Exodus 16

The Israelites Complain About Food

1 The Israelites left Elim and rolled into the Desert of Sin, between Elim and Sinai. This was about a month after they dipped out of Egypt.

2 The whole squad started complaining to Moses and Aaron while in the desert.

3 They said, ‘Man, we should have stayed in Egypt! At least we had food there. Now you brought us out here to starve to death in the wilderness!’

God Promises Bread from Heaven

4 The Lord told Moses, ‘Do not trip, I am about to rain down bread from heaven. The people will go out and gather what they need every day. I am testing them to see if they will follow My instructions.’

5 ‘On the sixth day, they will gather twice as much as usual and prepare it.’

Moses Talks to the People

6 Moses and Aaron said to the people, ‘This evening, you will know the Lord is the one who brought you out of Egypt.’

7 ‘And in the morning, you will see the Lord’s glory because He heard you all complaining about Him. Who are we, You are not mad at us; you are mad at Him.’

8 Moses added, ‘The Lord will give you meat to eat at night and all the bread you want in the morning because He heard you whining. Who are we, Your beef is not with us, it is with the Lord.’

God Speaks to the People

9 Moses told Aaron, ‘Tell the whole community of Israel: Come close to the Lord because He has heard you complaining.’

10 As Aaron spoke to the crowd, they turned toward the desert, and boom! The Lord’s glory appeared in a cloud.

11 The Lord said to Moses,

12 ‘I have heard the Israelites whining. Tell them: At twilight, you will eat meat, and in the morning, you will be full of bread. Then you will know I am the Lord your God.’

God Provides Quail and Manna

13 That evening, a gang of quail flew in and covered the camp. In the morning, there was dew all over the ground.

14 When the dew dried up, thin flakes like frost were left on the ground.

15 The Israelites saw it and were like, ‘What is this?’ They did not know what it was. Moses said, ‘This is the bread the Lord is giving you to eat.’

16 ‘Here is what the Lord commands: Gather as much as you need, about an omer (a couple of quarts) for each person in your tent.’

17 So the people got to gathering, some grabbing more, some less.

18 When they measured it out, everyone had just what they needed. Nobody had too much, and nobody had too little.

19 Moses told them, ‘Do not save any leftovers for the morning.’

20 But some folks did not listen and kept some overnight. By morning, it was full of maggots and stank! Moses was heated.

21 Every morning, they gathered just what they needed, but by midday, the sun melted whatever was left.

The Sabbath Rest

22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much, two omers for each person. The leaders came to Moses to ask about it.

23 Moses said, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath. Bake or boil what you want today. Save what is left for tomorrow.’

24 So they saved it, and it did not stink or get maggots.

25 Moses said, ‘Eat it today, because today is the Sabbath. You will not find any on the ground.’

26 ‘You can gather it for six days, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.’

27 Some people still went out to gather on the seventh day, but they did not find anything.

28 The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long are these people are going to ignore My commands and instructions?’

29 ‘The Lord has given you the Sabbath. That is why He gives you double on the sixth day. Stay home and chill on the seventh day.’

30 So the people rested on the Sabbath.

The Manna Is Explained

31 The Israelites called the bread ‘manna.’ It was white like coriander seed and tasted like honey wafers.

32 Moses said, ‘The Lord commands us to keep a jar of manna for future generations, so they can see the bread He gave us in the wilderness.’

33 So Moses told Aaron, ‘Take a jar, fill it with an omer of manna, and place it before the Lord to be kept for future generations.’

34 Aaron did what Moses commanded and placed it with the tablets of the covenant law to be preserved.

35 The Israelites ate manna for 40 years until they reached the border of Canaan, the promised land.

36 (An omer is one-tenth of an ephah, for those keeping track.)