Exodus 16:16–30

¹⁶This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts ^cper individual, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’ ”

¹⁷So the Israelites did this. Some gathered a lot, some a little. ¹⁸When they measured it by quarts, ^dthe person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat. ^e19Moses said to them, “No one is to let any of it remain until morning.” ²⁰But they didn’t listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and smelled. Therefore Moses was angry with them.

²¹They gathered it every morning. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melted. ²²On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts ^fapiece, and all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. ²³He told them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath ^gto the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.’ ”

²⁴So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn’t smell or have any maggots in it. ²⁵“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find any in the field. ²⁶For six days you may gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”

²⁷Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any. ²⁸Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you ^hrefuse to keep My commands ⁱand instructions? ²⁹Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” ³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.