< Numbers 11 >

1 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.
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.
2 Then people called out to Moses, so Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire stopped.
Then did the people make outcry unto Moses, —and Moses prayed unto Yahweh, and the fire sank down.
3 That place was named Taberah, because Yahweh's fire burned among them.
So he called the name of that place, Taberah ["A Burning"] because there burned among them the fire of Yahweh.
4 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?
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?
5 We remember the fish that we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
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.
6 Now our appetite is gone, because all we can see is this manna.”
But, now, our soul is dried up, there is nothing at all, —unless, unto the manna, [we turn] our eyes.
7 Manna was like coriander seed. It looked like resin.
Now, the manna, was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof like the appearance of bdellium,
8 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.
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.
9 When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna also fell.
When the dew came down upon the camp by night, the manna came down thereupon.
10 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.
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.
11 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.
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?
12 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?
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?
13 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.'
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!
14 I cannot bear all these people alone. They are too much for me.
Unable, am, I, by myself, to carry all this people, —for they are too heavy for me.
15 Since you are treating me this way, kill me now—if I find favor in your eyes—do not let me see my misery.”
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,
16 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.
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.
17 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.
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.
18 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.
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.
19 You will not eat meat for only one day, two days, five days, ten days, or twenty days,
Not one day, shall ye eat nor two days, —nor five days nor ten days, nor twenty days:
20 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?”'”
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?
21 Then Moses said, “I am with 600,000 people, and you have said, 'I will give them meat to eat for a whole month.'
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.
22 Should we kill flocks and herds to satisfy them? Should we catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them?”
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?
23 Yahweh said to Moses, “Is my hand short? Now you will see whether or not my word is true.”
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.
24 Moses went out and told the people Yahweh's words. He gathered seventy of the people's elders and positioned them around the tent.
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.
25 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.
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.
26 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.
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.
27 A young man in the camp 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, are prophesying in the camp!
28 Joshua son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his chosen men, said to Moses, “My master Moses, stop them.”
Then responded Joshua son of Nun the attendant of Moses from his youth, and said, —My lord Moses forbid them!
29 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!”
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!
30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel went back to the camp.
Then was Moses received back into the camp, —he and the elders of Israel.
31 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.
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.
32 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.
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.
33 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.
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.
34 That place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved meat.
And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah—because there, they buried the people who had lusted,
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed.
From Kibroth-hattaavah, the people set forward to Hazeroth, —and they remained in Hazeroth.

< Numbers 11 >