Numbers 10:1–22:41
10 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Make yourself two silver trumpets; make them of hammered-work. ⌊You will use them⌋a for calling the community and for breaking the camp. 3 You will blow them, and all the community will assemble to the doorway of the tent of assembly. 4 But if they blow only one, the leaders, the heads of the thousands of Israel, will assemble to you. 5 When you will blow a blast, the camps that are camping on the east will set out; 6 when you blow a second blast, the camps that are camping on the south will set out; they will blow a blast for their journeys. 7 But when summoning the assembly, you will blow, but you will not signal with a loud noise. 8 The sons of Aaron, the priests, will blow on the trumpets; this will be an eternal decree for your generations. 9 If you go to war in your land against the enemy who attacks you, you will signal with a loud noise on the trumpets. You will be remembered ⌊before⌋b Yahweh your God, and you will be rescued from your enemies.
10 “And on the day of your joy and in your appointed times, at the beginning of your months, you will blow on the trumpets in addition to your burnt offerings and in addition to the sacrifices of your fellowship offerings. And they will be as a memorial for you ⌊before⌋c your God; I am Yahweh your God.”
The Israelites Depart from Sinai
11 And it happened, in the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth of the month the cloud was lifted from upon the tabernacle of the testimony.d 12 And the ⌊Israelites⌋e set out for their journeyf from the desert of Sinai, and the cloud dwelled in the desert of Paran. 13 They set out ⌊for the first time⌋g on the command of Yahweh in the hand of Moses.h 14 The standard of the camp of the descendantsi of Judah set out for the first time according to their divisions, with Nahshon son of Amminadab over its division. 15 And Nathanel son of Zuar was over the division of the descendantsj of Issachar; 16 Eliab son of Helon was over the division of the tribe of the descendantsk of Zebulun.
17 The tabernacle was taken down, and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, the bearers of the tabernacle, set out. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben according to their divisions; Elizur son of Shedeur was over their division. 19 Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai was over the division of the sons of the tribe of Simeon. 20 Eliasaph son of Deuel was over the division of the tribe of the descendantsl of Gad.
21 The Kohathites, the bearers of the sanctuary, set out, and they set up the tabernacle before they arrived. 22 And the stand of the camp of the descendantsm of Ephraim set out according to their divisions; Elishama son of Ammihud was over its division. 23 Gamaliel son of Pedahzur was over the division of the tribe of the descendantsn of Manasseh. 24 Abidan son of Gideoni was over the division of the tribe of the descendantso of Benjamin.
25 Then the standard of the camp of the descendantsp of Dan, who formed a rear guard for all the camps, set out according to their divisions; Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai was over its division. 26 Pagiel son of Ocran was over the division of the tribe of the descendantsq of Asher. 27 Ahira son of Enan was over the division of the tribe of the descendantsr of Naphtali. 28 These were the departures of the ⌊Israelites⌋s according to their divisions; and so they set out.
29 Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, the father-in-law of Moses, “We are setting out to the place that Yahweh said, ‘I will give it to you’; go with us, and we will ⌊treat you well⌋t because ⌊Yahweh promised⌋u good concerning Israel.” 30 But he said to him, “I will not go. I will only go to my land and to my family.” 31 Hev said, “Please, do not abandon us because you know our encampment in the desert, and ⌊you should be our guide⌋.w 32 Moreover, if you go with us, the good that Yahweh will do to us we will do to you.”
33 And so they set out from the mountain of Yahweh a journey of three days, with the ark of the covenant of Yahweh setting out ahead of themx three days’ journey to search out a resting place for them; 34 and the cloud of Yahweh was over them by day when they set out from the camp.
35 And whenever the ark was setting out Moses would say,
“Rise up, Yahweh!
May your enemies be scattered;
may the ones that hate you flee from your presence.”
36 And when it rested he would say,
“Return, Yahweh,
to the countless thousands of Israel.”
