Exodus 16-18

Complete Jewish Bible

16 They traveled on from Eilim, and the whole community of the people of Isra’el arrived at the Seen Desert, between Eilim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving the land of Egypt. ² There in the desert the whole community of the people of Isra’el grumbled against Moshe and Aharon. ³ The people of Isra’el said to them, “We wish Adonai had used his own hand to kill us off in Egypt! There we used to sit around the pots with the meat boiling, and we had as much food as we wanted. But you have taken us out into this desert to let this whole assembly starve to death!”

⁴ Adonai said to Moshe, “Here, I will cause bread to rain down from heaven for you. The people are to go out and gather a day’s ration every day. By this I will test whether they will observe my Torah or not. ⁵ On the sixth day, when they prepare what they have brought in, it will turn out to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” ⁶ Moshe and Aharon said to all the people of Isra’el, “This evening, you will realize that it has been Adonai who brought you out of Egypt; ⁷ and in the morning, you will see Adonai’s glory. For he has listened to your grumblings against Adonai — what are we that you should grumble against us?” ⁸ Moshe added, “What I have said will happen when Adonai gives you meat to eat this evening and your fill of bread tomorrow morning. Adonai has listened to your complaints and grumblings against him — what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Adonai.”

⁹ Moshe said to Aharon, “Say to the whole community of Isra’el, ‘Come close, into the presence of Adonai, for he has heard your grumblings.’” ¹⁰ As Aharon spoke to the whole community of the people of Isra’el, they looked toward the desert; and there before them the glory of Adonai appeared in the cloud; (A: vi, S: v) ¹¹ and Adonai said to Moshe, ¹² “I have heard the grumblings of the people of Isra’el. Say to them: ‘At dusk you will be eating meat, and in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will realize that I am Adonai your God.’”

¹³ That evening, quails came up and covered the camp; while in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. ¹⁴ When the dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. ¹⁵ When the people of Isra’el saw it, they asked each other, “Man hu? [What is it?]” because they didn’t know what it was. Moshe answered them, “It is the bread which Adonai has given you to eat. ¹⁶ Here is what Adonai has ordered: each man is to gather according to his appetite — each is to take an ‘omer [two quarts] per person for everyone in his tent.” ¹⁷ The people of Isra’el did this. Some gathered more, some less; ¹⁸ but when they put it in an ‘omer-measure, whoever had gathered much had no excess; and whoever had gathered little had no shortage; nevertheless each person had gathered according to his appetite.

¹⁹ Moshe told them, “No one is to leave any of it till morning.” ²⁰ But they didn’t pay attention to Moshe, and some kept the leftovers until morning. It bred worms and rotted, which made Moshe angry at them. ²¹ So they gathered it morning after morning, each person according to his appetite; but as the sun grew hot, it melted.

²² On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two ‘omers per person; and all the community leaders came and reported to Moshe. ²³ He told them, “This is what Adonai has said: ‘Tomorrow is a holy Shabbat for Adonai. Bake what you want to bake; boil what you want to boil; and whatever is left over, set aside and keep for the morning.’” ²⁴ They set it aside till morning, as Moshe had ordered; and it didn’t rot or have worms. ²⁵ Moshe said, “Today, eat that; because today is a Shabbat for Adonai — today you won’t find it in the field. ²⁶ Gather it six days, but the seventh day is the Shabbat — on that day there won’t be any.” ²⁷ However, on the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather and found none.

²⁸ Adonai said to Moshe, “How long will you refuse to observe my mitzvot and teachings? ²⁹ Look, Adonai has given you the Shabbat. This is why he is providing bread for two days on the sixth day. Each of you, stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” (S: vi) ³⁰ So the people rested on the seventh day.

³¹ The people called the food man. It was like coriander seed, white; and it tasted like honey cakes. ³² Moshe said, “Here is what Adonai has ordered: ‘Let two quarts of man be kept through all your generations, so that they will be able to see the bread which I fed you in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.’” ³³ Moshe said to Aharon, “Take a jar, put in it two quarts of man, and set it aside before Adonai to be kept through all your generations.” ³⁴ Just as Adonai ordered Moshe, Aharon set it aside before the testimony to be kept. ³⁵ The people of Isra’el ate man for forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate man until they arrived at the borders of the land of Kena‘an. ³⁶ (An ‘omer is one-tenth of an eifah [which is a bushel dry-measure].)

17 (vii) The whole community of the people of Isra’el left the Seen Desert, traveling in stages, as Adonai had ordered, and camped at Refidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. ² The people quarreled with Moshe, demanding, “Give us water to drink!” But Moshe replied, “Why pick a fight with me? Why are you testing Adonai?” ³ However, the people were thirsty for water there and grumbled against Moshe, “For what did you bring us up from Egypt? To kill us, our children and our livestock with thirst?”

