Christian Standard Bible

English Standard Version

1Now the people began complaining openly before the LORD about hardship. When the LORD heard, his anger burned, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.

1And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.

2Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down.

2Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down.

3So that place was named Taberah, because the LORD's fire had blazed among them.

3So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD burned among them.

4The riffraff among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites wept again and said, "Who will feed us meat?

4Now the rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, “Oh that we had meat to eat!

5We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.

5We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.

6But now our appetite is gone; there's nothing to look at but this manna!"

6But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

7The manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of bdellium.

7Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.

8The 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.

8The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.

9When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

9When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

10Moses heard the people, family after family, weeping at the entrance of their tents. The LORD was very angry; Moses was also provoked.

10Moses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.

11So 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?

11Moses said to the LORD, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?

12Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth so you should tell me, 'Carry them at your breast, as a nanny carries a baby,' to the land that you swore to give their fathers?

12Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers?

13Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are weeping to me, 'Give us meat to eat!'

13Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’

14I can't carry all these people by myself. They are too much for me.

14I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.

15If you are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now if I have found favor with you, and don't let me see my misery anymore."

15If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

16The LORD answered Moses, "Bring me seventy 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.

16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.

17Then 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. They will help you bear the burden of the people, so that you do not have to bear it by yourself.

17And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

18"Tell the people: Consecrate yourselves in readiness for tomorrow, and you will eat meat because you wept in the LORD's hearing, 'Who will feed us meat? We were better off in Egypt.' The LORD will give you meat and you will eat.

18And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.

19You will eat, not for one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,

19You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,

20but 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 wept before him: 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?'"

20but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the LORD who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”

21But Moses replied, "I'm in the middle of a people with six hundred thousand foot soldiers, yet you say, 'I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.'

21But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’

22If 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?"

22Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?”

23The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's arm weak? Now you will see whether or not what I have promised will happen to you."

23And the LORD said to Moses, “Is the LORD’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”

24Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. He brought seventy men from the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent.

24So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent.

25Then the LORD descended in the cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed the Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again.

25Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And as soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.

26Two 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.

26Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp.

27A young man ran and reported to Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."

27And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28Joshua son of Nun, assistant to Moses since his youth, responded, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"

28And Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, stop them.”

29But Moses asked him, "Are you jealous on my account? If only all the LORD's people were prophets and the LORD would place his Spirit on them!"

29But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”

30Then Moses returned to the camp along with the elders of Israel.

30And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

31A wind sent by the LORD came up and blew quail in from the sea; it dropped them all around the camp. They were flying three feet off the ground for about a day's journey in every direction.

31Then a wind from the LORD sprang up, 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, around the camp, and about two cubits above the ground.

32The people were up all that day and night and all the next day gathering the quail--the one who took the least gathered fifty bushels--and they spread them out all around the camp.

32And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers. And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.

33While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the LORD's anger burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a very severe plague.

33While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague.

34So they named that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved the meat.

34Therefore the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.

35From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth and remained there.

35From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.