Numbers 11
Legacy Standard Bible
The People Complain
11 Now the people became like (A)those who complain of calamity (B)in the ears of Yahweh. And Yahweh heard it and His anger was kindled, and the fire of Yahweh burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 (C)The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire [a]died out. 3 So the name of that place was called [b](D)Taberah because the fire of Yahweh burned among them.
4 And the (E)rabble who were among them [c]had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “(F)Who will give us [d]meat to eat? 5 (G)We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic, 6 but now (H)our [e]appetite is dried up. There is nothing at all [f]to look at except this manna.”
7 (I)Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of (J)bdellium. 8 The people would go about and gather it and grind it [g]between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of [h]cakes baked with oil. 9 (K)And when the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall [i]with it.
Moses Complains
10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of Yahweh was kindled greatly, and it was evil in the sight of Moses. 11 (L)So Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have You [j]allowed this evil toward Your slave? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who gave birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a [k](M)nurse carries a nursing baby, to the land which (N)You swore to their fathers’? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to (O)all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat that we may eat!’ 14 (P)I alone am not able to carry all this people because it is too heavy for me. 15 (Q)So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”
The Spirit Rests upon the Elders
16 Yahweh therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me (R)seventy men from the elders of Israel, (S)whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and take them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 (T)Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of (U)the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone. 18 And say to the people, ‘(V)Set yourselves apart as holy for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept (W)in the ears of Yahweh, saying, “Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For it was good for us in Egypt.” Therefore Yahweh will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 [l]but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because (X)you have rejected Yahweh who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever go out from Egypt?”’” 21 But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are 600,000 on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?” 23 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Is (Y)Yahweh’s [m]power limited? Now you shall see whether (Z)My word will happen for you or not.”
24 So Moses went out and (AA)told the people the words of Yahweh. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. 25 (AB)Then Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.
26 But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the [n]other Medad. And (AC)the Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. 27 So a young man ran and told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Then (AD)Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “(AE)Moses, my lord, restrain them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? (AF)Would that all the people of Yahweh were prophets, that Yahweh would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 Then Moses [o]returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.
The Quail and the Plague
31 (AG)Now there went forth a wind from Yahweh, and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp and [p]about two [q]cubits over the surface of the ground. 32 And the people [r]spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered [s]ten (AH)homers), and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 (AI)While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of Yahweh was kindled against the people, and Yahweh struck the people with a very severe plague. 34 So the name of that place was called [t](AJ)Kibroth-hattaavah because there they buried the people who had been greedy. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah (AK)the people set out for Hazeroth, and they [u]remained at Hazeroth.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:2 Lit sank down
- Numbers 11:3 Lit burning
- Numbers 11:4 Lit desired a desire
- Numbers 11:4 Lit flesh, so in ch
- Numbers 11:6 Lit soul
- Numbers 11:6 Lit for our eyes
- Numbers 11:8 Lit with
- Numbers 11:8 Lit juice of oil
- Numbers 11:9 Lit on
- Numbers 11:11 Lit dealt ill with
- Numbers 11:12 Or foster-father
- Numbers 11:20 Lit until
- Numbers 11:23 Lit hand short
- Numbers 11:26 Lit second
- Numbers 11:30 Lit removed himself
- Numbers 11:31 Or from about two cubits above
- Numbers 11:31 A cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
- Numbers 11:32 Lit rose
- Numbers 11:32 Approx. 65 bu. or 2,300 l, a homer was approx. 6.5 bu. or 230 l
- Numbers 11:34 Lit the graves of greediness
- Numbers 11:35 Lit were
Numbers 11
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Complaining in the Desert
11 Now when the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled. Then the fire of the Lord burned against them, and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. 2 But the people cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire abated. 3 So that place was called Taberah,[a] because the fire of the Lord burned against them.
4 The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, ‘If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for 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 the manna was like coriander seed, and its colour was like the colour of gum resin. 8 The people went around and gathered it, ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, then boiled it in pots and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna would fall with it.
10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. 11 So Moses said to the Lord, ‘Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favour in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, “Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child, to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors”? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, “Give us meat to eat!” 14 I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. 15 If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favour in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.’
The Seventy Elders
16 So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you. 17 I will come down and talk with you there; and I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself. 18 And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wailed in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “If only we had meat to eat! Surely it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat not only one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’ 21 But Moses said, ‘The people I am with number six hundred thousand on foot; and you say, “I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month”! 22 Are there enough flocks and herds to slaughter for them? Are there enough fish in the sea to catch for them?’ 23 The Lord said to Moses, ‘Is the Lord’s power limited?[b] Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.’
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. 25 Then 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 when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.
26 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 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.’ 28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men,[c] said, ‘My lord Moses, stop them!’ 29 But Moses said to him, ‘Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!’ 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
The Quails
31 Then a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quails from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, about two cubits deep on the ground. 32 So the people worked all that day and night and all the next day, gathering the quails; the least anyone gathered was ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. 34 So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah,[d] because there they buried the people who had the craving. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:3 That is Burning
- Numbers 11:23 Heb Lord’s hand too short?
- Numbers 11:28 Or of Moses from his youth
- Numbers 11:34 That is Graves of craving
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New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.