Exodus, 16

1. Setting out from Elim, the whole community of Israelites entered the desert of Sin, lying between Elim and Sinai -- on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt.

1. And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which [is] between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

2. And the whole community of Israelites began complaining about Moses and Aaron in the desert

2. And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness:

3. and said to them, 'Why did we not die at Yahweh's hand in Egypt, where we used to sit round the flesh pots and could eat to our heart's content! As it is, you have led us into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death!'

3. And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, [and] when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.

4. Yahweh then said to Moses, 'Look, I shall rain down bread for you from the heavens. Each day the people must go out and collect their ration for the day; I propose to test them in this way to see whether they will follow my law or not.

4. Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.

5. On the sixth day, however, when they prepare what they have brought in, this must be twice as much as they collect on ordinary days.'

5. And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day they shall prepare [that] which they bring in; and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.

6. Moses and Aaron then said to the whole community of Israelites, 'This evening you will know that it was Yahweh who brought you out of Egypt,

6. And Moses and Aaron said unto all the children of Israel, At even, then ye shall know that the LORD hath brought you out from the land of Egypt:

7. and tomorrow morning you will see the glory of Yahweh, for Yahweh has heard your complaints about him. What are we, that your complaint should be against us?'

7. And in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the LORD; for that he heareth your murmurings against the LORD: and what [are] we, that ye murmur against us?

8. Moses then said, 'This evening Yahweh will give you meat to eat, and tomorrow morning bread to your heart's content, for Yahweh has heard your complaints about him. What do we count for? Your complaints are not against us, but against Yahweh.'

8. And Moses said, [This shall be], when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what [are] we? your murmurings [are] not against us, but against the LORD.

9. Moses then said to Aaron, 'Say to the whole community of Israelites, "Approach Yahweh's presence, for he has heard your complaints." '

9. And Moses spake unto Aaron, Say unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.

10. As Aaron was speaking to the whole community of Israelites, they turned towards the desert, and there the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud.

10. And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.

11. Yahweh then spoke to Moses and said,

11. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

12. 'I have heard the Israelites' complaints. Speak to them as follows, "At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have bread to your heart's content, and then you will know that I am Yahweh your God." '

12. I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God.

13. That evening, quails flew in and covered the camp, and next morning there was a layer of dew all round the camp.

13. And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

14. When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the desert was something fine and granular, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground.

14. And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground.

15. As soon as the Israelites saw this, they said to one another, 'What is that ?' not knowing what it was. 'That', Moses told them, 'is the food which Yahweh has given you to eat.

15. And when the children of Israel saw [it], they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was]. And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

16. These are Yahweh's orders: Each of you must collect as much as he needs to eat -- a homer per head for each person in his tent.'

16. This [is] the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, [according to] the number of your persons; take ye every man for [them] which [are] in his tents.

17. The Israelites did this. They collected it, some more, some less.

17. And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.

18. When they measured out what they had collected by the homer, no one who had collected more had too much, no one who had collected less had too little. Each had collected as much as he needed to eat.

18. And when they did mete [it] with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.

19. Moses then said, 'No one may keep any of it for tomorrow.'

19. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.

20. But some of them took no notice of Moses and kept part of it for the following day, and it bred maggots and smelt foul; and Moses was angry with them.

20. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.

21. Morning by morning they collected it, each man as much as he needed to eat, and once the sun grew hot, it melted away.

21. And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.

22. Now, on the sixth day they collected twice the amount of food: two homer per person, and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses this.

22. And it came to pass, [that] on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one [man]: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

23. Moses replied, 'This is what Yahweh said, "Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a Sabbath sacred to Yahweh. Bake what you want to bake, boil what you want to boil; put aside what is left over, to be kept for tomorrow."

23. And he said unto them, This [is that] which the LORD hath said, To morrow [is] the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake [that] which ye will bake [to day], and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.

24. So, as Moses ordered, they put it aside for the following day, and its smell was not foul nor were there maggots in it.

24. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein.

25. 'Eat it today,' Moses said, 'for today is a Sabbath for Yahweh; you will find none in the fields today.

25. And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day [is] a sabbath unto the LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.

26. For six days you will collect it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.'

26. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, [which is] the sabbath, in it there shall be none.

27. On the seventh day some of the people went out to collect it, but they found none.

27. And it came to pass, [that] there went out [some] of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none.

28. Yahweh then said to Moses, 'How much longer will you refuse to obey my commandments and laws?

28. And the LORD said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws?

29. Look, Yahweh has given you the Sabbath; this is why he gives you two days' food on the sixth day; each of you must stay in his place; on the seventh day no one may leave his home.'

29. See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.

30. So on the seventh day the people rested.

30. So the people rested on the seventh day.

31. The House of Israel named it 'manna'. It was like coriander seed; it was white and its taste was like that of wafers made with honey.

31. And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it [was] like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it [was] like wafers [made] with honey.

32. Moses then said, 'These are Yahweh's orders: Fill a homer with it and preserve it for your descendants, so that they can see the bread on which I fed you in the desert when I brought you out of Egypt.'

32. And Moses said, This [is] the thing which the LORD commandeth, Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generations; that they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you forth from the land of Egypt.

33. Moses then said to Aaron, 'Take a jar and in it put a full homer of manna and store it in Yahweh's presence, to be kept for your descendants.'

33. And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot, and put an omer full of manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept for your generations.

34. Accordingly, Aaron stored it in front of the Testimony, to be preserved, as Yahweh had ordered Moses.

34. As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

35. The Israelites ate manna for forty years, up to the time they reached inhabited country: they ate manna up to the time they reached the frontiers of Canaan.

35. And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.

36. A homer is one-tenth of an ephah.

36. Now an omer [is] the tenth [part] of an ephah.