Exodus 16
New Living Translation
Manna and Quail from Heaven
16 Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin,[a] between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.[b] 2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.
3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. 7 In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” 8 Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” 10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.
11 Then the Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”
13 That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew. 14 When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. 15 The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.
And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. 16 These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts[c] for each person in your tent.”
17 So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. 18 But when they measured it out,[d] everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.
19 Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” 20 But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.
21 After this the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up melted and disappeared. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual—four quarts[e] for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation. 23 He told them, “This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.”
24 So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor. 25 Moses said, “Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground today. 26 You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground that day.”
27 Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food. 28 The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? 29 They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.” 30 So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day.
31 The Israelites called the food manna.[f] It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.
32 Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: Fill a two-quart container with manna to preserve it for your descendants. Then later generations will be able to see the food I gave you in the wilderness when I set you free from Egypt.”
33 Moses said to Aaron, “Get a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Then put it in a sacred place before the Lord to preserve it for all future generations.” 34 Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. He eventually placed it in the Ark of the Covenant—in front of the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.[g] 35 So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
36 The container used to measure the manna was an omer, which was one-tenth of an ephah; it held about two quarts.[h]
Footnotes
- 16:1a The geographical name Sin is related to Sinai and should not be confused with the English word sin.
- 16:1b The Exodus had occurred on the fifteenth day of the first month (see Num 33:3).
- 16:16 Hebrew 1 omer [2.2 liters]; also in 16:32, 33.
- 16:18 Hebrew measured it with an omer.
- 16:22 Hebrew 2 omers [4.4 liters].
- 16:31 Manna means “What is it?” See 16:15.
- 16:34 Hebrew He placed it in front of the Testimony; see note on 25:16.
- 16:36 Hebrew An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.
Exodus 16
Lexham English Bible
Yahweh Provides Food in the Desert
16 And they set out from Elim, and all the community of the Israelites[a] came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai,[b] in the fifteenth day of the second month of their going out from the land of Egypt. 2 And all the community of the Israelites[c] grumbled against Moses and against Aaron in the desert. 3 And the Israelites[d] said to them, “If only we had died[e] by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots[f] of meat, when we ate bread until we were full,[g] because you have brought us out to this desert to kill all of this assembly with hunger.” 4 And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to rain down for you bread from the heavens, and the people will go out and gather enough for the day on its day; in that way I will test them: Will they go according to my law or not? 5 And then on the sixth day, they will prepare what they bring, and it will be twice over what they will gather every other day.”
6 And Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites,[h] “In the evening, you will know that Yahweh has brought you out from the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning, you will see the glory of Yahweh, for he hears[i] your grumblings against Yahweh, and what are we that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When in the evening Yahweh gives you meat to eat and bread in the morning to fill up on,[j] for he hears[k] your grumblings that you grumble against him—and what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Yahweh.” 9 And Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community of the Israelites,[l] ‘Come near before Yahweh because he has heard your grumblings.’”
10 And at the moment of Aaron’s speaking to all the community of the Israelites,[m] they turned to the desert, and just then[n] the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud. 11 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “I have heard the grumblings of the Israelites.[o] Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight[p] you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be full with bread, and you will know that I am Yahweh your God.’”
13 And so it was, in the evening, the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning, a layer of dew was all around the camp. 14 And the layer of dew came up, and there[q] on the face of the desert was a fine granular substance, fine like frost on the ground. 15 And the Israelites[r] saw, and they said to each other,[s] “What is this?” because they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “That is the bread that Yahweh has given to you as food. 16 This is the word that Yahweh commanded, ‘Gather from it, each according to what he can eat,[t] an omer per person[u] according to the number of you.[v] You each shall take enough for whoever is in his tent.’”
17 And the Israelites[w] did so, and they gathered, some more and some less. 18 And when they measured with the omer, the one gathering more had no surplus, and the one gathering less had no lack; they gathered each according to what he could eat.[x] 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it until morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some people[y] left some of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 And they gathered it morning by morning, each according to what he could eat,[z] and it melted when the sun was hot.[aa]
22 And when it was the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one person, and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses. 23 And he said to them, “This is what Yahweh has said. Tomorrow is a rest period, a holy Sabbath for Yahweh. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Put aside all the surplus for yourselves for safekeeping until the morning.” 24 And they put it aside until the morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not make a stench, and not a maggot was in it. 25 And Moses said, “Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath for Yahweh. Today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be present on it.”
27 And on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they did not find any. 28 And Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you[ab] refuse to keep my commands and my laws? 29 See, because Yahweh has given to you the Sabbath, therefore he is giving to you on the sixth day bread for two days. Stay, each in his location;[ac] let no one go from his place on the seventh day.” 30 And the people rested on the seventh day.
31 And the house of Israel called its name “manna.” And it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like a wafer with honey. 32 And Moses said, “This is the word that Yahweh has commanded. ‘A full omer of it is for safekeeping for your generations so that they will see the bread that I fed you in the desert when I brought you from the land of Egypt.’” 33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take one jar and put there a full omer of manna. Leave it before Yahweh for safekeeping for your generations.” 34 As Yahweh had commanded Moses, so Aaron left it before the testimony for safekeeping. 35 And the Israelites[ad] ate the manna forty years, until their coming to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until their coming to the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (And an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)
Footnotes
- Exodus 16:1 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:1 Literally “and between Sinai”
- Exodus 16:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:3 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:3 Literally “who will give our dying”
- Exodus 16:3 Hebrew “pot”
- Exodus 16:3 Literally “to contentment” or “to satisfaction”
- Exodus 16:6 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:7 Literally “at/in his hearing”
- Exodus 16:8 Literally “to be satisfied”
- Exodus 16:8 Literally “at/in his hearing”
- Exodus 16:9 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:10 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:10 Literally “look” or “behold”
- Exodus 16:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:12 Literally “between the evenings”
- Exodus 16:14 Literally “look” or “behold”
- Exodus 16:15 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:15 Literally “a man to his brother”
- Exodus 16:16 Literally “a man for the mouth of his eating”
- Exodus 16:16 Literally “skull” or “head”
- Exodus 16:16 Or “the number of your selves”
- Exodus 16:17 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Exodus 16:18 Literally “a man for the mouth of his eating”
- Exodus 16:20 Literally “men”
- Exodus 16:21 Literally “a man according to the mouth of his eating”
- Exodus 16:21 Literally “and the sun was hot, and he/it melted”
- Exodus 16:28 Plural
- Exodus 16:29 Literally “a man under him/it”
- Exodus 16:35 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software