Numbers 11:1–12:16

1  And it came to pass that when the people murmured, it was evil in the ears of Jehovah; and Jehovah heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of Jehovah burned among them, and consumed some in the extremity of the camp. 2  And the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to Jehovah—and the fire abated. 3  And they called the name of that place Taberah; because a fire of Jehovah burned among them.

4  And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted; and the children of Israel also wept again and said, Who will give us flesh to eat? 5  We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; 6  and now our soul is dried up: there is nothing at all but the manna before our eyes. 7  And the manna was as coriander seed, and its appearance as the appearance of bdellium. 8  The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it with hand-mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of oil-cakes. 9  And when the dew fell upon the camp by night, the manna fell upon it. 10  And Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled greatly; it was also evil in the eyes of Moses. 11  And Moses said to Jehovah, Why hast thou done evil to thy servant, and why have I not found favour in thine eyes, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12  Have I conceived all this people, have I brought them forth, that thou sayest to me, Carry them in thy bosom, as the nursing-father beareth the suckling, unto the land which thou didst swear unto their fathers? 13  Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat! 14  I am not able to bear all this people alone, for it is too heavy for me. 15  And if thou deal thus with me, slay me, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, that I may not behold my wretchedness.

16  And Jehovah said to Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and their officers; and take them to the tent of meeting, and they shall stand there with thee. 17  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, and thou shalt not bear it alone. 18  And unto the people shalt thou say, Hallow yourselves for to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who will give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt; and Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19  Not one day shall ye eat, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20  but for a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it become loathsome unto you; because that ye have despised Jehovah who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? 21  And Moses said, The people in whose midst I am are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou sayest, I will give them flesh that they may eat a whole month. 22  Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them, to suffice them? 23  And Jehovah said to Moses, Hath Jehovah’s hand become short? Now shalt thou see whether my word will come to pass unto thee or not.

24  And Moses went out and told the people the words of Jehovah; and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tent. 25  And Jehovah came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy men, the elders; and it came to pass, that when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not repeat it. 26  And two men remained in the camp, the name of the one, Eldad, and the name of the other, Medad; and the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among them that were written, but they had not gone out to the tent); and they prophesied in the camp. 27  And there ran a youth, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp. 28  And Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them! 29  But Moses said to him, Enviest thou for my sake? would that all Jehovah’s people were prophets, and that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them! 30  And Moses withdrew into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

31  And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and drove quails from the sea, and cast them about the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and about a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the earth. 32  And the people rose up all that day, and the whole night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered little gathered ten homers; and they spread them abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33  The flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, when the wrath of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague. 34  And they called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah; because there they buried the people who lusted. 35  From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth; and they were at Hazeroth.

Chapter 12

1  And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had taken; for he had taken a Cushite as wife. 2  And they said, Has Jehovah indeed spoken only to Moses? has he not spoken also to us? And Jehovah heard it. 3  But the man Moses was very meek, above all men that were upon the face of the earth.

4  Then Jehovah spoke suddenly to Moses, and to Aaron, and to Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tent of meeting. And they went out, they three. 5  And Jehovah came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth. 6  And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make myself known to him in a vision, I will speak to him in a dream. 7  Not so my servant Moses: he is faithful in all my house. 8  Mouth to mouth do I speak to him openly, and not in riddles; and the form of Jehovah doth he behold. Why then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses? 9  And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them, and he went away;

10  and the cloud departed from off the tent. And behold, Miriam was leprous as snow; and Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11  Then Aaron said to Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not this sin upon us, wherein we have been foolish, and have sinned! 12  Let her not be as one stillborn, half of whose flesh is consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb. 13  And Moses cried to Jehovah, saying, O •God, heal her, I beseech thee! 14  And Jehovah said to Moses, But had her father anyways spat in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? She shall be shut outside the camp seven days, and afterwards she shall be received in again. 15  And Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days; and the people did not journey till Miriam was received in again. 16  And afterwards the people journeyed from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.