And the whole congregation of the people of Israel (A)grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, (B)“Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, (C)when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain (D)bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may (E)test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

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In the desert the whole community grumbled(A) against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt!(B) There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food(C) we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”(D)

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven(E) for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test(F) them and see whether they will follow my instructions.

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On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, (A)it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, (B)“At evening (C)you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the (D)glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For (E)what are we, that you grumble against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—(F)what are we? Your grumbling is not (G)against us but against the Lord.”

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On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice(A) as much as they gather on the other days.”

So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt,(B) and in the morning you will see the glory(C) of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling(D) against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”(E) Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling(F) against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”(G)

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Then Moses (A)said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, (B)‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the (C)glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I (D)have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At (E)twilight you shall eat meat, and (F)in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 In the evening (G)quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning (H)dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, (I)“What is it?”[a] For they (J)did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, (K)“It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 16:15 Or “It is manna”; Hebrew man hu

Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory(A) of the Lord appearing in the cloud.(B)

11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling(C) of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”(D)

13 That evening quail(E) came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew(F) around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost(G) on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know(H) what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread(I) the Lord has given you to eat.

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Tell the Coming Generation

A Maskil[a] of (A)Asaph.

78 (B)Give ear, O my people, to my teaching;
    incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
(C)I will open my mouth (D)in a parable;
    I will utter dark sayings from of old,
things that we have heard and known,
    that our (E)fathers have told us.
We will not (F)hide them from their children,
    but (G)tell to the coming generation
the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might,
    and (H)the wonders that he has done.

He established (I)a testimony in (J)Jacob
    and appointed a law in (K)Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
that (L)the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,
    so that they should set their hope in God
and not forget (M)the works of God,
    but (N)keep his commandments;
and that they should not be (O)like their fathers,
    (P)a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation (Q)whose heart was not steadfast,
    whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The Ephraimites, armed with[b] the bow,
    (R)turned back on the day of battle.
10 They (S)did not keep God's covenant,
    but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They (T)forgot his works
    and (U)the wonders that he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their fathers (V)he performed wonders
    in the land of Egypt, in (W)the fields of Zoan.
13 He (X)divided the sea and let them pass through it,
    and made the waters (Y)stand like a heap.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 78:9 Hebrew armed and shooting

Psalm 78

A maskil[a] of Asaph.

My people, hear my teaching;(A)
    listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;(B)
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.(C)
We will not hide them from their descendants;(D)
    we will tell the next generation(E)
the praiseworthy deeds(F) of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders(G) he has done.
He decreed statutes(H) for Jacob(I)
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,(J)
    and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget(K) his deeds
    but would keep his commands.(L)
They would not be like their ancestors(M)
    a stubborn(N) and rebellious(O) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.

The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,(P)
    turned back on the day of battle;(Q)
10 they did not keep God’s covenant(R)
    and refused to live by his law.(S)
11 They forgot what he had done,(T)
    the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles(U) in the sight of their ancestors
    in the land of Egypt,(V) in the region of Zoan.(W)
13 He divided the sea(X) and led them through;
    he made the water stand up like a wall.(Y)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term

14 (A)In the daytime he led them with a cloud,
    and all the night with a fiery light.
15 He (B)split rocks in the wilderness
    and gave them drink abundantly as from the deep.
16 He made streams come out of (C)the rock
    and caused waters to flow down like rivers.

17 Yet they sinned still more against him,
    (D)rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 They (E)tested God in their heart
    by demanding the food they craved.
19 They spoke against God, saying,
    (F)“Can God (G)spread a table in the wilderness?
20 (H)He struck the rock so that water gushed out
    and streams overflowed.
Can he also give bread
    or provide meat for his people?”

21 Therefore, when the Lord heard, he was full of wrath;
    (I)a fire was kindled against Jacob;
    his anger rose against Israel,
22 because they (J)did not believe in God
    and did not trust his saving power.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above
    and (K)opened the doors of heaven,
24 and he (L)rained down on them manna to eat
    and gave them (M)the grain of heaven.
25 Man ate of the bread of (N)the angels;
    he sent them food (O)in abundance.
26 He (P)caused the east wind to blow in the heavens,
    and by his power he led out the south wind;

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14 He guided them with the cloud by day
    and with light from the fire all night.(A)
15 He split the rocks(B) in the wilderness
    and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
    and made water flow down like rivers.