⁴ Moshe cried out to Adonai, “What am I to do with these people? They’re ready to stone me!” ⁵ Adonai answered Moshe, “Go on ahead of the people, and bring with you the leaders of Isra’el. Take your staff in your hand, the one you used to strike the river; and go. ⁶ I will stand in front of you there on the rock in Horev. You are to strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so the people can drink.” Moshe did this in the sight of the leaders of Isra’el. ⁷ The place was named Massah [testing] and M’rivah [quarreling] because of the quarreling of the people of Isra’el and because they tested Adonai by asking, “Is Adonai with us or not?”

⁸ Then ‘Amalek came and fought with Isra’el at Refidim. ⁹ Moshe said to Y’hoshua, “Choose men for us, go out, and fight with ‘Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with God’s staff in my hand.” ¹⁰ Y’hoshua did as Moshe had told him and fought with ‘Amalek. Then Moshe, Aharon and Hur went up to the top of the hill. ¹¹ When Moshe raised his hand, Isra’el prevailed; but when he let it down, ‘Amalek prevailed. ¹² However, Moshe’s hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aharon and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side and the other on the other; so that his hands stayed steady until sunset. ¹³ Thus Y’hoshua defeated ‘Amalek, putting their people to the sword.

(Maftir) ¹⁴ Adonai said to Moshe, “Write this in a book to be remembered, and tell it to Y’hoshua: I will completely blot out any memory of ‘Amalek from under heaven.” ¹⁵ Moshe built an altar, called it Adonai Nissi [Adonai is my banner/miracle], ¹⁶ and said, “Because their hand was against the throne of Yah, Adonai will fight ‘Amalek generation after generation.”

Haftarah B’shallach: Shof’tim (Judges) 4:4–5:31 (A); 5:1–31 (S)

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah B’shallach: Luke 2:22–24; Yochanan (John) 6:25–35; 19:31–37; 1 Corinthians 10:1–13; 2 Corinthians 8:1–15; Revelation 15:1–4

Parashah 17: Yitro (Jethro) 18:1–20:23(26)

18 Now Yitro the priest of Midyan, Moshe’s father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moshe and for Isra’el his people, how Adonai had brought Isra’el out of Egypt. ² After Moshe had sent away his wife Tzipporah and her two sons, Yitro Moshe’s father-in-law had taken them back. ³ The name of the one son was Gershom, for Moshe had said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.” ⁴ The name of the other was Eli‘ezer [my God helps], “because the God of my father helped me by rescuing me from Pharaoh’s sword.” ⁵ Yitro Moshe’s father-in-law brought Moshe’s sons and wife to him in the desert where he was encamped, at the mountain of God. ⁶ He sent word to Moshe, “I, your father-in-law Yitro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”

⁷ Moshe went out to meet his father-in-law, prostrated himself and kissed him. Then, after inquiring of each other’s welfare, they entered the tent. ⁸ Moshe told his father-in-law all that Adonai had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Isra’el’s sake, all the hardships they had suffered while traveling and how Adonai had rescued them. ⁹ Yitro rejoiced over all the good that Adonai had done for Isra’el by rescuing them from the Egyptians. ¹⁰ Yitro said, “Blessed be Adonai, who has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh, who has rescued the people from the harsh hand of the Egyptians. ¹¹ Now I know that Adonai is greater than all other gods, because he rescued those who were treated so arrogantly.” ¹² Yitro Moshe’s father-in-law brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aharon came with all the leaders of Isra’el to share the meal before God with Moshe’s father-in-law.

(ii) ¹³ The following day Moshe sat to settle disputes for the people, while the people stood around Moshe from morning till evening. ¹⁴ When Moshe’s father-in-law saw all that he was doing to the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing to the people? Why do you sit there alone, with all the people standing around you from morning till evening?” ¹⁵ Moshe answered his father-in-law, “It’s because the people come to me seeking God’s guidance. ¹⁶ Whenever they have a dispute, it comes to me; I judge between one person and another, and I explain to them God’s laws and teachings.”

¹⁷ Moshe’s father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing isn’t good. ¹⁸ You will certainly wear yourself out — and not only yourself, but these people here with you as well. It’s too much for you — you can’t do it alone, by yourself. ¹⁹ So listen now to what I have to say. I will give you some advice, and God will be with you. You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases to God. ²⁰ You should also teach them the laws and the teachings, and show them how to live their lives and what work they should do. ²¹ But you should choose from among all the people competent men who are God-fearing, honest and incorruptible to be their leaders, in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²² Normally, they will settle the people’s disputes. They should bring you the difficult cases; but ordinary matters they should decide themselves. In this way, they will make it easier for you and share the load with you. ²³ If you do this — and God is directing you to do it — you will be able to endure; and all these people too will arrive at their destination peacefully.”

(iii) ²⁴ Moshe paid attention to his father-in-law’s counsel and did everything he said. ²⁵ Moshe chose competent men from all Isra’el and made them heads over the people, in charge of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. ²⁶ As a general rule, they settled the people’s disputes — the difficult cases they brought to Moshe, but every simple matter they decided themselves.

²⁷ Then Moshe let his father-in-law leave, and he went off to his own country.