Numbers 11
Good News Translation
The Place Named Taberah
11 The people began to complain to the Lord about their troubles. When the Lord heard them, he became angry and sent fire on the people. It burned among them and destroyed one end of the camp. 2 The people cried out to Moses for help; he prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So the place was named Taberah,[a] because there the fire of the Lord burned among them.
Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders
4 There were foreigners traveling with the Israelites. They had a strong craving for meat, and even the Israelites themselves began to complain: “If only we could have some meat! 5 In Egypt we used to eat all the fish we wanted, and it cost us nothing. Remember the cucumbers, the watermelons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic we had? 6 But now our strength is gone. There is nothing at all to eat—nothing but this manna day after day!”
(7 (A)Manna was like small seeds, whitish yellow in color. 8-9 (B)It fell on the camp at night along with the dew. The next morning the people would go around and gather it, grind it or pound it into flour, and then boil it and make it into flat cakes. It tasted like bread baked with olive oil.)
10 Moses heard all the people complaining as they stood around in groups at the entrances of their tents. He was distressed because the Lord had become angry with them, 11 and he said to the Lord, “Why have you treated me so badly? Why are you displeased with me? Why have you given me the responsibility for all these people? 12 I didn't create them or bring them to birth! Why should you ask me to act like a nurse and carry them in my arms like babies all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors? 13 Where could I get enough meat for all these people? They keep whining and asking for meat. 14 I can't be responsible for all these people by myself; it's too much for me! 15 If you are going to treat me like this, have pity on me and kill me, so that I won't have to endure your cruelty any longer.”
16 The Lord said to Moses, “Assemble seventy respected men who are recognized as leaders of the people, bring them to me at the Tent of my presence, and tell them to stand there beside you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the spirit I have given you and give it to them. Then they can help you bear the responsibility for these people, and you will not have to bear it alone. 18 Now tell the people, ‘Purify yourselves for tomorrow; you will have meat to eat. The Lord has heard you whining and saying that you wished you had some meat and that you were better off in Egypt. Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. 19 You will have to eat it not just for one or two days, or five, or ten, or even twenty days, 20 but for a whole month, until it comes out of your ears, until you are sick of it. This will happen because you have rejected the Lord who is here among you and have complained to him that you should never have left Egypt.’”
21 Moses said to the Lord, “Here I am leading 600,000 people, and you say that you will give them enough meat for a month? 22 Could enough cattle and sheep be killed to satisfy them? Are all the fish in the sea enough for them?”
23 “Is there a limit to my power?” the Lord answered. “You will soon see whether what I have said will happen or not!”
24 So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He assembled seventy of the leaders and placed them around the Tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the spirit he had given to Moses and gave it to the seventy leaders. When the spirit came on them, they began to shout like prophets, but not for long.
26 Two of the seventy leaders, Eldad and Medad, had stayed in the camp and had not gone out to the Tent. There in the camp the spirit came on them, and they too began to shout like prophets. 27 A young man ran out to tell Moses what Eldad and Medad were doing.
28 Then Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' helper since he was a young man, spoke up and said to Moses, “Stop them, sir!”
29 Moses answered, “Are you concerned about my interests? I wish that the Lord would give his spirit to all his people and make all of them shout like prophets!” 30 Then Moses and the seventy leaders of Israel went back to camp.
The Lord Sends Quails
31 Suddenly the Lord sent a wind that brought quails from the sea, flying three feet above the ground. They settled on the camp and all around it for miles and miles in every direction.[b] 32 So all that day, all night, and all the next day, the people worked catching quails; no one gathered less than fifty bushels. They spread them out to dry all around the camp. 33 While there was still plenty of meat for them to eat, the Lord became angry with the people and caused an epidemic to break out among them. 34 That place was named Kibroth Hattaavah (which means “Graves of Craving”), because there they buried the people who had craved meat.
35 From there the people moved to Hazeroth, where they made camp.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:3 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “burning.”
- Numbers 11:31 sea, flying … direction; or sea. They settled in the camp and all around it for miles and miles in every direction, until they were piled up three feet deep on the ground.
Numbers 11
New American Standard Bible 1995
The People Complain
11 Now the people became like (A)those who complain of adversity (B)in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 (C)The people therefore cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire [a]died out. 3 So the name of that place was called [b](D)Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
4 The (E)rabble who were among them [c]had greedy desires; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said, “(F)Who will give us [d]meat to eat? 5 (G)We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and 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 (J)bdellium. 8 The people would go about and gather it and grind it [g]between two millstones or beat it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of [h]cakes baked with oil. 9 (K)When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall [i]with it.