17 But they continued to sin(C) against him,
    rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test(D)
    by demanding the food they craved.(E)
19 They spoke against God;(F)
    they said, “Can God really
    spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
    and water gushed out,(G)
    streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
    Can he supply meat(H) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
    his fire broke out(I) against Jacob,
    and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
    or trust(J) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
    and opened the doors of the heavens;(K)
24 he rained down manna(L) for the people to eat,
    he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
    he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind(M) from the heavens
    and by his power made the south wind blow.

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Unity in the Body of Christ

I therefore, (A)a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to (B)walk in a manner worthy of (C)the calling to which you have been called, with all (D)humility and (E)gentleness, with (F)patience, (G)bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in (H)the bond of peace. There is (I)one body and (J)one Spirit—just as you were called to the one (K)hope that belongs to your call— (L)one Lord, (M)one faith, (N)one baptism, (O)one God and Father of all, (P)who is over all and through all and in all. But (Q)grace was given (R)to each one of us (S)according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says,

(T)“When he ascended on high (U)he led a host of captives,
    and he gave gifts to men.”[a]

((V)In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into (W)the lower regions, the earth?[b] 10 He who descended is the one who also (X)ascended (Y)far above all the heavens, that he might (Z)fill all things.) 11 And (AA)he gave the (AB)apostles, the prophets, the (AC)evangelists, the (AD)shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 (AE)to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for (AF)building up (AG)the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to (AH)the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, (AI)to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of (AJ)the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, (AK)tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in (AL)deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, (AM)speaking the truth in love, we are to (AN)grow up in every way into him who is (AO)the head, into Christ, 16 (AP)from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, (AQ)when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 4:8 The Greek word anthropoi can refer to both men and women
  2. Ephesians 4:9 Or the lower parts of the earth?
  3. Ephesians 4:11 Or pastors
  4. Ephesians 4:11 Or the shepherd-teachers
  5. Ephesians 4:13 Greek to a full-grown man

Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

As a prisoner(A) for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy(B) of the calling(C) you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another(D) in love.(E) Make every effort to keep the unity(F) of the Spirit through the bond of peace.(G) There is one body(H) and one Spirit,(I) just as you were called to one hope when you were called(J); one Lord,(K) one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all,(L) who is over all and through all and in all.(M)

But to each one of us(N) grace(O) has been given(P) as Christ apportioned it. This is why it[a] says:

“When he ascended on high,
    he took many captives(Q)
    and gave gifts to his people.”[b](R)

(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended(S) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)(T) 11 So Christ himself gave(U) the apostles,(V) the prophets,(W) the evangelists,(X) the pastors and teachers,(Y) 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ(Z) may be built up(AA) 13 until we all reach unity(AB) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God(AC) and become mature,(AD) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.(AE)

14 Then we will no longer be infants,(AF) tossed back and forth by the waves,(AG) and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.(AH) 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love,(AI) we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,(AJ) that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows(AK) and builds itself up(AL) in love,(AM) as each part does its work.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 4:8 Or God
  2. Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
  3. Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth

24 (A)So when the crowd saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and (B)went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus.

25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, (C)“Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, (D)you are seeking me, not because you saw (E)signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 (F)Do not work for the food that perishes, but for (G)the food that endures to eternal life, which (H)the Son of Man will give to you. For on (I)him God the Father has (J)set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing (K)the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, (L)that you believe in him whom (M)he has sent.” 30 So they said to him, (N)“Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform? 31 (O)Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, (P)‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 32 Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is (Q)he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 They said to him, (R)“Sir, give us this bread always.”

35 Jesus said to them, (S)“I am the bread of life; (T)whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

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24 Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

Jesus the Bread of Life

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi,(A) when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me,(B) not because you saw the signs(C) I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures(D) to eternal life,(E) which the Son of Man(F) will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal(G) of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe(H) in the one he has sent.”(I)

30 So they asked him, “What sign(J) then will you give that we may see it and believe you?(K) What will you do? 31 Our ancestors ate the manna(L) in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[a](M)

32 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven(N) and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”(O)

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am(P) the bread of life.(Q) Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes(R) in me will never be thirsty.(S)

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Footnotes

  1. John 6:31 Exodus 16:4; Neh. 9:15; Psalm 78:24,25