Dual Panel1The people fell to grumbling over their hard life. GOD heard. When he heard his anger flared; then fire blazed up and burned the outer boundaries of the camp.
2The people cried out for help to Moses; Moses prayed to GOD and the fire died down.
3They named the place Taberah (Blaze) because fire from GOD had blazed up against them.
4The riff-raff among the people had a craving and soon they had the People of Israel whining, "Why can't we have meat?
5We ate fish in Egypt--and got it free!--to say nothing of the cucumbers and melons, the leeks and onions and garlic.
6But nothing tastes good out here; all we get is manna, manna, manna."
7Manna was a seedlike substance with a shiny appearance like resin.
8The people went around collecting it and ground it between stones or pounded it fine in a mortar. Then they boiled it in a pot and shaped it into cakes. It tasted like a delicacy cooked in olive oil.
9When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna was right there with it.
10Moses heard the whining, all those families whining in front of their tents. GOD's anger blazed up. Moses saw that things were in a bad way.
11Moses said to GOD, "Why are you treating me this way? What did I ever do to you to deserve this? Did I conceive them? Was I their mother? So why dump the responsibility of this people on me?
12Why tell me to carry them around like a nursing mother, carry them all the way to the land you promised to their ancestors?
13Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people who are whining to me, 'Give us meat; we want meat.'
14I can't do this by myself--it's too much, all these people.
15If this is how you intend to treat me, do me a favor and kill me. I've seen enough; I've had enough. Let me out of here."
16GOD said to Moses, "Gather together seventy men from among the leaders of Israel, men whom you know to be respected and responsible. Take them to the Tent of Meeting. I'll meet you there.
17I'll come down and speak with you. I'll take some of the Spirit that is on you and place it on them; they'll then be able to take some of the load of this people--you won't have to carry the whole thing alone.
18"Tell the people, Consecrate yourselves. Get ready for tomorrow when you're going to eat meat. You've been whining to GOD, 'We want meat; give us meat. We had a better life in Egypt.' GOD has heard your whining and he's going to give you meat. You're going to eat meat.
19And it's not just for a day that you'll eat meat, and not two days, or five or ten or twenty,
20but for a whole month. You're going to eat meat until its coming out your nostrils. You're going to be so sick of meat that you'll throw up at the mere mention of it. And here's why: Because you have rejected GOD who is right here among you, whining to his face, 'Oh, why did we ever have to leave Egypt?'"
21Moses said, "I'm standing here surrounded by 600,000 men on foot and you say, 'I'll give them meat, meat every day for a month.'
22So where's it coming from? Even if all the flocks and herds were butchered, would that be enough? Even if all the fish in the sea were caught, would that be enough?"
23GOD answered Moses, "So, do you think I can't take care of you? You'll see soon enough whether what I say happens for you or not."
24So Moses went out and told the people what GOD had said. He called together seventy of the leaders and had them stand around the Tent.
25GOD came down in a cloud and spoke to Moses and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy leaders. When the Spirit rested on them they prophesied. But they didn't continue; it was a onetime event.
26Meanwhile two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed in the camp. They were listed as leaders but they didn't leave camp to go to the Tent. Still, the Spirit also rested on them and they prophesied in the camp.
27A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!"
28Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' right-hand man since his youth, said, "Moses, master! Stop them!"
29But Moses said, "Are you jealous for me? Would that all GOD's people were prophets. Would that GOD would put his Spirit on all of them."
30Then Moses and the leaders of Israel went back to the camp.
31A wind set in motion by GOD swept quails in from the sea. They piled up to a depth of about three feet in the camp and as far out as a day's walk in every direction.
32All that day and night and into the next day the people were out gathering the quail--huge amounts of quail; even the slowest person among them gathered at least sixty bushels. They spread them out all over the camp for drying.
33But while they were still chewing the quail and had hardly swallowed the first bites, GOD's anger blazed out against the people. He hit them with a terrible plague.
34They ended up calling the place Kibroth Hattaavah (Graves-of-the-Craving). There they buried the people who craved meat.
35From Kibroth Hattaavah they marched on to Hazeroth. They remained at Hazeroth.