The People Complain

11 Now awhen the people complained, it displeased the Lord; bfor the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the cfire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people dcried out to Moses, and when Moses eprayed to the Lord, the fire was 1quenched. 3 So he called the name of the place 2Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.

4 Now the fmixed multitude who were among them 3yielded to gintense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: h“Who will give us meat to eat? 5 iWe remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now jour whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

7 Now kthe manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and lits taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. 9 And mwhen the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.

10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and nthe anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. 11 oSo Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the 4burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, p‘Carry them in your bosom, as a qguardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You rswore 5to their fathers? 13 sWhere am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 tI am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. 15 If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and udo not let me see my wretchedness!”

The Seventy Elders

16 So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me vseventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and wofficers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. xI will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 Then you shall say to the people, 6‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept yin the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 zbut for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have adespised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, b“Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”

21 And Moses said, c“The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 dShall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”

23 And the Lord said to Moses, e“Has 7the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether fwhat I say will happen to you or not.”

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he ggathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, hwhen the Spirit rested upon them, that ithey prophesied, 8although they never did so again.

26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who jhad not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, kforbid them!”

29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you 9zealous for my sake? lOh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

The Lord Sends Quail

31 Now a mwind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground.