Chronological
Manna From Heaven
16 They journeyed on from Elim, and the entire community of Bnei-Yisrael came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after leaving the land of Egypt. 2 But the whole congregation of Bnei-Yisrael murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 Bnei-Yisrael said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of Adonai in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full. But you have brought us into the wilderness, to kill this entire congregation with hunger.”
4 Then Adonai said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you.[a] The people will go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I can test them to find out whether they will walk according to My Torah or not. 5 So on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather day by day.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all Bnei-Yisrael, “In the evening you will know that Adonai has brought you out from the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning, then you will see the glory of Adonai. For He heard your complaining against Him. What are we? You complain against us?” 8 Then Moses said, “Adonai will give you meat to eat in the evening and enough bread to fill you in the morning, since Adonai hears your complaints that you mutter against Him, what are we? Your complaining is not against us, but against Adonai!”
9 Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael, ‘Come near before Adonai, because He has heard your complaining.’”
10 Then, as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of Bnei-Yisrael, they looked toward the wilderness, and the glory of Adonai appeared in the cloud. 11 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 12 “I have heard the complaining of Bnei-Yisrael. Speak to them saying, ‘At dusk you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am Adonai your God.’”
13 So when evening fell, quails came up and covered the camp. Moreover, in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew was gone, on the surface of the desert was a thin, flake-like frost, as fine as the frost on the ground. 15 When Bnei-Yisrael saw it, they said one to another, “What is it?”[b] For they did not know what it was. Then Moses said to them, “It is the bread that Adonai has given you to eat. 16 This is the word that Adonai has commanded. Every man is to gather according to his needs, an omer[c] per person, according to the number of people per household. Each man is to take it for those who are in his tent.”
17 Bnei-Yisrael did so, and some gathered more, some less. 18 When they measured it with an omer, those who gathered more had nothing left over, and those that gathered less did not lack at all. Every man gathered according to his appetite.
19 Also Moses said to them, “Let no one save any of it until the morning.”
20 However, they did not listen to Moses. Some of them preserved it until the morning—but it bred worms and rotted. So Moses was angry with them.
21 So they gathered it morning by morning, each man according to his needs, and as the sun became hot it melted. 22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each individual. So all the leaders of the community came and informed Moses. 23 But he said to them, “This is what Adonai has said. Tomorrow is a Shabbat rest, a holy Shabbat to Adonai. Bake whatever you would bake, and boil what you would boil. Store up for yourselves everything that remains, to be kept until the morning.”
24 So they set it aside until the morning, just as Moses instructed, and it did not rot nor were there any worms. 25 Then Moses said, “Eat that today, because today is a Shabbat to Adonai. Today you will not find it in the field. 26 You are to gather it for six days, but the seventh day is the Shabbat, and there will be none.”
27 Yet on the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather and they found none. 28 Adonai said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My mitzvot and My Torah? 29 See, Adonai has given you the Shabbat, so on the sixth day He gives you the bread of two days. Let every man stay in his place, and let no man go out on the seventh day.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel named it manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Then Moses said, “This is what Adonai has commanded. Let a full omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.”
33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put a full omer of manna inside. Store it up before Adonai, to be kept throughout your generations.”
34 Just as Adonai commanded Moses, Aaron stored it up in front of the Testimony, to be preserved. 35 Bnei-Yisrael ate the manna for 40 years. They ate the manna until they came to an inhabited land, when they came to the borders of the land of Canaan. 36 Now an omer is the tenth part of an ephah.[d]
Test and Quarreling
17 All the congregation of Bnei-Yisrael journeyed from the wilderness of Sin in stages, according to the command of Adonai, and camped in Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Adonai?”
3 But the people thirsted for water there, and they complained against Moses and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt? To kill us with thirst, along with our children and cattle?”
4 So Moses cried out to Adonai saying, “What am I to do for these people? They are about ready to stone me.”
5 Adonai said to Moses, “Walk before the people, and take of the elders of Israel with you, along with your staff with which you struck the river. Take it in your hand and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you, there upon the rock in Horeb. You are to strike the rock, and water will come out of it so that the people can drink.” Then Moses did just so in the eyes of the elders of Israel. 7 The name of the place was called Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of Bnei-Yisrael, and because they tested Adonai saying, “Is Adonai among us, or not?”
War Against Amalek
8 Then the Amalekites came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men, go out, and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10 So Joshua did as Moses said, and fought the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 When Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed. But when he let down his hand, the Amalekites prevailed. 12 Moses’ hands grew heavy, so they took a stone, put it under him, and he sat down. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side. So his hands were steady until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua overpowered the Amalekites and his army with the edge of the sword.
14 Adonai said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the hearing of Joshua, for I will utterly blot out the memory of the Amalekites from under heaven.”
15 Then Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-Nissi. [e] 16 Then he said, “By the hand upon the throne of Adonai, Adonai will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
Parashat Yitro
Jethro’s Advice
18 Now Jethro, the priest of Midian and Moses’ father-in-law, heard about everything God had done for Moses and for His people Israel, and how Adonai had brought Israel out of Egypt. (2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken in Moses’ wife Zipporah, after he had sent her away 3 with her two sons. One was named Gershom[f] because he said, “I have been an outsider in a foreign land,” 4 and the name of the other was Eliezer because he said, “For my father’s God is my help[g], and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh.”)
5 So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses into the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. 6 He had told Moses, “I, Jethro your father-in-law, am coming to you, along with your wife and her two sons.” 7 So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, then bowed down and kissed him. They asked each other about their welfare, and went into the tent. 8 Moses told his father-in-law all that Adonai had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, as well as all the travail that had come upon them along the way, and how Adonai delivered them.
9 Jethro rejoiced for all the goodness that Adonai had shown to Israel, since He had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians. 10 Jethro said, “Blessed be Adonai, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh, and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that Adonai is greater than all gods, since they had acted arrogantly against them.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, presented a burnt offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron also came along with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.
13 The next day, Moses sat to judge the people, and they stood around Moses from morning till evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What’s this you’re doing to the people? Why sit by yourself, alone, with all the people standing around from morning until evening?”
15 Moses answered his father-in-law, “It’s because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have an issue, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor, so I make them understand God’s statutes and His laws.”
17 But Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you’re doing is no good. 18 You will surely wear yourself out, as well as these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot do it alone, by yourself. 19 Now listen to my voice—I will give you advice, and may God be with you! You, represent the people before God, and bring their cases to God. 20 Enlighten them as to the statutes and the laws, and show them the way by which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 But you should seek out capable men out of all the people—men who fear God, men of truth, who hate bribery. Appoint them to be rulers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 22 Let them judge the people all the time. Then let every major case be brought to you, but every minor case they can judge for themselves. Make it easier for yourself, as they bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing as God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their places in shalom.”
24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 25 Moses chose capable men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 26 They judged the people all the time. The hard cases they brought to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went on his way to his own land.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.