Numbers 11
Expanded Bible
Fire from the Lord
11 Now the people complained ·to [L in the ears of] the Lord about their troubles, and when he heard them, he became angry. Then fire from the Lord burned ·among the people at the edge [L on the outskirts] of the camp. 2 The people cried out to Moses, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped burning. 3 So that place was called Taberah [C “Burning”; Deut. 9:22], because the Lord’s fire had burned among them.
Seventy Elders Help Moses
4 Some ·troublemakers [rabble; foreign elements] among them wanted better food, and soon all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] began ·complaining [L weeping]. They said, “We want meat! 5 We remember the fish we ate for free in Egypt. We also had cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. 6 But now we have lost our ·appetite [or vitality; strength]; we never see anything but this manna [Ex. 16:1–36]!”
7 The manna was like ·small white seeds [L coriander seed and its color was like bdellium/gum resin]. 8 The people would go to gather it, and then grind it in handmills, or crush it ·between stones [with mortars]. After they ·cooked [or boiled] it in a pot or made cakes with it, it tasted like ·bread [cakes] baked with olive oil. 9 When the dew fell on the camp each night, so did the manna.
10 Moses heard every ·family [clan] ·crying [weeping] as they stood in the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and ·Moses got upset [L it was bad in the eyes of Moses]. 11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought me, your servant, this trouble? ·What have I done wrong [L Why have I not found favor in your eyes] that you ·made me responsible [L set the burden on me] for all these people? 12 ·I am not the father of [L Did I conceive/Am I the mother of] all these people, and ·I didn’t [L did I…?] give birth to them. So why do you make me carry them to the land you promised to our ancestors? Must I carry them in my ·arms [L bosom] as a nurse carries a baby? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying to me, ‘We want meat!’ 14 I can’t take care of all these people alone. It is too ·much [difficult; L heavy] for me. 15 If you are going to continue doing this to me, then kill me now. If ·you care about me [L I have found favor in your eyes], put me to death, and ·then I won’t have [L do not let me see] any more troubles.”
16 The Lord said to Moses, “·Bring [L Gather for] me seventy of Israel’s elders, men that you know are leaders among the people. Bring them to the Meeting Tent, and have them stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit [C that enables Moses to do his work] that is in you, and I will ·give it to [or put it on] them. They will ·help you care for the people [L bear the burden of the people with you] so that you will not have to ·care for them [L bear it] alone.
18 “Tell the people this: ‘·Make yourselves holy [Consecrate yourselves; C in a ritual sense] for tomorrow, and you will eat meat. You cried ·to the [L in the ears of the] Lord, “·We want meat [L If only we had meat to eat]! We were better off in Egypt!” So now the Lord will give you meat to eat. 19 You will eat it not for just one, two, five, ten, or even twenty days, 20 but you will eat that meat for a whole month. You will eat it until it comes out your nose, and you will grow to ·hate [loathe] it. This is because you have rejected the Lord, who is with you. You have cried to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”
21 Moses said, “Lord, here are six hundred thousand people ·standing [L on foot] around me, and you say, ‘I will give them enough meat to eat for a month!’ 22 If we ·killed [slaughtered] all the flocks and herds, ·that would not be [L would there be…?] enough. If we caught all the fish in the sea, ·that would not be [L would there be…?] enough.”
23 But the Lord said to Moses, “·Do you think I’m weak [L Is the hand of the Lord too short]? Now you will see if ·I can do what I say [L the words I spoke to you come true or not].”
24 So Moses went out to the people and told them ·what the Lord had said [L the words of the Lord]. He gathered seventy of the elders together and had them stand around the Tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud [C representing God’s presence] and spoke to Moses. The Lord took some of the Spirit Moses had, and he ·gave it to [or put it on] the seventy leaders. ·With the Spirit in [L When the Spirit rested on] them, they prophesied, but just that one time [C as evidence that they had the Spirit; 1 Sam. 10:6–13; 19:18–24].
26 Two men named Eldad and Medad were also ·listed as leaders [L registered; enrolled], but they did not go to the Tent. They stayed in the camp, but the Spirit was also ·given to [or rested on] them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran to Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 Joshua son of Nun said, “Moses, my ·master [lord], stop them!” (·Ever since he was a young boy [or One of his chosen men], Joshua ·had been [or was] Moses’ assistant [Ex. 17:8; 24:13; 32:17; 33:7–11].)
29 But Moses answered, “Are you jealous for me? I wish all the Lord’s people could prophesy. I wish the Lord would give his Spirit to all of them [Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:16–21; 1 Cor. 12:27–31; 14:1–5]!” 30 Then Moses and the leaders of Israel went back to the camp.