11 And it happened, the people were like those who ⌊complain of hardship⌋a ⌊in the hearing⌋b of Yahweh, and Yahweh ⌊became angry⌋,c and the fire of Yahweh burned among them, and it consumed the edge of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire died down. 3 And he called the name of that place Taberahd because the fire of Yahweh burned among them.
4 The riff-raff that were in their midst ⌊had a strong desire⌋;e and the ⌊Israelites⌋f turned back and also wept, and they said, “Who will feed us meat? 5 We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for nothing, the cucumber, melon, leek, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now ⌊our strength is dried up⌋;g there is nothing whatsoever except ⌊for the manna before us⌋.”h
7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its outward appearance was like that of bdellium-gum. 8 The people went about and gathered it, and they ground it with mills or crushed it with mortar. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into bread-cakes; and it tasted like olive oil cakes. 9 When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna came down with it.
10 Moses heard the people weeping according to theiri clans, each at the doorway of their tents. Then ⌊Yahweh became very angry⌋,j and in the eyes of Moses it was bad. 11 And Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you brought trouble to your servant? Why have I not found favor in your eyes, that the burdens of all these people have been placed on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? If I have fathered them,k that you could say to me, ‘Carry theml in your lap, just as a foster-father carries the suckling on the land that you swore an oath to their ancestors?’m 13 From where do I have meat to give all these people? They weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat and let us eat!’ 14 I am not able to carry all these people along alone; they are too heavy for me. 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please kill me immediately if I find favor in your eyes, and do not let me see my misery.”
16 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know are elders of the people and theirn officials; take them to the tent of assembly, and they will stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there; I will take away from the spirit that is on you, and I will place it on them; and they will bear the burdens of the people with you; you will not bear it alone. 18 And you will say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves tomorrow, for you will eat meat because you have wept in the ears of Yahweh, saying, “Who will feed us good meat? It was good for us in Egypt.” Yahweh will give to you meat, and you will eat. 19 You will eat, not one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 ⌊but for a whole month⌋,o until it comes out from your nose and becomes as nausea to you; because you have rejected Yahweh, who is in your midst, and you wept before ⌊his presence⌋,p saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ’ ” 21 But Moses said, “There are six hundred thousand on foot, among whom I am in the midst, and you yourself said, ‘I will give meat to them, and they will eat for a whole month.’ 22 Should flocks and cattle be slaughtered for them? Should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be enough for them?” 23 And Yahweh said to Moses, “⌊Is Yahweh’s power limited⌋?q Now you will see if my word will happen or not.”
24 So Moses went out, and he spoke the words of Yahweh to the people, and he gathered together seventy men from the elders of the people, and he ⌊made them stand⌋r all around the tent. 25 Then Yahweh went down in the cloud and spoke to him, and he took away the spirit that was on him, and he ⌊put it⌋s on the seventy elders. And as soon as the spirit was resting on them they prophesied, but they did not do it again.
26 But two men were left in the camp; the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the second was Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those who were written down, but they did not go out to the tent, so they prophesied in the camp. 27 So a boyt ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from time of his youth, answered, “Moses, my lord, stop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that heu give all Yahweh’s people prophets, that Yahweh put his spirit on them!” 30 Then Moses and the elders of Israel were gathered to the camp.
31 Then a wind set out from Yahweh, and it drove quails from the west, and he spread them out on the camp about a day’s journey on one side and about a day’s journey on the other, all around the camp, about two cubits on the surface of the land. 32 And so the people ⌊worked⌋v all day and all night and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the least of the ones collecting gathered ten homers).w 33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was consumed, Yahweh was angry with the people, and Yahweh struck a very great plague among the people. 34 And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavahx because they buried the people that ⌊were greedy⌋.y 35 From Kibroth Hattaavahz the people set out to Hazeroth; and they stayeda in Hazeroth.
Aaron and Miriam Murmur Against Moses
12 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he took (because he took a Cushite wife); 2 and they said, “Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has