Numbers 11:1-15

English Standard Version

The People Complain

11 And ^(A)the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, ^(B)his anger was kindled, and ^(C)the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. ²Then ^(D)the people cried out to Moses, ^(E)and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. ³So the name of that place was called ^(F)Taberah,^[a] because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

⁴Now the ^(G)rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also ^(H)wept again and said, ^(I)“Oh that we had meat to eat! ⁵^(J)We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. ⁶But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

⁷Now ^(K)the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. ⁸^(L)The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. ^(M)And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. ⁹^(N)When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

¹⁰Moses heard the people ^(O)weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. ¹¹^(P)Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? ¹²Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ^(Q)‘Carry them in your bosom, as a ^(R)nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land ^(S)that you swore to give their fathers? ¹³^(T)Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ ¹⁴^(U)I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”