The Lord Sends Quail
31 ·The Lord sent a strong wind [L Then a wind went out from the Lord] from the sea, and it blew quail into the area all around the camp. The quail were about ·three feet [L two cubits] deep on the ground, and there were quail a day’s walk in any direction [Ex. 16:13; Ps. 78:26–31]. 32 The people went out and gathered quail all that day, that night, and the next day. Everyone gathered at least ·sixty bushels [L ten homers], and they spread them around the camp. 33 But the Lord became very angry, and he ·gave the people a terrible sickness [L struck the people with a terrible plague] that came while the meat was still ·in their mouths [L between their teeth]. 34 So the people named that place Kibroth Hattaavah [C Graves of Wanting/Craving], because there they buried those who ·wanted [craved] other food.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people went to stay at Hazeroth.
Numbers 11
New American Standard Bible
The People Complain
11 Now the people became like (A)those who complain of adversity (B)in the ears of the Lord; and the Lord heard them and His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some at the outskirts of the camp. 2 (C)The people then cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire [a]died out. 3 So that place was named [b](D)Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
4 Now the (E)rabble who were among them [c]had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, “(F)Who will give us [d]meat to eat? 5 (G)We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now (H)our [e]appetite is gone. There is nothing at all [f]to look at except this manna!”
7 (I)Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of [g](J)bdellium. 8 The people would roam about and gather it and grind it [h]between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of [i]cake baked with oil. 9 (K)When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna would come down [j]with it.
The Complaint of Moses
10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of the Lord became very hot, and [k]Moses was displeased. 11 (L)So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You [l]been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them [m]in your arms, as a [n](M)nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which (N)You swore to their fathers’? 13 Where am I to get meat to give to (O)all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat!’ 14 (P)I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too [o]burdensome for me. 15 (Q)So if You are going to deal with me this way, please kill me now, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my misery.”
Seventy Elders to Assist Moses
16 The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me (R)seventy men from the elders of Israel, (S)whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their stand there with you. 17 (T)Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of (U)the Spirit who is upon you, and put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it by yourself. 18 And you shall say to the people, ‘(V)Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept (W)in the ears of the Lord, saying, “[p]Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 [q]but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nose and [r]makes you nauseated; because (X)you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’” 21 But Moses said, “The people, among whom I am included, are six hundred thousand on foot! Yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 Are flocks and herds to be slaughtered for them, so that it will be sufficient for them? Or are all the fish of the sea to be [s]caught for them, so that it will be sufficient for them?” 23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Is (Y)the Lord’s [t]power too little? Now you shall see whether (Z)My word will [u]come true for you or not.”
24 So Moses went out and (AA)told the people the words of the Lord. He also gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and positioned them around the tent. 25 (AB)Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took away some of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. Yet they did not do it again.
26 But two men had remained in the camp; the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the [v]other, Medad. And (AC)the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among those who had been registered, but had not gone out to the tent), and they prophesied in the camp. 27 So a young man ran and informed Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Then (AD)Joshua the son of Nun, the personal servant of Moses from his youth, responded and said, “(AE)My lord Moses, restrain them!” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? (AF)If only all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 Then Moses [w]returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.
The Quail and the Plague
31 (AG)Now a wind burst forth from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and dropped them beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and a day’s journey on the other side all around the camp, and about [x]two cubits deep on the surface of the ground. 32 And the people [y]spent all that day, all night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail (the one who gathered least gathered [z]ten (AH)homers) and spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 (AI)While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague. 34 So that place was named [aa](AJ)Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had been greedy. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah (AK)the people set out for Hazeroth, and they [ab]remained at Hazeroth.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:2 Lit sank down
- Numbers 11:3 I.e., the place for burning
- Numbers 11:4 Lit desired a desire
- Numbers 11:4 Lit flesh, and so throughout the ch
- Numbers 11:6 Lit soul has dried up
- Numbers 11:6 Lit for our eyes
- Numbers 11:7 I.e., a tree gum
- Numbers 11:8 Lit with
- Numbers 11:8 Lit juice of oil
- Numbers 11:9 Lit on
- Numbers 11:10 Lit it was evil in Moses’ eyes
- Numbers 11:11 Lit treated badly
- Numbers 11:12 Lit against your chest
- Numbers 11:12 Or foster father
- Numbers 11:14 Lit heavy
- Numbers 11:18 Or Who will give...?
- Numbers 11:20 Lit until a
- Numbers 11:20 Lit becomes nausea to you
- Numbers 11:22 Lit gathered
- Numbers 11:23 Lit hand too short
- Numbers 11:23 Lit happen to you
- Numbers 11:26 Lit second
- Numbers 11:30 Lit withdrew to
- Numbers 11:31 About 3 ft. or 90 cm
- Numbers 11:32 Lit arose
- Numbers 11:32 About 77 cubic feet or 2.2 cubic meters
- Numbers 11:34 I.e., the graves of greediness
- Numbers 11:35 Lit were
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