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. They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from 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 people 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 said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out 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 the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

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. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will 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. So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of 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 you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your murmurings against the LORD. For what are we, that you 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, "When the LORD gives you in the evening flesh to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your murmurings which you murmur against him -- 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 said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, `Come near before the LORD, for he has 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 as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, 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 said to Moses,

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 people of Israel; say to them, `At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you 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. In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp.

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 had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost 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. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD has 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 what the LORD has commanded: `Gather of it, every man of you, as much as he can eat; you shall take an omer apiece, according to the number of the persons whom each of you has in his tent.'"

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

17. And the people of Israel did so; they 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. But when they measured it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to what he could eat.

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

19. And Moses said to them, "Let no man leave any 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. But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry 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. Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew 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. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers apiece; and when all the leaders 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. he said to them, "This is what the LORD has commanded: `Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay by to be kept till 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. So they laid it by till the morning, as Moses bade them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it.

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

25. Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the LORD; today you will 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 you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none."

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

27. On the seventh day some of the people went out 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 to Moses, "How long do you refuse 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! The LORD has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days; remain every man of you 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. Now the house of Israel called its name manna; 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 what the LORD has commanded: `Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of 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 to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the LORD, to be kept throughout 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 placed it 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 people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land; they ate the manna, till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

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

36. (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)