⁴ Now the ^(A)mixed multitude who were among them ^[a]yielded to ^(B)intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: ^(C)“Who will give us meat to eat? ^5 (D)We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; ⁶ but now ^(E)our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”

¹⁰ Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and ^(A)the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. ^11 (B)So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the ^[a]burden of all these people on me? ¹² Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ^(C)‘Carry them in your bosom, as a ^(D)guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You ^(E)swore^[b] to their fathers? ^13 (F)Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ ^14 (G)I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and ^(H)do not let me see my wretchedness!”

The Seventy Elders

¹⁶ So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me ^(I)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and ^(J)officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he ^(A)gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, ^(B)when the Spirit rested upon them, that ^(C)they prophesied, ^[a]although they never did so again.

²⁶ But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who ^(D)had not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

²⁸ So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, ^(E)forbid them!”

²⁹ Then Moses said to him, “Are you ^[b]zealous for my sake? ^(F)Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!”