Holman Christian Standard Bible

New Living Translation

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.

1Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the LORD heard everything they said. Then the LORD’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp.

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

2Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the LORD, the fire stopped.

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

3After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from the LORD had burned among them there.

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

4Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed.

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

5“We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted.

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

6But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”

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

7The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin.

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 would go out and gather it from the ground. They made flour by grinding it with hand mills or pounding it in mortars. Then they boiled it in a pot and made it into flat cakes. These cakes tasted like pastries baked with olive oil.

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

9The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night.

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

10Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the LORD became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated.

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?

11And Moses said to the LORD, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people?

12Did 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,' to the land that You swore to give their fathers?

12Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors?

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

13Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’

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

14I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy!

15If You are going to treat me like this, please kill me right now. If You are pleased with me, don't let me see my misery anymore."

15If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!” Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders

16The 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.

16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to 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."

17I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.

18Tell 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.

18“And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the LORD heard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will have to eat it.

19You will eat, not for one day, or two days, or five days, or 10 days, or 20 days,

19And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty.

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 cried to Him: 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?'"

20You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the LORD, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

21But Moses replied, "I'm in the middle of a people with 600,000 foot soldiers, yet You say, 'I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.'

21But Moses responded to the LORD, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for 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?"

22Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”

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

23Then the LORD said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”

24Moses 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.

24So Moses went out and reported the LORD’s words to the people. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the Tabernacle.

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 70 elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they never did it again.

25And the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again.

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.

26Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp.

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

27A young man ran and reported to 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!"

28Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!”

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 replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!”

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

30Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel. The LORD Sends Quail

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

31Now the LORD sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet 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 50 bushels--and they spread them out all around the camp.

32So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels ! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry.

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.

33But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the LORD blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.

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

34So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt.

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

35From Kibroth-hattaavah the Israelites traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed for some time.

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.