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Fire from the Lord

11 Now the people complained ·to [L in the ears of] the Lord about their troubles, and when he heard them, he became angry. Then fire from the Lord burned ·among the people at the edge [L on the outskirts] of the camp. The people cried out to Moses, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped burning. So that place was called Taberah [C “Burning”; Deut. 9:22], because the Lord’s fire had burned among them.

Seventy Elders Help Moses

Some ·troublemakers [rabble; foreign elements] among them wanted better food, and soon all the ·Israelites [L sons/T children of Israel] began ·complaining [L weeping]. They said, “We want meat! We remember the fish we ate for free in Egypt. We also had cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. But now we have lost our ·appetite [or vitality; strength]; we never see anything but this manna [Ex. 16:1–36]!”

The manna was like ·small white seeds [L coriander seed and its color was like bdellium/gum resin]. The people would go to gather it, and then grind it in handmills, or crush it ·between stones [with mortars]. After they ·cooked [or boiled] it in a pot or made cakes with it, it tasted like ·bread [cakes] baked with olive oil. When the dew fell on the camp each night, so did the manna.

10 Moses heard every ·family [clan] ·crying [weeping] as they stood in the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and ·Moses got upset [L it was bad in the eyes of Moses]. 11 He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought me, your servant, this trouble? ·What have I done wrong [L Why have I not found favor in your eyes] that you ·made me responsible [L set the burden on me] for all these people? 12 ·I am not the father of [L Did I conceive/Am I the mother of] all these people, and ·I didn’t [L did I…?] give birth to them. So why do you make me carry them to the land you promised to our ancestors? Must I carry them in my ·arms [L bosom] as a nurse carries a baby? 13 Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying to me, ‘We want meat!’ 14 I can’t take care of all these people alone. It is too ·much [difficult; L heavy] for me. 15 If you are going to continue doing this to me, then kill me now. If ·you care about me [L I have found favor in your eyes], put me to death, and ·then I won’t have [L do not let me see] any more troubles.”

16 The Lord said to Moses, “·Bring [L Gather for] me seventy of Israel’s elders, men that you know are leaders among the people. Bring them to the Meeting Tent, and have them stand there with you. 17 I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit [C that enables Moses to do his work] that is in you, and I will ·give it to [or put it on] them. They will ·help you care for the people [L bear the burden of the people with you] so that you will not have to ·care for them [L bear it] alone.

18 “Tell the people this: ‘·Make yourselves holy [Consecrate yourselves; C in a ritual sense] for tomorrow, and you will eat meat. You cried ·to the [L in the ears of the] Lord, “·We want meat [L If only we had meat to eat]! We were better off in Egypt!” So now the Lord will give you meat to eat. 19 You will eat it not for just one, two, five, ten, or even twenty days, 20 but you will eat that meat for a whole month. You will eat it until it comes out your nose, and you will grow to ·hate [loathe] it. This is because you have rejected the Lord, who is with you. You have cried to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

21 Moses said, “Lord, here are six hundred thousand people ·standing [L on foot] around me, and you say, ‘I will give them enough meat to eat for a month!’ 22 If we ·killed [slaughtered] all the flocks and herds, ·that would not be [L would there be…?] enough. If we caught all the fish in the sea, ·that would not be [L would there be…?] enough.”

23 But the Lord said to Moses, “·Do you think I’m weak [L Is the hand of the Lord too short]? Now you will see if ·I can do what I say [L the words I spoke to you come true or not].”

24 So Moses went out to the people and told them ·what the Lord had said [L the words of the Lord]. He gathered seventy of the elders together and had them stand around the Tent. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud [C representing God’s presence] and spoke to Moses. The Lord took some of the Spirit Moses had, and he ·gave it to [or put it on] the seventy leaders. ·With the Spirit in [L When the Spirit rested on] them, they prophesied, but just that one time [C as evidence that they had the Spirit; 1 Sam. 10:6–13; 19:18–24].

26 Two men named Eldad and Medad were also ·listed as leaders [L registered; enrolled], but they did not go to the Tent. They stayed in the camp, but the Spirit was also ·given to [or rested on] them, and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran to Moses and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 Joshua son of Nun said, “Moses, my ·master [lord], stop them!” (·Ever since he was a young boy [or One of his chosen men], Joshua ·had been [or was] Moses’ assistant [Ex. 17:8; 24:13; 32:17; 33:7–11].)

29 But Moses answered, “Are you jealous for me? I wish all the Lord’s people could prophesy. I wish the Lord would give his Spirit to all of them [Joel 2:28–29; Acts 2:16–21; 1 Cor. 12:27–31; 14:1–5]!” 30 Then Moses and the leaders of Israel went back to the camp.

The Lord Sends Quail

31 ·The Lord sent a strong wind [L Then a wind went out from the Lord] from the sea, and it blew quail into the area all around the camp. The quail were about ·three feet [L two cubits] deep on the ground, and there were quail a day’s walk in any direction [Ex. 16:13; Ps. 78:26–31]. 32 The people went out and gathered quail all that day, that night, and the next day. Everyone gathered at least ·sixty bushels [L ten homers], and they spread them around the camp. 33 But the Lord became very angry, and he ·gave the people a terrible sickness [L struck the people with a terrible plague] that came while the meat was still ·in their mouths [L between their teeth]. 34 So the people named that place Kibroth Hattaavah [C Graves of Wanting/Craving], because there they buried those who ·wanted [craved] other food.

35 From Kibroth Hattaavah the people went to stay at Hazeroth.

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