Numbers 11
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Complaints about Hardship
11 Now the people began complaining openly before[a] the Lord about hardship. When the Lord heard, His anger burned,(A) and fire(B) from the Lord blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So that place was named Taberah,[b](C) because the Lord’s fire had blazed among them.
Complaints about Food
4 Contemptible people[c] among them(D) had a strong craving(E) for other food. The Israelites cried again and said, “Who will feed us meat? 5 We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt,(F) along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. 6 But now our appetite is gone;[d] there’s nothing to look at but this manna!”
7 The manna(G) resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of bdellium.[e] 8 The people walked around and gathered it. They ground it on a pair of grinding stones or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a pastry cooked with the finest oil. 9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.(H)
10 Moses heard the people, family after family, crying at the entrance of their tents. The Lord was very angry;(I) Moses was also provoked.[f] 11 So Moses asked the Lord, “Why have You brought such trouble on Your servant? Why are You angry with me, and why do You burden me with all these people?(J) 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth so You should tell me, ‘Carry them at your breast, as a nursing woman carries a baby,’(K) to the land that You[g] swore to give their fathers?(L) 13 Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are crying to me: ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I can’t carry all these people by myself. They are too much for me. 15 If You are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now.(M) If You are pleased with me,(N) don’t let me see my misery[h] anymore.”
Seventy Elders Anointed
16 The Lord answered Moses, “Bring Me 70 men from Israel known to you as elders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting and have them stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit who is on you and put the Spirit on them.(O) They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.(P)
18 “Tell the people: Purify yourselves in readiness for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you cried before the Lord: ‘Who will feed us meat? We really had it good in Egypt.’ The Lord will give you meat and you will eat. 19 You will eat, not for one day, or two days, or five days, or 10 days, or 20 days, 20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes nauseating to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and cried to Him: ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’”(Q)
21 But Moses replied, “I’m in the middle of a people with 600,000 foot soldiers,(R) yet You say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ 22 If flocks and herds were slaughtered for them, would they have enough? Or if all the fish in the sea were caught for them, would they have enough?”(S)
23 The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s power limited?[i](T) You will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you.”
24 Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. He brought 70 men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. 25 Then the Lord descended in the cloud and spoke to him.(U) He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed the Spirit on the 70 elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied,(V) but they never did it again. 26 Two men had remained in the camp, one named Eldad and the other Medad; the Spirit rested on them—they were among those listed, but had not gone out to the tent—and they prophesied 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, assistant to Moses since his youth,[j] responded, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”
29 But Moses asked him, “Are you jealous on my account?(W) If only all the Lord’s people were prophets and the Lord would place His Spirit on them!” 30 Then Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel.
Quail in the Camp
31 A wind sent by the Lord(X) came up and blew quail in from the sea; it dropped them at the camp all around, three feet[k] off[l] the ground, about a day’s journey in every direction.(Y) 32 The people were up all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quail—the one who took the least gathered 50 bushels[m]—and they spread them out all around the camp.[n](Z)
33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the Lord’s anger burned(AA) against the people, and the Lord struck them with a very severe plague.(AB) 34 So they named that place Kibroth-hattaavah,[o] because there they buried the people who had craved the meat.
35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth[p](AC) and remained there.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:1 Lit in the ears of
- Numbers 11:3 = blaze
- Numbers 11:4 Or The mixed multitude; Hb obscure
- Numbers 11:6 Or our lives are wasting away, or our throat is dry
- Numbers 11:7 A yellowish, transparent gum resin
- Numbers 11:10 Lit and it was evil in the eyes of Moses
- Numbers 11:12 One Hb ms, Sam, LXX, Syr, Tg read I
- Numbers 11:15 Ancient Jewish tradition reads Your misery
- Numbers 11:23 Lit Lord’s arm too short
- Numbers 11:28 LXX, some Sam mss read Moses, from his chosen ones
- Numbers 11:31 Lit two cubits
- Numbers 11:31 Or on, or above
- Numbers 11:32 Lit 10 homers
- Numbers 11:32 To dry or cure the meat; 2Sm 17:19; Ezk 26:5,14
- Numbers 11:34 = Graves of Craving
- Numbers 11:35 = settlements; Nm 12:16; 33:16-17
Numbers 11
Revised Geneva Translation
11 When the people became murmurers, it displeased the LORD. And the LORD heard it; therefore, His wrath was kindled. And the fire of the LORD burnt among them and consumed the outermost part of the camp.
2 Then the people cried to Moses. And when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire was quenched.
3 And he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.
4 And a number of people who were among them fell into lust and turned away. And the children of Israel also wept, and said, “Who shall give us meat to eat?
5 “We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic.
6 “But now our soul is dried away. We can see nothing but this Manna.”
7 Now, the Manna was like coriander seed and its color like the color of bdellium.
8 The people went about and gathered and ground it in mills or beat it in mortars and baked it in a cauldron and made cakes from it. And the taste of it was like the taste of fresh oil.
9 And when the dew fell down upon the camp at night, the Manna fell with it.
10 Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent. And the wrath of the LORD was greatly kindled. Moses was also grieved.
11 And Moses said to the LORD, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, seeing You have put me in charge of all these people?
12 “Have I conceived all these people? Or have I begotten them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse bears the sucking child, to the land which You swore to their fathers?’
13 “Where should I get meat to give to all these people? For they weep to me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat.’
14 “I am not able to bear all these people alone, for it is too heavy for me.
15 “Therefore, if You deal this way with me, please kill me (if I have found favor in Your sight) so that I do not see my misery.”
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather to Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and governors over them. And bring them to the Tabernacle of the Congregation. And let them stand there with you.
17 “And I will come down and talk with you there and take from the Spirit Which is upon you and put it upon them. And they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so you shall not bear it alone.
18 “Furthermore, you shall say to the people, ‘Be sanctified for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat. For you have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, “Who shall give us meat to eat? For we were better in Egypt.” Therefore, the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.
19 ‘You shall eat not for one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,
20 ‘but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and is loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD, Who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?”’”
21 And Moses said, “Among my people there are six-hundred thousand foot soldiers; and You say, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a month.’
22 “Shall the sheep and the cattle be slaughtered for them to suffice them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them to suffice them?”
23 And the LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’s hand shortened? You shall see now whether My Word shall happen to you or not.”
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 all around the Tabernacle.
25 Then the LORD came down in a cloud and spoke to him and took from 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 cease.
26 But two of the men remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad. And the name of the other, Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them, for they were of those who were listed but did not go out to the Tabernacle. And they prophesied in the camp.
27 Then, a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28 And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, “Are you jealous for my sake? Indeed, I wish that all the LORD’s people were Prophets, and that the LORD would put His Spirit upon them.”
30 And Moses returned into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
31 Then there went forth a wind from the LORD and brought quails from the sea and let them fall upon the camp, a day’s journey on this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, all over the camp, about two cubits above the earth.
32 Then, the people arose all that day and all that night and all the next day and gathered the quails. He who gathered the least, gathered ten homers full. And they spread them throughout for their use, all around the camp.
33 While the meat was still between their teeth, `before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people. And the LORD struck the people with an exceedingly great plague.
34 So, the name of the place was called, Kibroth Hattaavah. For there they buried the people who lusted.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah, the people took their journey to Hazeroth and stayed at Hazeroth.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
© 2019, 2024 by Five Talents Audio. All rights reserved.