1 And it came to pass that the people complained, and it was evil in the ears of the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Judge}. The LORD heard, and His anger {apo: burning wrath} was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burned among them and consumed those at the edge of the camp.
2 And the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD {YHWH, Compassionate Responder}, and the fire {esh: consuming flame} subsided.
3 And he called the name of that place Taberah {Taberah: burning}, because fire of the LORD {YHWH, Holy Judge} burned among them.
4 And the mixed multitude {asafsuf: group of foreigners} that was among them craved a craving; and again the Israelites also wept and said, “Who will give us meat {basar: animal flesh} to eat?”
5 We remembered the fish {dagah: abundant supply} that we ate in Egypt freely {khinam: without cost}, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.
6 And now our soul {nephesh: life essence} is dried up; there is nothing at all except that our eyes are on the manna {man: miraculous bread}.
7 And the manna {man: miraculous food} was like coriander seed, and its appearance was like the appearance of bdellium {bedolakh: rare resin}.
8 The people went about gathering it and then ground it in the millstones {rechayim: manual grain grinders} or crushed it in the mortar {medokha: stone pounding basin}. They boiled it in a pot or pan and made it into cakes, and its taste was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.
9 And when the dew{tal: gentle moisture} came down upon the camp at night, the manna{man: bread from heaven} would descend upon it.
10 Moses heard the people weeping by their families, each man at the entrance of his tent. Then the anger of the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge} was greatly kindled, and it was evil {ra': deeply troubling} in the eyes of Moses.
11 Then Moses said to the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Intercessor}, “Why have you brought harm {hare’ota: caused adversity} to your servant, and why have I not found favor {chen: divine approval} in your eyes that you place the burden of all these people upon me?”
12 Am I the one who has conceived all these people? Have I given birth to them, that You {YHWH, Divine Instructor} should say to me, Carry them in your bosom {cheik: place of nurture}, as the nurse carries the infant to the land which You swore to their fathers?
13 From where can I get meat {basar: animal flesh} to give to all these people? For they are weeping {yivku: persistent lament} over me, saying, “Give us meat and we will eat.”
14 I am not able {lo: expressing inability} to carry all these people alone; it is too heavy {kaved: weighty responsibility} for me.
15 And if You {YHWH, Sovereign Judge} do this to me, kill me—kill me!—if I have found favor in Your eyes; and let me not see my misery {beraati: personal calamity}.
16 And the LORD {YHWH, Covenant Leader} said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel whom you know to be the elders of the people and its officers. Take them to the tent of meeting {ohel moed: appointed gathering place}, and let them stand there with you.”
17 And I {YHWH, Sovereign Speaker} will come down and speak with you there, and I will take from the Spirit that is upon you and place it upon them, and they will bear the burden {masa: heavy responsibility} of the people with you, so that you will not bear it alone.
18 And you shall say to the people, "Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will eat meat, because you wept in the ears of the LORD {YHWH, Hearer of Petition}, saying, 'Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.' Therefore the LORD will give you meat {basar: flesh as sustenance}, and you will eat it."
19 You will not eat {tokhlun: consume} for one day, nor for two days, nor for five days, nor for ten days, nor for twenty days {yom: counted period}.
20 Until a month of days, until it comes out from your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the LORD {YHWH, Indwelling Covenant God} who is in your midst {kerev: inner presence}, and you wept before Him saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”
21 And Moses said, “Six hundred thousand {shesh-me-ot elef: vast multitude} on foot are the people among whom I stand, and You {YHWH, Promise-Keeper} have said, ‘I will give them meat, and they will eat for a whole month.’”
22 Would the flock and the cattle be slaughtered for them, and would it suffice {matsa: fully meet their need} for them? Or if all the fish of the sea were gathered {yeasef: passively collected} for them, would it suffice for them?
23 And the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Sustainer} said to Moses, “Is the hand {yad: strength} of the LORD too short? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not.”
24 Moses went out and spoke all the words of the LORD {YHWH, Lawgiver} to the people; then he gathered seventy men from among the elders of the people and set them around the tent {ohel: sacred meeting place}.
25 And the LORD {YHWH, Theophanic Presence} descended in a cloud {anan: visible sign}, and He spoke to him and took from the Spirit that was upon him and gave it to the seventy elders. And it came to pass that when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied; afterward they did not do it again.
26 But two men remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the second was Medad; and the Spirit {ruach: divine empowerment} rested upon them. They were among those listed, but they had not gone out to the tent. Yet they prophesied {vayitnabe’u: spoke by divine inspiration} in the camp.
27 The young man ran and reported to Moses {Mosheh: appointed leader} and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying {mitnabbeim: delivering inspired messages} in the camp.”
28 And Joshua {Yehoshuaʿ: Faithful Assistant} son of Nun, the minister {mesharet: dedicated attendant} of Moses from his youth, answered and said, “My lord Moses, restrain them!”
29 But Moses said to him, "Are you being jealous for my sake? Would that all the LORD’s {YHWH, Source of Inspiration} people were prophets {nevi’im: those who speak forth}, for the LORD would put His Spirit upon them."
30 And Moses {Mosheh: Chosen Leader} returned to the camp {machaneh: encampment}, he and the elders of Israel.
31 And a wind went out from the LORD {YHWH, Sovereign Provider}, and He drove quail {shalvim: migratory birds} from the sea, and scattered them over the camp, about a day’s journey here and a day’s journey there, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground.
32 And the people arose all that day, all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quail. The one who gathered least gathered ten homers {khamarim: large dry measures}, and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp {machaneh: encampment}.
33 The meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, and the anger of the LORD {YHWH, Righteous Judge} burned against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague {makah: devastating blow}.
34 And he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah {kivrot hattaavah: graves of craving}, because there they buried the people who craved {mitaavim: intensely desired}.
35 Then the people set out from Kibroth-hattaavah {kibroth-hattaavah: graves of craving} and pressed on to Hazeroth {chatserot: enclosure}, where they established their camp.