Numbers 11:4–23

Quail From the Lord

⁴The rabble with them began to crave other food,^d and again the Israelites started wailing^e and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.^{f 6}But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!^g”

⁷The manna was like coriander seed^h and looked like resin.^{i 8}The people went around gathering it,^j and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. ⁹When the dew^k settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

¹⁰Moses heard the people of every family wailing^l at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. ¹¹He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble^m on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?^{n 12}Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant,^o to the land you promised on oath^p to their ancestors?^{q 13}Where can I get meat for all these people?^r They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.^{s 15}If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me^t—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

¹⁶The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders^u who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.^v Have them come to the tent of meeting,^w that they may stand there with you. ¹⁷I will come down and speak with you^x there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.^y They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.^z

¹⁸“Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves^a in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed,^b “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!”^c Now the Lord will give you meat,^d and you will eat it. ¹⁹You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, ²⁰but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it^e—because you have rejected the Lord,^f who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ’ ”^g

²¹But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men^h on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ ²²Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”ⁱ

²³The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?^j Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.^k”