Faith and Wisdom

^2 (A) My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. ³ You know you learn to endure by having your faith tested. ⁴ But you must learn to endure everything, so you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.

The Lord Sends Food from Heaven

16 On the fifteenth day of the second month after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, they left Elim and started through the western edge of the Sinai Desert^[a] in the direction of Mount Sinai. ² There in the desert they started complaining to Moses and Aaron, ³ “We wish the Lord had killed us in Egypt. When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted. But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve.”

^4 (A) The Lord said to Moses, “I will send bread^[b] down from heaven like rain. Tell the people to go out each day and gather only enough for that day. That's how I will see if they obey me. ⁵ But on the sixth day of each week they must gather and cook twice as much.”

⁶ Moses and Aaron told the people, “This evening you will know that the Lord was the one who rescued you from Egypt. ⁷ And in the morning you will see his glorious power, because he has heard your complaints against him. Why should you grumble to us? Who are we?”

⁸ Then Moses continued, “You will know it is the Lord when he gives you meat each evening and more than enough bread each morning. He is really the one you are complaining about, not us—we are nobodies—but the Lord has heard your complaints.”

⁹ Moses turned to Aaron and said, “Bring the people together, because the Lord has heard their complaints.”

¹⁰ Aaron was speaking to them, when everyone looked out toward the desert and saw the bright glory of the Lord in a cloud. ¹¹ The Lord said to Moses, ¹² “I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”

¹³ That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground. ¹⁴ After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost. ^15 (B) The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, “What is it?”^[c]

Moses answered, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ And he orders you to gather about two liters for each person in your family—that should be more than enough.”

¹⁷ They did as they were told. Some gathered more and some gathered less. ^18 (C) Everyone had exactly what they needed, just the right amount.

¹⁹ Moses told them not to keep any overnight. ²⁰ Some of them disobeyed, but the next morning what they kept was stinking and full of worms, and Moses was angry.

²¹ Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and in the heat of the day the rest melted. ²² However, on the sixth day of the week, everyone gathered enough to have four liters, instead of two. When the leaders reported this to Moses, ^23 (D) he told them that the Lord had said, “Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a sacred day of rest in honor of me. So gather all you want to bake or boil, and make sure you save enough for tomorrow.”

²⁴ The people obeyed, and the next morning the food smelled fine and had no worms. ²⁵ “You may eat the food,” Moses said. “Today is the Sabbath in honor of the Lord, and there won't be any of this food on the ground today. ²⁶ You will find it there for the first six days of the week, but not on the Sabbath.”

²⁷ A few of the Israelites did go out to look for some, but there was none. ²⁸ Then the Lord said, “Moses, how long will you people keep disobeying my laws and teachings? ²⁹ Remember that I was the one who gave you the Sabbath. That's why on the sixth day I provide enough bread for two days. Everyone is to stay home and rest on the Sabbath.” ³⁰ And so they rested on the Sabbath.

^31 (E) The Israelites called the bread manna.^[d] It was white like coriander seed and delicious as wafers made with honey. ³² Moses told the people that the Lord had said, “Store up two liters of this manna, because I want future generations to see the food I gave you during the time you were in the desert after I rescued you from Egypt.”

^33 (F) Then Moses told Aaron, “Put some manna in a jar and store it in the place of worship for future generations to see.”

³⁴ Aaron followed the Lord's instructions and put the manna in front of the sacred chest for safekeeping. ^35-36 (G) The Israelites ate manna for 40 years, before they came to the border of Canaan that was a settled land.^[e]

The Lord Gives Water from a Rock

17 ^(H) The Israelites left the desert and moved from one place to another each time the Lord ordered them to. Once they camped at Rephidim,^[f] but there was no water for them to drink.

² The people started complaining to Moses, “Give us some water!”

Moses replied, “Why are you complaining to me and trying to put the Lord to the test?”

³ But the people were thirsty and kept on complaining, “Moses, did you bring us out of Egypt just to let us and our families and our animals die of thirst?”

⁴ Then Moses prayed to the Lord, “What am I going to do with these people? They are about to stone me to death!”

⁵ The Lord answered, “Take some of the leaders with you and go ahead of the rest of the people. Also take along the walking stick with which you struck the Nile River. ⁶ When you get to the rock at Mount Sinai,^[g] I will be there with you. Strike the rock with the stick, and water will pour out for the people to drink.” Moses did this while the leaders watched.

⁷ The people had complained and tested the Lord by asking, “Is the Lord really with us?” So Moses named that place Massah, which means “testing” and Meribah, which means “complaining.”

Water from a Rock

20 The people of Israel arrived at the Zin Desert during the first month^[a] and set up camp near the town of Kadesh. It was there that Miriam died and was buried.

^2 (A) The Israelites had no water, so they went to Moses and Aaron ³ and complained, “Moses, we'd be better off if we had died along with the others in front of the Lord's sacred tent.^{[b] 4} You brought us into this desert, and now we and our livestock are going to die! ⁵ Egypt was better than this horrible place. At least there we had grain and figs and grapevines and pomegranates.^[c] But now we don't even have any water.”

⁶ Moses and Aaron went to the entrance to the sacred tent, where they bowed down. The Lord appeared to them in all of his glory ^7-8 and said, “Moses, get your walking stick.^[d] Then you and Aaron call the people together and command that rock to give you water. That's how you will provide water for the people of Israel and their livestock.”

⁹ Moses obeyed and took his stick from the sacred tent. ¹⁰ After he and Aaron had gathered the people around the rock, he said, “Look, you rebellious people, and you will see water flow from this rock!” ^11 (B) He raised his stick in the air and struck the rock two times. At once, water gushed from the rock, and the people and their livestock had water to drink.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you refused to believe in my power, these people did not respect me. And so, you will not be the ones to lead them into the land I have promised.”

¹³ The Israelites had complained against the Lord, and he had shown them his holy power by giving them water to drink. So they named the place Meribah, which means “Complaining.”

^32-34 When the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt, you saw how he fought for you and showed his great power by performing terrifying miracles. You became his people, and at Mount Sinai you heard him talking to you out of fiery flames. And yet you are still alive! Has anything like this ever happened since the time God created humans? No matter where you go or who you ask, you will get the same answer. No one has ever heard of another god even trying to do such things as the Lord your God has done for you.

^35-36 (A) The Lord wants you to know he is the only true God, and he wants you to obey him. That's why he let you see his mighty miracles and his fierce fire on earth, and why you heard his voice from that fire and from the sky.

³⁷ The Lord loved your ancestors and decided that you would be his people. So the Lord used his great power to bring you out of Egypt. ³⁸ Now you face other nations more powerful than you are, but the Lord has already started forcing them out of their land and giving it to you.

³⁹ So remember that the Lord is the only true God, whether in the sky above or on the earth below. ⁴⁰ Today I am explaining his laws and teachings. And if you always obey them, you and your descendants will live long and be successful in the land the Lord is giving you.