| New Living Translation | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the LORD heard everything they said. Then the LORD’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. | 1Soon the people began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp. |
| 2Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the LORD, the fire stopped. | 2And the people cried out to Moses, and he prayed to the LORD, and the fire died down. |
| 3After that, the area was known as Taberah (which means “the place of burning”), because fire from the LORD had burned among them there. | 3So that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them. |
| 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. | 4Meanwhile, the rabble among them had a strong craving for other food, and again the Israelites wept and said, “Who will feed us meat? |
| 5“We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. | 5We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt, along with the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. |
| 6But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!” | 6But now our appetite is gone; there is nothing to see but this manna!” |
| 7The manna looked like small coriander seeds, and it was pale yellow like gum resin. | 7Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of 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. | 8The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil. |
| 9The manna came down on the camp with the dew during the night. | 9When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it. |
| 10Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the LORD became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. | 10Then Moses heard the people of family after family weeping at the entrances to their tents, and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly, and Moses was also displeased. |
| 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? | 11So Moses asked the LORD, “Why have You brought this trouble on Your servant? Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid upon me 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? | 12Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth, so that You should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries an infant,’ to the land that You swore to give their fathers? |
| 13Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ | 13Where can I get meat for all these people? For they keep crying out to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ |
| 14I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! | 14I cannot carry all these people by myself; it is too burdensome for me. |
| 15If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!” Moses Chooses Seventy Leaders | 15If this is how You are going to treat me, please kill me right now—if I have found favor in Your eyes—and let me not see my own wretchedness.” |
| 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. | 16Then the LORD said to Moses, “Bring Me seventy of the elders of Israel known to you as leaders and officers of the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them 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. | 17And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that 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“And 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. | 18And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, because you have cried out in the hearing of the LORD, saying: ‘Who will feed us meat? For we were better off in Egypt!’ Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat. |
| 19And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. | 19You will eat it not for one or two days, nor for five or ten or twenty days, |
| 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?”’” | 20but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and makes you nauseous—because you have rejected the LORD, who is among you, and have cried out before Him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ ” |
| 21But Moses responded to the LORD, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ | 21But Moses replied, “Here I am among 600,000 men on foot, yet You say, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a month.’ |
| 22Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?” | 22If all our 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?” |
| 23Then the LORD said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!” | 23The LORD answered Moses, “Is the LORD’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not My word will come to pass.” |
| 24So Moses went out and reported the LORD’s words to the people. He gathered the seventy elders and stationed them around the Tabernacle. | 24So Moses went out and relayed to the people the words of the LORD, and he gathered seventy of the elders of the people and had them stand around the tent. |
| 25And the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Then he gave the seventy elders the same Spirit that was upon Moses. And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But this never happened again. | 25Then the LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and He took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and placed that Spirit on the seventy elders. As the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but they never did so again. |
| 26Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp. | 26Two men, however, had remained in the camp—one named Eldad and the other Medad—and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent, and they prophesied in the camp. |
| 27A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” | 27A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” |
| 28Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!” | 28Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” |
| 29But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” | 29But Moses replied, “Are you jealous on my account? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would place His Spirit on them!” |
| 30Then Moses returned to the camp with the elders of Israel. The LORD Sends Quail | 30Then Moses returned to the camp, along with the elders of Israel. |
| 31Now the LORD sent a wind that brought quail from the sea and let them fall all around the camp. For miles in every direction there were quail flying about three feet above the ground. | 31Now a wind sent by the LORD came up, drove in quail from the sea, and brought them near the camp, about two cubits above the surface of the ground, for a day’s journey in every direction around the camp. |
| 32So the people went out and caught quail all that day and throughout the night and all the next day, too. No one gathered less than fifty bushels ! They spread the quail all around the camp to dry. | 32All that day and night, and all the next day, the people stayed up gathering the quail. No one gathered less than ten homers, and they spread them out all around the camp. |
| 33But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the LORD blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. | 33But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the LORD burned against the people, and the LORD struck them with a severe plague. |
| 34So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt. | 34So they called that place Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved other food. |
| 35From Kibroth-hattaavah the Israelites traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed for some time. | 35From Kibroth-hattaavah the people moved on to Hazeroth, where they remained for some time. |
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