

But some didn't listen to Moses. They did leave some of it until the morning, and it was full of maggots and smelled bad. Moses became angry with them.

21 They gathered it morning by morning. Each person gathered enough to eat for that day. When the sun became hot, it melted.

So each morning everyone collected as much as they needed, and when the sun became hot, it melted away to nothing.

22 It came about that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person. All the leaders of the community came and told this to Moses.

However, on the sixth day, they collected twice as much of this food, two omers for each person. All the Israelite leaders came and told Moses what they had done.

23 He said to them, “This is what Yahweh has said: 'Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath in Yahweh's honor. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. All that remains over, set it aside for yourselves until morning.'”

Moses replied, “These are the Lord's instructions: ‘Tomorrow is a special day of rest, a holy Sabbath to honor the Lord. So bake what you want, and boil what you want. Then put to one side what's left and keep it until morning.’”

24 So they set it aside until morning, as Moses had instructed. It did not become foul, nor was there any worm in it.

So they kept it until morning as Moses had ordered, and it didn't smell bad or have any maggots.

25 Moses said, “Eat that food today, for today is a day reserved as a Sabbath to honor Yahweh. Today you will not find it in the fields.

Moses told them, “Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath to honor the Lord. Today you won't find anything out there.

26 You will gather it during six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. On the Sabbath there will be no manna.”

You can go out collecting for six days, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it won't be there.”

27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather manna, but they found none.

However, on the seventh day some people still went out collecting, but they did not find anything.

28 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?

The Lord told Moses, “How long are you going to refuse to obey my commands and instructions?

29 See, Yahweh has given you the Sabbath. So on the sixth day he is giving you bread for two days. Each of you must stay in his own place; no one must go out from his place on the seventh day.”

You need to understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath, so on the sixth day he will provide you with food for two days. On the seventh day, everyone has to stay where they are—no one needs to go out.”

30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

So the people did no work on the seventh day.

31 The people of Israel called that food “manna.” It was white like coriander seed, and its taste was like wafers made with honey.

The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers with honey.

32 Moses said, “This is what Yahweh has commanded: 'Let an omer of manna be kept throughout your people's generations so that your descendants might see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, after I brought you out from the land of Egypt.'”

Moses said, “This is what the Lord has ordered: ‘Keep an omer of manna as a reminder for future generations, so that they can see the food I used to feed you in the desert when I led you out of Egypt.’”

33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot and put an omer of manna into it. Preserve it before Yahweh to be kept throughout the people's generations.”

So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept as a reminder for future generations.”

34 As Yahweh commanded Moses, Aaron stored it beside the covenant decrees in the ark.

Aaron did so and placed the jar in front of the Testimony, to be preserved just as the Lord had ordered Moses.

35 The people of Israel ate manna forty years until they came to inhabited land. They ate it until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan.

The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to the land where they would settle down—they ate manna until they arrived at the border of Canaan.

36 Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.

(An omer is a tenth of an ephah.)