The People Complain

1And the people is evil, as those sighing habitually in the ears of Jehovah, and Jehovah heareth, and His anger burneth, and the fire of Jehovah burneth among them, and consumeth in the extremity of the camp. 2And the people cry unto Moses, and Moses prayeth unto Jehovah, and the fire is quenched; 3and he calleth the name of that place Taberah, for the fire of Jehovah hath ‘burned’ among them.

4And the rabble who [are] in its midst have lusted greatly, and the sons of Israel also turn back and weep, and say, ‘Who doth give us flesh? 5We have remembered the fish which we do eat in Egypt for nought, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick; 6and now our soul [is] dry, there is not anything, save the manna, before our eyes.’

7And the manna is as coriander seed, and its aspect as the aspect of bdolach; 8the people have turned aside and gathered [it], and ground [it] with millstones, or beat [it] in a mortar, and boiled [it] in a pan, and made it cakes, and its taste hath been as the taste of the moisture of oil. 9And in the descending of the dew on the camp by night, the manna descendeth upon it.

The Complaint of Moses

10And Moses heareth the people weeping by its families, each at the opening of his tent, and the anger of Jehovah burneth exceedingly, and in the eyes of Moses [it is] evil. 11And Moses saith unto Jehovah, ‘Why hast Thou done evil to Thy servant? and why have I not found grace in Thine eyes — to put the burden of all this people upon me? 12I — have I conceived all this people? I — have I begotten it, that Thou sayest unto me, Carry it in thy bosom as the nursing father beareth the suckling, unto the ground which Thou hast sworn to its fathers? 13Whence have I flesh to give to all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give to us flesh, and we eat. 14I am not able — I alone — to bear all this people, for [it is] too heavy for me; 15and if thus Thou art doing to me — slay me, I pray Thee; slay, if I have found grace in thine eyes, and let me not look on mine affliction.’

Seventy Elders to Help Moses

16And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou hast known that they are elders of the people, and its authorities; and thou hast taken them unto the tent of meeting, and they have stationed themselves there with thee, 17and I have come down and spoken with thee there, and have kept back of the Spirit which [is] upon thee, and have put on them, and they have borne with thee some of the burden of the people, and thou dost not bear [it] thyself alone.

The People Receive Meat for a Month

18‘And unto the people thou dost say, Sanctify yourselves for to-morrow, and ye have eaten flesh (for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who doth give us flesh? for we [had] good in Egypt) — and Jehovah hath given to you flesh, and ye have eaten. 19Ye do not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days; — 20unto a month of days, till that it come out from your nostrils, and it hath become to you an abomination; because that ye have loathed Jehovah, who [is] in your midst, and weep before Him, saying, Why is this? — we have come out of Egypt!’

Moses' Faith Staggered

21And Moses saith, ‘Six hundred thousand footmen [are] the people in whose midst I [am]; and Thou, Thou hast said, Flesh I give to them, and they have eaten, a month of days! 22Is flock and herd slaughtered for them, that one hath found for them? — are all the fishes of the sea gathered for them — that one hath found for them?’ 23And Jehovah saith unto Moses, ‘Is the hand of Jehovah become short? now thou dost see whether My word meeteth thee or not.’

24And Moses goeth out, and speaketh unto the people the words of Jehovah, and gathereth seventy men of the elders of the people, and causeth them to stand round about the tent, 25and Jehovah cometh down in the cloud, and speaketh unto him, and keepeth back of the Spirit which [is] on him, and putteth on the seventy men of the elders; and it cometh to pass at the resting of the Spirit on them, that they prophesy, and do not cease.

26And two of the men are left in the camp, the name of the one [is] Eldad, and the name of the second Medad, and the spirit resteth upon them, (and they are among those written, and have not gone out to the tent), and they prophesy in the camp; 27and the young man runneth, and declareth to Moses, and saith, ‘Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.’ 28And Joshua son of Nun, minister of Moses, [one] of his young men, answereth and saith, ‘My lord Moses, restrain them.’ 29And Moses saith to him, ‘Art thou zealous for me? O that all Jehovah’s people were prophets! that Jehovah would put His Spirit upon them!’ 30And Moses is gathered unto the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

31And a spirit hath journeyed from Jehovah, and cutteth off quails from the sea, and leaveth by the camp, as a day’s journey here, and as a day’s journey there, round about the camp, and about two cubits, on the face of the land. 32And the people rise all that day, and all the night, and all the day after, and gather the quails — he who hath least hath gathered ten homers — and they spread them out for themselves round about the camp. 33The flesh is yet between their teeth — it is not yet cut off — and the anger of Jehovah hath burned among the people, and Jehovah smiteth among the people — a very great smiting; 34and [one] calleth the name of that place Kibroth-Hattaavah, for there they have buried the people who lust. 35From Kibroth-Hattaavah have the people journeyed to Hazeroth, and they are in Hazeroth.