Numbers 10:21-11:27

English Standard Version

²¹ Then the Kohathites set out, ^(A)carrying the holy things, and ^(B)the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. ²² And ^(C)the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was ^(D)Elishama the son of Ammihud. ²³ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was ^(E)Gamaliel the son of Pedahzur. ²⁴ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was ^(F)Abidan the son of Gideoni.

²⁵ Then ^(G)the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the ^(H)rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was ^(I)Ahiezer the son of Ammishaddai. ²⁶ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was ^(J)Pagiel the son of Ochran. ²⁷ And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was ^(K)Ahira the son of Enan. ^28 (L)This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.

²⁹ And Moses said to Hobab the son of ^(M)Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ^(N)‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for ^(O)the Lord has promised good to Israel.” ³⁰ But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” ³¹ And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve ^(P)as eyes for us. ³² And if you do go with us, ^(Q)whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

³³ So they set out from ^(R)the mount of the Lord three days' journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out ^(S)a resting place for them. ^34 (T)And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.

³⁵ And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, ^(U)“Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” ³⁶ And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”

The People Complain

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

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

⁷ Now ^(AF)the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. ^8 (AG)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. ^(AH)And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. ^9 (AI)When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

¹⁰ Moses heard the people ^(AJ)weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. ^11 (AK)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? ¹² Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ^(AL)‘Carry them in your bosom, as a ^(AM)nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land ^(AN)that you swore to give their fathers? ^13 (AO)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 (AP)I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Elders Appointed to Aid Moses

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me ^(AQ)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and ^(AR)officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. ^17 (AS)And I will come down and talk with you there. And ^(AT)I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and ^(AU)they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. ¹⁸ And say to the people, ^(AV)‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? ^(AW)For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. ¹⁹ You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, ²⁰ but a whole month, ^(AX)until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, ^(AY)“Why did we come out of Egypt?”’” ²¹ But Moses said, ^(AZ)“The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ ^22 (BA)Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” ²³ And the Lord said to Moses, ^(BB)“Is the Lord's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether ^(BC)my word will come true for you or not.”

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. ^(BD)And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. ²⁵ Then ^(BE)the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

²⁶ Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they ^(BF)had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”