16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.

17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

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16 The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders(A) who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.(B) Have them come to the tent of meeting,(C) that they may stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you(D) there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.(E) They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.(F)

18 “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves(G) in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed,(H) “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!”(I) Now the Lord will give you meat,(J) and you will eat it.

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The Seventy Elders

16 So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me (A)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and (B)officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. (C)I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 Then you shall say to the people, [a]‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept (D)in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 11:18 Set yourselves apart