Numbers 11

The People Complain & Fire Breaks Out

1 The people started complaining about their hardships, and the Lord got mad. Then fire from the Lord burned at the edges of the camp.

2 The people ran to Moses for help, and when Moses prayed, the fire died down.

3 They named that place Taberah because the Lord’s fire had burned among them.

The People Cry for Meat

4 Some outsiders living among them started craving other food. Then the Israelites joined in, crying, We want meat.

5 We remember the fish we ate for free in Egypt, and the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic.

6 But now we are starving, and all we see is this manna.

7 The manna looked like coriander seeds and had the color of resin.

8 The people would gather it, grind it, or crush it, then cook it in pots or make bread. It tasted like cakes baked with olive oil.

9 When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna came down with it.

Moses Feels Overwhelmed

10 Moses heard the people crying at the entrances of their tents, and the Lord got really angry. Moses was frustrated too.

11 Moses said to the Lord, Why are You putting this burden on me, Why do I have to deal with these people alone,

12 Did I give birth to them, Did I bring them into this world, Why do You expect me to carry them like a mother carrying a baby to the land You promised,

13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people, They keep crying to me, saying, Give us meat to eat.

14 I cannot do this alone. This burden is too heavy for me.

15 If this is how You are going to treat me, just kill me now. If You love me at all, do not make me suffer like this.

God Tells Moses to Appoint 70 Leaders

16 The Lord told Moses, Gather seventy of Israel’s elders, men you know to be leaders, and bring them to the Tabernacle.

17 I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of My Spirit that is on you and put it on them, so they can help carry the burden of the people.

18 Tell the people, Get ready, because tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You cried to Me, saying, We were better off in Egypt. So now I am giving you what you asked for.

19 But it will not be just for one day, or two, or five, or ten, or twenty days.

20 You will eat meat for a whole month, until you are sick of it and it is coming out of your nose, because you rejected Me and complained, Why did we ever leave Egypt,

21 Moses said, Lord, there are 600,000 men here. Are You really saying You will give us enough meat for a month,

22 Even if we slaughtered all our flocks and herds, or caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough,

23 The Lord said, Is My power limited, Watch and see if I do not do exactly what I said.

The Spirit Comes on the 70 Leaders

24 Moses went out and told the people what the Lord said. Then he gathered seventy elders and placed them around the Tabernacle.

25 The Lord came down in the cloud and took some of the Spirit from Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they started prophesying, but only that one time.

26 Two men, Eldad and Medad, were still in the camp, but the Spirit rested on them too, and they prophesied in the camp.

27 A young man ran and told Moses, Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.

28 Joshua, son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, said, Moses, stop them.

29 But Moses said, Why are you jealous for my sake, I wish all the Lord’s people had the Spirit and could prophesy.

30 Then Moses and the elders returned to the camp.

God Sends Quail & a Plague

31 The Lord sent a strong wind that brought quail from the sea, dropping them all around the camp, covering the ground for miles.

32 The people went out and gathered quail all that day, all that night, and all the next day. Nobody gathered less than ten homers. They spread them all around the camp.

33 But while the meat was still in their mouths, before they could even swallow, the Lord’s anger burned against them, and He struck them with a severe plague.

34 They called that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because that is where they buried the people who craved meat.

35 From Kibroth Hattaavah, the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there.