Liber Numeri 11

1 Interea ortum est murmur populi, quasi dolentium pro labore, contra Dominum. Quod cum audisset Dominus, iratus est. Et accensus in eos ignis Domini devoravit extremam castrorum partem.

Now the people were saying evil against the Lord; and the Lord, hearing it, was angry and sent fire on them, burning the outer parts of the tent-circle.

2 Cumque clamasset populus ad Moysen, oravit Moyses ad Dominum, et absorptus est ignis.

And the people made an outcry to Moses, and Moses made prayer to the Lord, and the fire was stopped.

3 Vocavitque nomen loci illius, Incensio: eo quod incensus fuisset contra eos ignis Domini.

So that place was named Taberah, because of the fire of the Lord which had been burning among them.

4 Vulgus quippe promiscuum, quod ascenderat cum eis, flagravit desiderio, sedens et flens, iunctis sibi pariter filiis Israel, et ait: Quis dabit nobis ad vescendum carnes?

And the mixed band of people who went with them were overcome by desire: and the children of Israel, weeping again, said, Who will give us flesh for our food?

5 Recordamur piscium quos comedebamus in Aegypto gratis: in mentem nobis veniunt cucumeres, et pepones, porrique, et cepe, et allia.

Sweet is the memory of the fish we had in Egypt for nothing, and the fruit and green plants of every sort, sharp and pleasing to the taste:

6 Anima nostra arida est, nihil aliud respiciunt oculi nostri nisi Man.

But now our soul is wasted away; there is nothing at all: we have nothing but this manna before our eyes.

7 Erat autem Man quasi semen coriandri, coloris bdellii.

Now the manna was like a seed of grain, like small clear drops.

8 Circuibatque populus, et colligens illud, frangebat mola, sive terebat in mortario, coquens in olla, et faciens ex eo tortulas saporis quasi panis oleati.

The people went about taking it up from the earth, crushing it between stones or hammering it to powder, and boiling it in pots, and they made cakes of it: its taste was like the taste of cakes cooked with oil.

9 Cumque descenderet nocte super castra ros, descendebat pariter et Man.

When the dew came down on the tents at night, the manna came down with it.

10 Audivit ergo Moyses flentem populum per familias, singulos per ostia tentorii sui. Iratusque est furor Domini valde: sed et Moysi intoleranda res visa est.

And at the sound of the people weeping, every man at his tent-door, the wrath of the Lord was great, and Moses was very angry.

11 et ait ad Dominum: Cur afflixisti servum tuum? quare non invenio gratiam coram te? et cur imposuisti pondus universi populi huius super me?

And Moses said to the Lord, Why have you done me this evil? and why have I not grace in your eyes, that you have put on me the care of all this people?

12 Numquid ego concepi omnem hanc multitudinem, vel genui eam, ut dicas mihi: Porta eos in sinu tuo sicut portare solet nutrix infantulum, et defer in terram, pro qua iurasti patribus eorum?

Am I the father of all this people? have I given them birth, that you say to me, Take them in your arms, like a child at the breast, to the land which you gave by an oath to their fathers?

13 Unde mihi carnes ut dem tantae multitudini? flent contra me, dicentes: Da nobis carnes ut comedamus.

Where am I to get flesh to give to all this people? For they are weeping to me and saying, Give us flesh for our food.

14 Non possum solus sustinere omnem hunc populum, quia gravis est mihi.

I am not able by myself to take the weight of all this people, for it is more than my strength.

15 Sin aliter tibi videtur, obsecro ut interficias me, et inveniam gratiam in oculis tuis, ne tantis afficiar malis.

If this is to be my fate, put me to death now in answer to my prayer, if I have grace in your eyes; and let me not see my shame.

16 Et dixit Dominus ad Moysen: Congrega mihi septuaginta viros de senibus Israel, quos tu nosti quod senes populi sint ac magistri: et duces eos ad ostium tabernaculi foederis, faciesque ibi stare tecum,

And the Lord said to Moses, Send for seventy of the responsible men of Israel, who are in your opinion men of weight and authority over the people; make them come to the Tent of meeting and be there with you.

17 ut descendam et loquar tibi: et auferam de spiritu tuo, tradamque eis, ut sustentent tecum onus populi, et non tu solus graveris.

And I will come down and have talk with you there: and I will take some of the spirit which is on you and put it on them, and they will take part of the weight of the people off you, so that you do not have to take it by yourself.

