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Numbers 11:1-15
Christian Standard Bible
Numbers 11:1-15
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 The riffraff[c] among them(D) had a strong craving(E) for other food. The Israelites wept 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, weeping 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,[g] 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 mother carries a baby,’(K) to the land that you swore to give their ancestors?(L) 13 Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are weeping 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 I have found favor with you, and(N) don’t let me see my misery[h] anymore.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 11:1 Lit in the ears of
- 11:3 = Blaze
- 11:4 Or The mixed multitude; Hb obscure
- 11:6 Or our lives are wasting away, or our throat is dry
- 11:7 A yellowish, transparent gum resin
- 11:10 Lit and it was evil in the eyes of Moses
- 11:11 Lit Why have I not found favor in your eyes
- 11:15 Alt Hb tradition reads your misery
Numbers 11:1-15
New International Version
Numbers 11:1-15
New International Version
Fire From the Lord
11 Now the people complained(A) about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord,(B) and when he heard them his anger was aroused.(C) Then fire from the Lord burned among them(D) and consumed(E) some of the outskirts of the camp. 2 When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed(F) to the Lord(G) and the fire died down. 3 So that place was called Taberah,[a](H) because fire from the Lord had burned among them.(I)
Quail From the Lord
4 The rabble with them began to crave other food,(J) and again the Israelites started wailing(K) and said, “If only we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.(L) 6 But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!(M)”
7 The manna was like coriander seed(N) and looked like resin.(O) 8 The people went around gathering it,(P) and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. 9 When the dew(Q) settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.
10 Moses heard the people of every family wailing(R) at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. 11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble(S) on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?(T) 12 Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant,(U) to the land you promised on oath(V) to their ancestors?(W) 13 Where can I get meat for all these people?(X) They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14 I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.(Y) 15 If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me(Z)—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:3 Taberah means burning.
Numbers 11:31-35
Christian Standard Bible
Numbers 11:31-35
Christian Standard Bible
Quail in the Camp
31 A wind sent by the Lord(A) came up and blew quail in from the sea; it dropped them all around the camp. They were flying three feet[a] off[b] the ground for about a day’s journey in every direction.(B) 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 sixty bushels[c]—and they spread them out all around the camp.[d](C)
33 While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the Lord’s anger burned(D) against the people, and the Lord struck them with a very severe plague.(E) 34 So they named that place Kibroth-hattaavah,[e] because there they buried the people who had craved the meat.
35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth[f](F) and remained there.
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Numbers 11:31-35
New International Version
Numbers 11:31-35
New International Version
31 Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail(A) in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits[a] deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. 32 All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.[b] Then they spread them out all around the camp. 33 But while the meat was still between their teeth(B) and before it could be consumed, the anger(C) of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.(D) 34 Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,[c](E) because there they buried the people who had craved other food.
35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth(F) and stayed there.
Footnotes
- Numbers 11:31 That is, about 3 feet or about 90 centimeters
- Numbers 11:32 That is, possibly about 1 3/4 tons or about 1.6 metric tons
- Numbers 11:34 Kibroth Hattaavah means graves of craving.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
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