The People Complain

1And it came to pass that when the people murmured, it was evil in the ears of Jehovah; and Jehovah heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of Jehovah burned among them, and consumed [some] in the extremity of the camp. 2And the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to Jehovah -- and the fire abated. 3And they called the name of that place Taberah; because a fire of Jehovah burned among them.

4And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted; and the children of Israel also wept again and said, Who will give us flesh to eat? 5We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; 6and now our soul is dried up: there is nothing at all but the manna before our eyes.

7And the manna was as coriander seed, and its appearance as the appearance of bdellium. 8The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it with hand-mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of oil-cakes. 9And when the dew fell upon the camp by night, the manna fell upon it.

The Complaint of Moses

10And Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled greatly; it was also evil in the eyes of Moses. 11And Moses said to Jehovah, Why hast thou done evil to thy servant, and why have I not found favour in thine eyes, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12Have I conceived all this people, have I brought them forth, that thou sayest to me, Carry them in thy bosom, as the nursing-father beareth the suckling, unto the land which thou didst swear unto their fathers? 13Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat! 14I am not able to bear all this people alone, for it is too heavy for me. 15And if thou deal thus with me, slay me, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, that I may not behold my wretchedness.

Seventy Elders to Help Moses

16And Jehovah said to Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and their officers; and take them to the tent of meeting, and they shall stand there with thee. 17And I will come down and talk with thee there; and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, and thou shalt not bear it alone.

The People Receive Meat for a Month

18And unto the people shalt thou say, Hallow yourselves for to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who will give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt; and Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19Not one day shall ye eat, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20[but] for a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it become loathsome unto you; because that ye have despised Jehovah who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

Moses' Faith Staggered

21And Moses said, The people in whose midst I am are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou sayest, I will give them flesh that they may eat a whole month. 22Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them, to suffice them? 23And Jehovah said to Moses, Hath Jehovah's hand become short? Now shalt thou see whether my word will come to pass unto thee or not.

24And Moses went out and told the people the words of Jehovah; and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tent. 25And Jehovah came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy men, the elders; and it came to pass, that when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not repeat [it].

26And two men remained in the camp, the name of the one, Eldad, and the name of the other, Medad; and the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among them that were written, but they had not gone out to the tent); and they prophesied in the camp. 27And there ran a youth, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp. 28And Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them! 29But Moses said to him, Enviest thou for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, [and] that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them! 30And Moses withdrew into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

31And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and drove quails from the sea, and cast them about the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and about a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the earth. 32And the people rose up all that day, and the whole night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered little gathered ten homers; and they spread them abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33The flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, when the wrath of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague. 34And they called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah; because there they buried the people who lusted. 35From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth; and they were at Hazeroth.