18 Populo quoque dices: Sanctificamini: cras comedetis carnes. ego enim audivi vos dicere: Quis dabit nobis escas carnium? bene nobis erat in Aegypto. Ut det vobis Dominus carnes, et comedatis:

And say to the people, Make yourselves clean before tomorrow and you will have flesh for your food: for in the ears of the Lord you have been weeping and saying, Who will give us flesh for food? for we were well off in Egypt: and so the Lord will give you flesh, and it will be your food;

19 non uno die, nec duobus, vel quinque aut decem, nec viginti quidem,

Not for one day only, or even for five or ten or twenty days;

20 sed usque ad mensem dierum, donec exeat per nares vestras, et vertatur in nauseam, eo quod repuleritis Dominum, qui in medio vestri est, et fleveritis coram eo, dicentes: Quare egressi sumus ex Aegypto?

But every day for a month, till you are tired of it, turning from it in disgust: because you have gone against the Lord who is with you, and have been weeping before him saying, Why did we come out of Egypt?

21 Et ait Moyses ad Dominum: Sexcenta millia peditum huius populi sunt. et tu dicis: Dabo eis esum carnium mense integro?

Then Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, I will give them flesh to be their food for a month.

22 Numquid ovium et boum multitudo caedetur, ut possit sufficere ad cibum? vel omnes pisces maris in unum congregabuntur, ut eos satient?

Are flocks and herds to be put to death for them? or are all the fish in the sea to be got together so that they may be full?

23 Cui respondit Dominus: Numquid manus Domini invalida est? Iam nunc videbis utrum meus sermo opere compleatur.

And the Lord said to Moses, Has the Lord's hand become short? Now you will see if my word comes true for you or not.

24 Venit igitur Moyses, et narravit populo verba Domini, congregans septuaginta viros de senibus Israel, quos stare fecit circa tabernaculum.

And Moses went out and gave the people the words of the Lord: and he took seventy of the responsible men of the people, placing them round the Tent.

25 Descenditque Dominus per nubem, et locutus est ad eum, auferens de spiritu qui erat in Moyse, et dans septuaginta viris. Cumque requievisset in eis Spiritus, prophetaverunt, nec ultra cessaverunt.

Then the Lord came down in the cloud and had talk with him, and put on the seventy men some of the spirit which was on him: now when the spirit came to rest on them, they were like prophets, but only at that time.

26 Remanserat autem in castris duo viri, quorum unus vocabatur Eldad, et alter Medad, super quos requievit Spiritus. nam et ipsi descripti fuerant, et non exierant ad tabernaculum.

But two men were still in the tent-circle one of them named Eldad and the other Medad: and the spirit came to rest on them; they were among those who had been sent for, but they had not gone out to the Tent: and the prophet's power came on them in the tent-circle.

27 Cumque prophetarent in castris, cucurrit puer, et nunciavit Moysi, dicens: Eldad et Medad prophetant in castris.

And a young man went running to Moses and said, Eldad and Medad are acting as prophets in the tent-circle.

28 Statim Iosue filius Nun, minister Moysi, et electus e pluribus, ait: Domine mi Moyses prohibe eos.

Then Joshua, the son of Nun, who had been Moses' servant from the time when he was a child, said, My lord Moses, let them be stopped.

29 At ille: Quid, inquit, aemularis pro me? quis tribuat ut omnis populus prophetet, et det eis Dominus Spiritum suum?

And Moses said to him, Are you moved by envy on my account? If only all the Lord's people were prophets, and the Lord might put his spirit on them!

30 Reversusque est Moyses, et maiores natu Israel in castra.

Then Moses, with the responsible men of Israel, went back to the tent-circle.

31 Ventus autem egrediens a Domino arreptas trans mare coturnices detulit, et demisit in castra itinere quantum uno die confici potest, ex omni parte castrorum per circuitum, volabantque in aere duobus cubitis altitudine super terram.

Then the Lord sent a wind, driving little birds from the sea, so that they came down on the tents, and all round the tent-circle, about a day's journey on this side and on that, in masses about two cubits high over the face of the earth.

32 Surgens ergo populus toto die illo, et nocte, ac die altero, congregavit coturnicum multitudinem, qui parum, decem coros: et siccaverunt eas per gyrum castrorum.

And all that day and all night and the day after, the people were taking up the birds; the smallest amount which anyone got was ten homers: and they put them out all round the tents.

33 Adhuc carnes erant in dentibus eorum, nec defecerat huiuscemodi cibus: et ecce furor Domini concitatus in populum, percussit eum plaga magna nimis.

But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was tasted, the wrath of the Lord was moved against the people and he sent a great outburst of disease on them.

34 Vocatusque est ille locus, Sepulchra concupiscentiae: ibi enim sepelierunt populum qui desideraverat.

So that place was named Kibroth-hattaavah; because there they put in the earth the bodies of the people who had given way to their desires.

35 Egressi autem de Sepulchris concupiscentiae, venerunt in Haseroth, et manserunt ibi.

From Kibroth-hattaavah the people went on to Hazeroth; and there they put up their tents.