1 They traveled on from Elim, and all the congregation {adat: covenant assembly} of the sons of Israel arrived at the wilderness of Sin, which lies between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land {erets: land, territory} of Egypt.
2 In the wilderness{bamidbar: wild, uncultivated land}, the entire assembly{adat: covenant gathering} of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
3 And the sons of Israel said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant LORD} in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pot of meat and ate bread until we were full. But you have brought us out into this wilderness {midbar: desolate region} to make this entire assembly die in famine.”
4 Then the LORD {YHWH, Faithful Provider} said to Moses, “See, I will shower bread {lechem: daily sustenance} from the heavens for you. Each day the people must go out and gather their portion, so that I may test them whether they will walk in My instruction or not.”
5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be double {mishneh: twofold portion} of what they gather each day {yom: daily gathering}.
6 Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “When evening comes, you will know that the LORD {YHWH, Mighty Deliverer} brought you out from the land of Egypt {mitsrayim: oppressive kingdom}.”
7 And in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD {YHWH, Revealer of Majesty} because He has heard your complaints {telunoteikhem: formal grievances} against the LORD; and who are we that you complain against us?
8 Moses said, “When the LORD {YHWH, Wilderness Provider} gives you meat {basar: desert provision} in the evening to eat and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the LORD hears your complaints that you raise against Him, what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Speak to the assembly {adat: gathered congregation} of all the sons of Israel: ‘Approach the LORD {YHWH, Patient Hearer}, for He has heard your complaints.’”
10 And it occurred, as Aaron was speaking to the entire assembly of Israel, that they turned toward the wilderness; and behold, the glory of the LORD {YHWH, Divine Presence} appeared in the cloud {anan: visible divine covering}.
11 Then the LORD {YHWH: Patient Instructor} spoke to Moses, saying {leemor: quotation formula},
12 I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘Between the evenings {ha-arbayim: Dual-Phase Interval} you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be satisfied with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God {YHWH Eloheichem: Covenant Provider}.’
13 And it happened in the evening that the quail {shelaw: migratory bird} came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew {tal: life-giving moisture} lay around the camp.
14 When the layer {shikhvat: thin covering} of dew rose, behold, on the surface of the wilderness lay a fine, flaky substance—fine as frost {kephor: crystalline coating} upon the ground.
15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said each man to his brother, "What is it?" because they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the LORD {YHWH, Faithful Provider} has given you to eat {le-okhlah: for your sustenance}."
16 The LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Provider} has issued this decree {davar: formal decree}: Every man shall gather from it according to his eating; one omer per head, determined by the number of your persons; each man shall take for those in his tent.
17 The sons {benei: covenant community} of Israel complied with the command, gathering as directed—some gathering abundantly {hamarbeh: abundant gatherer} and some gathering little.
18 When they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have surplus {heedif: more than required}, and the one who gathered little did not have shortage {hechsir: nothing missing}; each man gathered according to his eating.
19 Moses said to them, “Let no man {ish: each individual} leave any of it remaining until morning {boker: next daybreak}.”
20 But they did not heed Moses {Mosheh: Appointed Leader}, and some of the people reserved a portion until dawn; it then swarmed with maggots {tolaim: Decaying Worms} and turned putrid, so Moses was angry with them.
21 They gathered it every morning, dawn after dawn, each man according to his eating {okhlo: daily portion}; when the heat of the sun {shemesh: desert heat} rose, it melted.
22 On the sixth day they gathered twice the usual portion {mishneh: repeated ration} of bread—two omers for each person—and all the leaders {nesiei: appointed heads} of the congregation came and told Moses.
23 And he said to them, “This is what the LORD {YHWH, Commanding Redeemer} has declared: ‘Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath {shabbat-kodesh: set-apart day} to the LORD. Bake what you will bake, and boil what you will boil; and all the surplus, set it aside for your safekeeping until morning.’”
24 So they set it aside until the morning, according to what Moses commanded, and it did not become foul {hivʾish: emit bad odor}, nor was there any worm {rimmah: maggot} in it.
25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is the Sabbath to the LORD {YHWH, Sabbath Sanctifier}; you will not find it {timtsa: discover personally} in the field.”
26 For six days you shall gather {tilqetuhu: intentional collection} it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath {shabbat: cessation and rest}, there will be none.
27 And it occurred on the seventh day {hashvi'i: Sabbath test} that some of the people {haam: covenant community} went out to gather, but they did not find any.
28 And the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Lawgiver} said to Moses, “How long will you persist in refusing to uphold My commandments {mitsvotai: personal covenant demands} and My instructions?”
29 See, because the LORD {YHWH, Sabbath Provider} has given you the Sabbath; therefore He {hu: Faithful Giver} gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain, each person, in his place; do not let any person go out from his place on the seventh day.
30 So the people {am: assembled community} ceased from all work and rested on the seventh day {bayyom: fixed appointment}.
31 The house of Israel {beit-Yisrael: covenant community} gave it the name manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste {ta’am: sensory quality} was like a wafer with honey.
32 And Moses said, “Here is the instruction that the LORD {YHWH, Provider For Generations} has given: A full omer of it must be preserved for your generations {doroteikhem: enduring inheritance}, so that they may see the bread which I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.”
33 And Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar, put in it a full omer of manna, and set it before the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Witness} for safekeeping {mishmeret: enduring protection} for your generations.”
34 Just as the LORD {YHWH, Faithful Commander} commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the testimony {edut: covenant witness} for preservation.
35 And the sons of Israel ate the manna {manna: heaven-sent provision} for forty years until they came to a settled region {noshevet: inhabited area}; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
36 Now the omer {omer: dry measure unit} is one-tenth of the ephah {eifah: standardized grain measure}.