16 ¶ Then the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the Elders of Israel, whom thou knowest, that they are the Elders of the people, and governors over them, and bring them unto the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and let them stand there with thee.

17 And I will come down, and talk with thee there, [a]and take of the Spirit, which is upon thee, and put upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee: so thou shalt not bear it alone.

18 Furthermore thou shalt say unto the people, [b]Be sanctified against tomorrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for we were better in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

19 Ye shall not eat one day nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days,

20 But a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and be loathsome unto you, because ye have [c]contemned the Lord, which is [d]among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we hither out of Egypt?

21 And Moses said, Six hundred thousand footmen are there of the people, [e]among whom I am: and thou sayest, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a month long.

22 Shall the sheep and the beeves be slain for them to find them? either shall all the fish of the Sea be gathered together for them to suffice them?

23 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is (A)the Lord’s hand shortened? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee, or no.

24 ¶ So Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered seventy men of the Elders of the people, and set them round about the Tabernacle.

25 Then the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and [f]took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy Ancient men: and when the Spirit rested upon them, then they prophesied, and did not [g]cease.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 11:17 I will distribute my spirit among them, as I have done to thee.
  2. Numbers 11:18 Prepare yourselves that ye be not unclean.
  3. Numbers 11:20 Or, cast him off, because ye refused Manna, which he appointed as most meet for you.
  4. Numbers 11:20 Who leadeth and governeth you.
  5. Numbers 11:21 Of whom I have the charge.
  6. Numbers 11:25 Or, separated, verse 17.
  7. Numbers 11:25 From that day the spirit of prophecy did not fail them.

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. 19 You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it(K)—because you have rejected the Lord,(L) who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”(M)

21 But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men(N) on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ 22 Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”(O)

23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?(P) Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.(Q)

24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud(R) and spoke with him,(S) and he took some of the power of the Spirit(T) that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.(U) When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied(V)—but did not do so again.

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