The Complaint of Moses
10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each man at the doorway of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly, and [j]Moses was displeased. 11 (L)So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You [k]been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? 12 Was it I who conceived all this people? Was it I who brought them forth, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom as a [l](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 that we may eat!’ 14 (P)I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too [m]burdensome for me. 15 (Q)So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my wretchedness.”
Seventy Elders to Assist
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 let them take their stand there with you. 17 (T)Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of (U)the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone. 18 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, “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 [n]but a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; 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, are 600,000 on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?” 23 The Lord said to Moses, “Is (Y)the Lord’s [o]power limited? Now you shall see whether (Z)My word will [p]come true for you or not.”
24 So Moses went out and (AA)told the people the words of the Lord. Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and stationed them around the tent. 25 (AB)Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do it again.
26 But two men had remained in the camp; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the [q]other Medad. And (AC)the Spirit rested upon them (now 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 told Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 Then (AD)Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, said, “(AE)Moses, my lord, restrain them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? (AF)Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 Then Moses [r]returned to the camp, both he and the elders of Israel.
The Quail and the Plague
31 (AG)Now there went forth a wind from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea, and let them fall 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 [s]about two [t]cubits deep on the surface of the ground. 32 The people [u]spent all day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten [v](AH)homers) and they 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 the name of that place was called [w](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 [x]remained at Hazeroth.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:2 Lit sank down
- Numbers 11:3 I.e. burning
- Numbers 11:4 Lit desired a desire
- Numbers 11:4 Lit flesh, and so throughout the ch
- Numbers 11:6 Lit soul is dried up
- Numbers 11:6 Lit for our eyes
- 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’ sight
- Numbers 11:11 Lit dealt ill with
- Numbers 11:12 Or foster-father
- Numbers 11:14 Lit heavy
- Numbers 11:20 Lit until
- Numbers 11:23 Lit hand short
- Numbers 11:23 Lit befall you
- Numbers 11:26 Lit second
- Numbers 11:30 Lit removed himself
- Numbers 11:31 Or from about two cubits above
- Numbers 11:31 I.e. One cubit equals approx 18 in.
- Numbers 11:32 Lit rose
- Numbers 11:32 I.e. One homer equals approx 11 bu
- Numbers 11:34 I.e. the graves of greediness
- Numbers 11:35 Lit were
Numbers 11
New King James Version
The People Complain
11 Now (A)when the people complained, it displeased the Lord; (B)for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused. So the (C)fire of the Lord burned among them, and consumed some in the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people (D)cried out to Moses, and when Moses (E)prayed to the Lord, the fire was [a]quenched. 3 So he called the name of the place [b]Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.
4 Now the (F)mixed multitude who were among them [c]yielded to (G)intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: (H)“Who will give us meat to eat? 5 (I)We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; 6 but now (J)our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”
7 Now (K)the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and (L)its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil. 9 And (M)when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and (N)the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased. 11 (O)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 [d]burden of all these people on me? 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, (P)‘Carry them in your bosom, as a (Q)guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You (R)swore[e] to their fathers? 13 (S)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 (T)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 (U)do not let me see my wretchedness!”
The Seventy Elders
16 So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me (V)seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and (W)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. (X)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, [f]‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept (Y)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. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 (Z)but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have (AA)despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, (AB)“Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”
21 And Moses said, (AC)“The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 (AD)Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
23 And the Lord said to Moses, (AE)“Has[g] the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether (AF)what I say will happen to you or not.”
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he (AG)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, (AH)when the Spirit rested upon them, that (AI)they prophesied, [h]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 (AJ)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, (AK)forbid them!”
29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you [i]zealous for my sake? (AL)Oh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
The Lord Sends Quail
31 Now a (AM)wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. 32 And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten (AN)homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 But while the (AO)meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. 34 So he called the name of that place [j]Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving.
35 (AP)From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:2 extinguished
- Numbers 11:3 Lit. Burning
- Numbers 11:4 Lit. lusted intensely
- Numbers 11:11 responsibility
- Numbers 11:12 solemnly promised
- Numbers 11:18 Set yourselves apart
- Numbers 11:23 Is the Lord’s power limited?
- Numbers 11:25 Tg., Vg. and they did not cease
- Numbers 11:29 jealous
- Numbers 11:34 Lit. Graves of Craving
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
