The Provision of Manna

16:1 1 When2 they journeyed from Elim, the entire company3 of Israelites came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus4 from the land of Egypt. 16:2 The entire company5 of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert. 16:3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died6 by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by7 the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full,8 for you have brought us out into this desert to kill9 this whole assembly with hunger!”

16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain10 bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out11 and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them.12 Will they will walk in my law13 or not? 16:5 On the sixth day14 they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather every other day.”15

16:6 Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening16 you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt, 16:7 and in the morning you will see17 the glory of the Lord, because he has heard18 your murmurings against the Lord. As for us, what are we,19 that you should murmur against us?”

16:8 Moses said, “You will know this20 when the Lord gives you21 meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the Lord has heard your murmurings that you are murmuring against him. As for us, what are we?22 Your murmurings are not against us,23 but against the Lord.”

16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community24 of the Israelites, ‘Come25 before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.’ ”

16:10 As Aaron spoke26 to the whole community of the Israelites and they looked toward the desert, there the glory of the Lord27 appeared28 in the cloud, 16:11 and the Lord spoke to Moses: 16:12 “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘During the evening29 you will eat meat,30 and in the morning you will be satisfied31 with bread, so that you may know32 that I am the Lord your God.’ ”33

16:13 In the evening the quail34 came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. 16:14 When35 the layer of dew had evaporated,36 there on the surface of the desert was a thin flaky substance,37 thin like frost on the earth. 16:15 When38 the Israelites saw it, they said to one another,39 “What is it?” because they did not know what it was.40 Moses said to them, “It is the bread41 that the Lord has given you for food.42

16:16 “This is what43 the Lord has commanded:44 ‘Each person is to gather45 from it what he can eat, an omer46 per person47 according to the number48 of your people;49 each one will pick it up50 for whoever lives51 in his tent.’ ” 16:17 The Israelites did so, and they gathered—some more, some less. 16:18 When52 they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one had gathered what he could eat.

16:19 Moses said to them, “No one53 is to keep any of it54 until morning.” 16:20 But they did not listen to Moses; some55 kept part of it until morning, and it was full56 of worms and began to stink, and Moses was angry with them. 16:21 So they gathered it each morning,57 each person according to what he could eat, and when the sun got hot, it would melt.58 16:22 And59 on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers60 per person;61 and all the leaders62 of the community63 came and told64 Moses. 16:23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a time of cessation from work,65 a holy Sabbath66 to the Lord. Whatever you want to67 bake, bake today;68 whatever you want to boil, boil today; whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.’ ”

16:24 So they put it aside until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. 16:25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the area.69 16:26 Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

16:27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they found nothing. 16:28 So the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse70 to obey my commandments and my instructions? 16:29 See, because the Lord has given you the Sabbath, that is why71 he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are;72 let no one73 go out of his place on the seventh day.” 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

16:31 The house of Israel74 called its name “manna.”75 It was like coriander seed and was white, and it tasted76 like wafers with honey.

16:32 Moses said, “This is what77 the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it to be kept78 for generations to come,79 so that they may see80 the food I fed you in the desert when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’ ” 16:33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put in it an omer full of manna, and place it before the Lord to be kept for generations to come.” 16:34 Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony81 for safekeeping.82

16:35 Now the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was inhabited; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 16:36 (Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.)83