The People Complain
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And 1the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, and when the LORD heard it, 2his anger was kindled, and 3the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.
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Now the 7rabble that was among them had a strong craving. And the people of Israel also 8wept again and said, 9"Oh that we had meat to eat!
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10We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
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But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."
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12The 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. 13And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.
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Moses heard the people 15weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.
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16Moses 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?
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Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, 17'Carry them in your bosom, as a 18nurse carries a nursing child,' to the land 19that you swore to give their fathers?
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20Where 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.'
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If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness."
Elders Appointed to Aid Moses
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Then the LORD said to Moses, "Gather for me 22seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and 23officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you.
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24And I will come down and talk with you there. And 25I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and 26they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.
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And say to the people, 27'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? 28For it was better for us in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat.
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You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,
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but a whole month, 29until 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, 30"Why did we come out of Egypt?"'"
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But Moses said, 31"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!'
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32Shall 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?"
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And the LORD said to Moses, 33"Is the LORD's hand shortened? Now you shall see whether 34my word will come true for you or not."
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So Moses went out and told the people the words of the LORD. 35And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent.
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Then 36the 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.
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Now 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 37had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp.
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And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."
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And 38Joshua the son of Nun, the assistant of Moses from his youth, said, "My lord Moses, 39stop them."
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But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? 40Would that all the LORD's people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!"
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And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
Quail and a Plague
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Then a 41wind 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 cubitsb above the ground.
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And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten 42homers.c And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
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43While the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people, and 44the LORD struck down the people with a very great plague.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)