Numbers 11
New Living Translation
The People Complain to Moses
11 Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped. 3 After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from the Lord had burned among them there.
4 Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. 5 “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. 6 But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”
7 The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin. 8 The people would go out and gather it from the ground. They made flour by grinding it with hand mills or pounding it in mortars. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into flat cakes. These cakes tasted like pastries baked with olive oil. 9 The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night.
10 Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. 11 And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? 12 Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? 13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! 15 If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”
Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle[a] to stand there with you. 17 I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.
18 “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lord heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. 19 And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. 20 You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”
21 But Moses responded to the Lord, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ 22 Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”
23 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”
24 So Moses went out and reported the Lord’s words to the people. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the Tabernacle.[b] 25 And the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again.
26 Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”
28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!”
29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them all!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel.
The Lord Sends Quail
31 Now the Lord sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground.[c] 32 So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels[d]! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry. 33 But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. 34 So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt. 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the Israelites traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed for some time.
Numbers 11
International Standard Version
Israel Complains
11 Eventually, the people began complaining about their distress, and the Lord heard them. When the Lord heard, his anger flared up and the Lord’s fire incinerated some of them within the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he[a] prayed to the Lord and the fire stopped. 3 He then named that place Taberah,[b] because the Lord’s fire had incinerated some of them.
4 Meanwhile, certain riff-raff among the people[c] had an insatiable appetite[d] for food. As a result, they wept and turned back, and the Israelis cried out, “If only somebody would feed us some meat! 5 How we remember the fish that we used to eat in Egypt for free! And the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic! 6 But now we can’t stand it anymore,[e] because there’s nothing in front of us except this manna.”
7 Now manna was reminiscent of coriander seed, with an appearance similar to amber.[f] 8 People would go out to gather it, then they would grind it in mills or pound it in mortars, and then they would boil it in pots or make cakes out of it that tasted like butter cakes. 9 When the dew fell in the camp, the manna came with it.
Moses Responds
10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their entire families. Everyone gathered at the entrance to their tents so that the Lord was very angry. Moses thought the situation was bad, 11 so he[g] asked the Lord, “Why did you bring all this trouble to your servant? Why haven’t I found favor in your eyes? After all, you’re putting the burden of this entire people on me! 12 Did I conceive this people or give birth to them, so that you would tell me to carry them near my heart like a wet nurse carries a suckling baby to the land that you promised to their forefathers? 13 Where am I going to get meat to give this people? After all, they’re crying in front of me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry this whole nation! The burden is too heavy for me! 15 If this is how you treat me, please kill me right now, if I’ve found favor in your eyes, because I don’t want to keep staring at all of this[h] misery!”
The Appointment of 70 Elders
16 Then the Lord told Moses, “Gather together for me 70 men who are elders of Israel, men whom you know to be elders of the people and officers over them. Then bring them to the Tent of Meeting and let them stand there with you. 17 Then I’ll come down and speak with you. I’ll take some of the spirit that rests on you and apportion it among them, so that they may help you bear the burden of the people. That way, you won’t bear it by yourself.”
God Threatens to Provide Meat
18 “But give this command to the people: ‘You are to consecrate yourselves, because tomorrow you’re going to eat meat, since you’ve complained where the Lord can hear it, “Who can give us meat to eat? After all, life was better with us in Egypt.” Therefore, the Lord is going to give you meat and you’ll eat— 19 not only for a day, or for two days, or for five days, or for ten days, or for 20 days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out your nostrils and makes you vomit. This is because you’ve despised the Lord, who is among you, and you cried out in his presence by complaining, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”
Moses Doubts God’s Ability
21 Moses responded, “I’m with 600,000 people on foot and you’re saying I am to give them enough[i] meat to eat for a whole month? 22 What if we were to slaughter our entire inventory of[j] flocks and herds for them? Would that be enough? What if we could gather all the fish in the sea in nets for them? Would that be enough, either?”
God Rebukes Moses
23 But the Lord responded to Moses, “Is the Lord short on power?[k] You’re now going to witness whether what I say will come to pass or not.”
24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He gathered 70 men from the elders of the people and stationed them around the tent. 25 The Lord came down in a cloud, spoke to Moses,[l] and made an apportionment from the spirit who rested on him to the 70 elders. When the spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but that was it.[m]
26 Now two men had remained in camp. One was named Eldad and the other was named Medad. When the spirit rested on them, since they were among those who were listed but had not gone out to the tent, they stayed behind[n] and prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”
28 In response, Nun’s son Joshua, Moses’ attendant and one of his choice men, exclaimed, “My master Moses! Stop them!”
29 “Are you jealous on account of me?” Moses asked in reply. “I wish all of the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” 30 Then Moses—that is, he and the elders of Israel—returned to the camp.
Quails Come to the Camp
31 Just then, a wind burst forth from the Lord, who brought quails from the sea and spread them all around the camp, about a day’s journey in each direction, completely encircling the camp about two cubits[o] deep on top of the ground! 32 The people stayed up all that day, all that night, and all through the next day, gathering quails. The one who gathered least gathered enough to fill ten omers,[p] as they spread out all around the camp. 33 But even as they were chewing the meat and before they had swallowed it, the Lord became very angry with the people and struck them with a disastrous plague. 34 That’s why the place was named Kibroth-hattaavah,[q] because they buried the people there who had an insatiable appetite for meat.[r] 35 Later, the people left Kibroth-hattaavah for Hazeroth and camped there.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:2 Lit. Moses
- Numbers 11:3 The Heb. name Taberah means “burning”
- Numbers 11:4 Lit. among them
- Numbers 11:4 Lit. craved for a craving
- Numbers 11:6 Lit. now our strength is dried up
- Numbers 11:7 Lit. bdellium; i.e. a clear gum resin
- Numbers 11:11 Lit. Moses
- Numbers 11:15 Lit. at my
- Numbers 11:21 The Heb. lacks enough
- Numbers 11:22 The Heb. lacks our entire inventory
- Numbers 11:23 Lit. hand
- Numbers 11:25 Lit. him
- Numbers 11:25 Lit. prophesied, and not again
- Numbers 11:26 The Heb. lacks stayed behind and
- Numbers 11:31 I.e. about three feet; a cubit was about eighteen inches
- Numbers 11:32 I.e. in dry capacity about two and a half gallons by volume
- Numbers 11:34 The Heb. name means Graves of Desire
- Numbers 11:34 Lit. who had great cravings
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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