Numbers, 11

1. Now the people began to complain, which was offensive to Yahweh's ears. When Yahweh heard, his anger was aroused and the fire of Yahweh broke out among them; it devoured one end of the camp.

1. And 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.

2. The people appealed to Moses who interceded with Yahweh and the fire died down.

2. Then the people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire abated.

3. So the place was called Taberah, because the fire of Yahweh had broken out among them.

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

4. The rabble who had joined the people were feeling the pangs of hunger, and the Israelites began to weep again. 'Who will give us meat to eat?' they said.

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

5. 'Think of the fish we used to eat free in Egypt, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic!

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

6. But now we are withering away; there is nothing wherever we look except this manna!'

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

7. The manna was like coriander seed and had the appearance of bdellium.

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

8. The people went round gathering it, and ground it in a mill or crushed it with a pestle; it was then cooked in a pot and made into pancakes. It tasted like cake made with oil.

8. The people went about and gathered it, and ground it in mills 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.

9. When the dew fell on the camp at night-time, the manna fell with it.

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

10. Moses heard the people weeping, each family at the door of its tent. Yahweh's anger was greatly aroused; Moses too found it disgraceful,

10. Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of the LORD blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased.

11. and he said to Yahweh: 'Why do you treat your servant so badly? In what respect have I failed to win your favour, for you to lay the burden of all these people on me?

11. Moses said to the LORD, "Why hast thou dealt ill with thy servant? And why have I not found favor in thy sight, that thou dost lay the burden of all this people upon me?

12. Was it I who conceived all these people, was I their father, for you to say to me, "Carry them in your arms, like a foster-father carrying an unweaned child, to the country which I swore to give their fathers"?

12. Did I conceive all this people? Did I bring them forth, that thou shouldst say to me, `Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries the sucking child, to the land which thou didst swear to give their fathers?'

13. Where am I to find meat to give all these people, pestering me with their tears and saying, "Give us meat to eat"?

13. Where 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.'

14. I cannot carry all these people on my own; the weight is too much for me.

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

15. If this is how you mean to treat me, please kill me outright! If only I could win your favour and be spared the sight of my misery!'

15. If thou wilt deal thus with me, kill me at once, if I find favor in thy sight, that I may not see my wretchedness."

16. Yahweh said to Moses, 'Collect me seventy of the elders of Israel, men you know to be the people's elders and scribes. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting, and let them stand beside you there.

16. And 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.

17. I shall come down and talk to you there and shall take some of the spirit which is on you and put it on them. Then they will bear the burden of the people with you, and you will no longer have to bear it on your own.

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

18. 'And say to the people, "Purify yourselves for tomorrow and you will have meat to eat, since you have wept in Yahweh's hearing, saying: Who will give us meat to eat? How happy we were in Egypt! Very well, Yahweh will give you meat to eat.

18. And 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.

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

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

20. but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and sickens you, since you have rejected Yahweh who is among you, and have wept before him saying: Why did we ever leave Egypt?" '

20. but 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 forth out of Egypt?"'"

21. Moses said, 'The people round me number six hundred thousand foot soldiers, and you say, "I shall give them meat to eat for a whole month"!

21. But Moses said, "The people among whom I am number six hundred thousand on foot; and thou hast said, `I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!'

22. If all the flocks and herds were slaughtered, would that be enough for them? If all the fish in the seas were collected, would that be enough for them?'

22. Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to suffice them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?"

23. Yahweh said to Moses, 'Is the arm of Yahweh so short? You shall see whether the promise I have made to you comes true or not.'

23. And 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."

24. Moses went out and told the people what Yahweh had said. Then he collected seventy of the people's elders and stationed them round the Tent.

24. So 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 round about the tent.

25. Yahweh descended in the cloud. He spoke to him and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the spirit came on them they prophesied -- but only once.

25. Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was upon him and put it upon the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did so no more.

26. Two men had stayed back in the camp; one was called Eldad and the other Medad. The spirit came down on them; though they had not gone to the Tent, their names were enrolled among the rest. These began to prophesy in the camp.

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

27. A young man ran to tell Moses this. 'Look,' he said, 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.'

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

28. Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses since he was a boy, spoke up and said, 'My lord Moses, stop them!'

28. And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, forbid them."

29. Moses replied, 'Are you jealous on my account? If only all Yahweh's people were prophets, and Yahweh had given them his spirit!'

29. But 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 upon them!"

30. Moses then went back to the camp with the elders of Israel.

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

31. A wind, sent by Yahweh, started blowing from the sea bringing quails which it deposited on the camp. They lay for a distance of a day's march either side of the camp, two cubits thick on the ground.

31. And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and it brought quails 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, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.

32. The people were up all that day and night and all the next day collecting quails: the least gathered by anyone was ten homer; then they spread them out round the camp.

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

33. The meat was still between their teeth, not even chewed, when Yahweh's anger was aroused by the people. Yahweh struck them with a very great plague.

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

34. The name given to this place was Kibroth-ha-Taavah, because it was there that they buried the people who had indulged their greed.

34. Therefore the name of that place was called Kib'roth-hatta'avah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.

35. From Kibroth-ha-Taavah the people set out for Hazeroth, and at Hazeroth they pitched camp.

35. From Kib'roth-hatta'avah the people journeyed to Haze'roth; and they remained at Haze'roth.