Numbers 11:2-22
New American Standard Bible
Chapter 11
2The people then cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died out. 3So that place was named Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
4Now the rabble who were among them had greedy cravings; and the sons of Israel also wept again and said, 'Who will give us meat to eat?
5We remember the fish which we used to eat for free in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
6but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna!'
7Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.
8The people would roam about and gather it and grind it between two millstones, or pound it in the mortar, and boil it in the pot and make loaves with it; and its taste was like the taste of cake baked with oil.
9When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna would come down with it.
10Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, each one at the entrance of his tent; and the anger of the Lord became very hot, and Moses was displeased.
11So Moses said to the Lord, 'Why have You been so hard on Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have put the burden of all this people on me?
12Was it I who conceived all this people? Or did I give birth to them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your arms, as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which You swore to their fathers’?
13Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat so that we may eat!’
14I am not able to carry all this people by myself, because it is too burdensome for me.
15So if You are going to deal with me this way, please kill me now, if I have found favor in Your sight, and do not let me see my misery.'
16The Lord therefore said to Moses, 'Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their stand there with you.
17Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take away some of the Spirit who is upon you, and put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it by yourself.
18And you shall say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, 'Oh that someone would give us meat to eat! For we were well-off in Egypt.' Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat.
19You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,
20but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nose and makes you nauseated; because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying, 'Why did we ever leave Egypt?'?’?'
21But Moses said, 'The people, among whom I am included, are six hundred thousand on foot! Yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, so that they may eat for a whole month.’
22Are flocks and herds to be slaughtered for them, so that it will be sufficient for them? Or are all the fish of the sea to be caught for them, so that it will be sufficient for them?'
King James Version
Chapter 11
2And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched. 3And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the Lord burnt among them. 4And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: 6But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. 7And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. 8And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. 9And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it. 10Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased. 11And Moses said unto the Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? 13Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. 14I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness. 16And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 17And 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, that thou bear it not thyself alone.
18And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.
19Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;
20But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
21And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
22Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?
Christian Standard Bible
Chapter 11
2Then the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3So that place was named Taberah, because the Lord’s fire had blazed among them.
4The riffraff among them had a strong craving for other food. The Israelites wept again and said, "Who will feed us meat?
5We remember the free fish we ate in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.
6But now our appetite is gone; there’s nothing to look at but this manna!"
7The manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was 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.
9When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall 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.
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?
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?
13Where can I get meat to give all these people? For they are weeping to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’
14I can’t carry all these people by myself. They are too much 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."
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.
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.
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.
19You will eat, not for 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?’"
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.’
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?"
New Living Translation
Chapter 11
2Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped. 3After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means 'the place of burning'), because fire from the Lord had burned among them there.
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 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 appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!'
7The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin.
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.
9The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night.
10Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated.
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 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 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! The load is far too heavy!
15If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!'
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.
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.
18And 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.
19And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty.
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?'’'
English Standard Version
Chapter 11
2Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3So the name of that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
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 fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
6But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."
7Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium.
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 upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.
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.
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 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 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 am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.
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."
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.
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.
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 shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,
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 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!’
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?"
New International Version
Chapter 11
2When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. 3So that place was called Taberah, because fire from the Lord had burned among them.
4The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, "If only we had meat to eat!
5We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
6But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!"
7The manna was like coriander seed and looked like resin.
8The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil.
9When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.
10Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled.
11He asked the Lord, "Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?
12Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors?
13Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’
14I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.
15If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin."
16The Lord said to Moses: "Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you.
17I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.
18"Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, "If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!" Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it.
19You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days,
20but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?" ’ "
New King James Version
Chapter 11
2Then the people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the Lord, the fire was quenched. 3So he called the name of the place Taberah, because the fire of the Lord had burned among them.
4Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: “Who will give us meat to eat?
5We remember the fish which we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
6but now our whole being is dried up; there is nothing at all except this manna before our eyes!”
7Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color like the color of bdellium.
8The people went about and gathered it, ground it on millstones or beat it in the mortar, cooked it in pans, and made cakes of it; and its taste was like the taste of pastry prepared with oil.
9And when the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.
10Then Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, everyone at the door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was greatly aroused; Moses also was displeased.
11So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have You afflicted Your servant? And why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all these people on me?
12Did I conceive all these people? Did I beget them, that You should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a guardian carries a nursing child,’ to the land which You swore to their fathers?
13Where am I to get meat to give to all these people? For they weep all over me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’
14I am not able to bear all these people alone, because the burden is too heavy for me.
15If You treat me like this, please kill me here and now—if I have found favor in Your sight—and do not let me see my wretchedness!”
16So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you.
17Then I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone.
18Then you shall 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 well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat.
19You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days,
20but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, “Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”
21And Moses said, “The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’
22Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”
