New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

The People Complain to Moses

Soon 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.

1

The People Complain

And it came to pass that when the people murmured, it was evil in the ears of Jehovah; and Jehovah heard it, and his anger was kindled, and the fire of Jehovah burned among them, and consumed [some] in the extremity of the camp.

2

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

2

And the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to Jehovah -- and the fire abated.

3

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

3

And they called the name of that place Taberah; because a fire of Jehovah burned among them.

4

Then 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.

4

And the mixed multitude that was among them lusted; and the children of Israel also wept again and said, Who will give us flesh to eat?

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.

5

We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic;

6

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

6

and now our soul is dried up: there is nothing at all but the manna before our eyes.

7

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

7

And the manna was as coriander seed, and its appearance as the appearance of bdellium.

8

The 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.

8

The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it with hand-mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of oil-cakes.

9

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

9

And when the dew fell upon the camp by night, the manna fell upon it.

10

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

10

The Complaint of Moses

And Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of Jehovah was kindled greatly; it was also evil in the eyes of Moses.

11

And 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?

11

And Moses said to Jehovah, Why hast thou done evil to thy servant, and why have I not found favour in thine eyes, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

12

Did 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?

12

Have I conceived all this people, have I brought them forth, that thou sayest to me, Carry them in thy bosom, as the nursing-father beareth the suckling, unto the land which thou didst swear unto their fathers?

13

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

13

Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that we may eat!

14

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

14

I am not able to bear all this people alone, for it is too heavy for me.

15

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

15

And if thou deal thus with me, slay me, I pray thee, if I have found favour in thine eyes, that I may not behold my wretchedness.

16

Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernaclea to stand there with you.

16

Seventy Elders to Help Moses

And Jehovah said to Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and their officers; and take them to the tent of meeting, and they shall stand there with thee.

17

I 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.

17

And I will come down and talk with thee there; and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, and thou shalt not bear it alone.

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.

18

The People Receive Meat for a Month

And unto the people shalt thou say, Hallow yourselves for to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who will give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt; and Jehovah will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

19

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

19

Not one day shall ye eat, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

20

You 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?”’”

20

[but] for a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it become loathsome unto you; because that ye have despised Jehovah who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?

21

But 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!’

21

Moses' Faith Staggered

And Moses said, The people in whose midst I am are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou sayest, I will give them flesh that they may eat a whole month.

22

Even 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?”

22

Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them, to suffice them?

23

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

23

And Jehovah said to Moses, Hath Jehovah's hand become short? Now shalt thou see whether my word will come to pass unto thee or not.

24

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

24

And Moses went out and told the people the words of Jehovah; and he gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tent.

25

And 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.

25

And Jehovah came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy men, the elders; and it came to pass, that when the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did not repeat [it].

26

Two 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.

26

And two men remained in the camp, the name of the one, Eldad, and the name of the other, Medad; and the Spirit rested upon them (and they were among them that were written, but they 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!”

27

And there ran a youth, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.

28

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

28

And Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them!

29

But 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!”

29

But Moses said to him, Enviest thou for my sake? would that all Jehovah's people were prophets, [and] that Jehovah would put his Spirit upon them!

30

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

30

And Moses withdrew into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

31

The LORD Sends Quail

Now 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.c

31

The Quail and the Plague

And there went forth a wind from Jehovah, and drove quails from the sea, and cast them about the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and about a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the earth.

32

So 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 bushelsd! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry.

32

And the people rose up all that day, and the whole night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered little gathered ten homers; and they spread them abroad for themselves round about the camp.

33

But 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.

33

The flesh was yet between their teeth, before it was chewed, when the wrath of Jehovah was kindled against the people, and Jehovah smote the people with a very great plague.

34

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

34

And they called the name of that place Kibroth-hattaavah; because there they buried the people who lusted.

35

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

35

From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth; and they were at Hazeroth.

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New Living Translation

Darby Bible Translation

Numbers 11

Numbers 11