Numbers 11:4–23

Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders

⁴There were some foreigners travelling with the Israelites. They had a strong craving for meat, and even the Israelites themselves began to complain: “If only we could have some meat! ⁵In Egypt we used to eat all the fish we wanted, and it cost us nothing. Remember the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic we had? ⁶But now our strength is gone. There is nothing at all to eat—nothing but this manna day after day!”

^7*(Manna was like small seeds, whitish yellow in colour. ^8–9*It fell on the camp at night along with the dew. The next morning the people would go round and gather it, grind it or pound it into flour, and then boil it and make it into flat cakes. It tasted like bread baked with olive oil.)

¹⁰Moses heard all the people complaining as they stood about in groups at the entrances of their tents. He was distressed because the Lord was angry with them, ¹¹and he said to the Lord, “Why have you treated me so badly? Why are you displeased with me? Why have you given me the responsibility for all these people? ¹²I didn’t create them or bring them to birth! Why should you ask me to act like a nurse and carry them in my arms like babies all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? ¹³Where could I get enough meat for all these people? They keep whining and asking for meat. ¹⁴I can’t be responsible for all these people by myself; it’s too much for me! ¹⁵If you are going to treat me like this, take pity on me and kill me, so that I won’t have to endure your cruelty any longer.”

¹⁶The Lord said to Moses, “Assemble seventy respected men who are recognized as leaders of the people, bring them to me at the Tent of my presence, and tell them to stand there beside you. ¹⁷I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the spirit I have given you and give it to them. Then they can help you to bear the responsibility for these people, and you will not have to bear it alone. ¹⁸Now tell the people, ‘Purify yourselves for tomorrow; you will have meat to eat. The Lord has heard you whining and saying that you wished you had some meat and that you were better off in Egypt. Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. ¹⁹You will have to eat it not just for one or two days, or five, or ten, or even twenty days, ²⁰but for a whole month, until it comes out of your ears, until you are sick of it. This will happen because you have rejected the Lord who is here among you and have complained to him that you should never have left Egypt.’ ”

²¹Moses said to the Lord, “Here I am leading 600,000 people, and you say that you will give them enough meat for a month? ²²Could enough cattle and sheep be killed to satisfy them? Are all the fish in the sea enough for them?”

²³“Is there a limit to my power?” the Lord answered. “You will soon see whether what I have said will happen or not!”