The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Chapter 11 -

Now the people complained about their troubles as Yahweh listened. Yahweh heard the people and became angry. Fire from Yahweh burned among them and consumed some of the camp on its edges.

Then people called out to Moses, so Moses prayed to Yahweh, and the fire stopped.

That place was named Taberah, because Yahweh’s fire burned among them.

Some foreign people began to camp with Israel’s descendants. They wanted better food to eat. Then the people of Israel began to weep and say, “Who will give us meat to eat?

We remember the fish that we ate freely in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic.

Now our appetite is gone, because all we can see is this manna.”

Manna was like coriander seed. It looked like resin.

The people walked around and gathered it. They ground it in mills, beat it in mortars, boiled it in pots, and made it into cakes. It tasted like fresh olive oil.

When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna also fell.

The Complaint of Moses

Moses heard the people weeping in their families, and every man was at the entrance to his tent. Yahweh was very angry, and in Moses’ eyes their complaining was wrong.

Moses said to Yahweh, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why are you not pleased with me? You make me carry the load of all these people.

Did I conceive all these people? Have I given them birth so that you should say to me, ‘Carry them closely to your chest as a father carries a baby?’ Should I carry them to the land that you swore to their ancestors to give them?

Where can I find meat to give to all this people? They are weeping in front of me and are saying, ‘Give us meat to eat.’

I cannot bear all these people alone. They are too much for me.

Since you are treating me this way, kill me now, if you are kind to me, and take away my misery.”

Seventy Elders Anointed

Yahweh said to Moses, “Bring to me seventy of Israel’s elders. Be sure that they are elders and officers of the people. Bring them to the tent of meeting to stand there with you.

I will come down and talk with you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will bear the burden of the people with you. You will not have to bear it alone.

Say to the people, ’Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you will indeed eat meat, for you have wept and Yahweh has heard. You said, “Who will give us meat to eat? It was good for us in Egypt.” Therefore, Yahweh will give you meat, and you will eat it.

You will not eat meat for only one day, two days, five days, ten days, or twenty days,

but you will eat meat for a whole month until it comes out of your nostrils. It will disgust you because you have rejected Yahweh, who is among you. You have wept before him. You said, “Why did we leave Egypt?”’”

Then Moses said, “I am with 600,000 people, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month.’

Should we kill flocks and herds to satisfy them? Should we catch all the fish in the sea to satisfy them?”

Yahweh said to Moses, “Is my hand short? Now you will see whether or not my word is true.”

Moses went out and told the people Yahweh’s words. He gathered seventy of the people’s elders and positioned them around the tent.

Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Yahweh took some of the Spirit that was on Moses and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but only on that occasion and not again.

Two men remained in the camp, named Eldad and Medad. The Spirit also rested on them. Their names were written on the list, but they had not gone out to the tent. Nevertheless, they prophesied in the camp.

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

Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his chosen men, said to Moses, “My master Moses, stop them.”

Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all of Yahweh’s people were prophets and that he would put his Spirit on them all!”

Then Moses and the elders of Israel went back to the camp.

The Quail and the Plague

Then a wind came from Yahweh and brought quail from the sea. They fell near the camp, about a day’s journey on one side and a day’s journey on the other side. The quail surrounded the camp about two cubits above the ground.

The people were busy gathering quail all that day, all the night, and all the next day. No one gathered less than ten homers of quail. They shared the quail all through the camp.

While the meat was still between their teeth, while they were chewing it, Yahweh became angry at them. He attacked the people with a very great disease.

That place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had craved meat.

From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth, where they stayed.

The people were complaining in the ears of the LORD. When the LORD heard it, his anger burned; and the LORD’s fire burned among them, and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp.

The people cried to Moses; and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire abated.

The name of that place was called Taberah,(a) because the LORD’s fire burned among them.

The mixed multitude that was among them lusted exceedingly; and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?

We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic;

but now we have lost our appetite. There is nothing at all except this manna to look at.”

The manna was like coriander seed, and it looked like bdellium.(b)

The people went around, gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and boiled it in pots, and made cakes of it. Its taste was like the taste of fresh oil.

When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna fell on it.

The Complaint of Moses

Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent; and the LORD’s anger burned greatly; and Moses was displeased.

Moses said to the LORD, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why haven’t I found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?

Have I conceived all this people? Have I brought them out, that you should tell me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing infant, to the land which you swore to their fathers’?

Where could I get meat to give all these people? For they weep before me, saying, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’

I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

If you treat me this way, please kill me right now, if I have found favor in your sight; and don’t let me see my wretchedness.”

Seventy Elders Anointed

The LORD said to Moses, “Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; and bring them to the Tent of Meeting, that they may stand there with you.

I will come down and talk with you there. I will take of the Spirit which is on you, and will put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you don’t bear it yourself alone.

“Say to the people, ‘Sanctify yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, and you will eat meat; for you have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat.

You will not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,

but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you; because you have rejected the LORD who is among you, and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’”

Moses said, “The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month.’

Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?”

The LORD said to Moses, “Has the LORD’s hand grown short? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not.”

Moses went out, and told the people the LORD’s words; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them around the Tent.

The LORD came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was on him, and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

But two men remained in the camp. The name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad; and the Spirit rested on them. They were of those who were written, but had not gone out to the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.

A young man ran, and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!”

Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, “My lord Moses, forbid them!”

Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets, that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!”

Moses went into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

The Quail and the Plague

A wind from the LORD went out and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day’s journey on this side, and a day’s journey on the other side, around the camp, and about two cubits(c) above the surface of the earth.

The people rose up all that day, and all of that night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails. He who gathered least gathered ten homers;(d) and they spread them all out for themselves around the camp.

While the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the LORD’s anger burned against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.

The name of that place was called Kibroth Hattaavah,(e) because there they buried the people who lusted.

From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth; and they stayed at Hazeroth.

Footnotes

(a)11:3 Taberah means “burning”

(b)11:7 Bdellium is a resin extracted from certain African trees.

(c)11:31 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.

(d)11:32 1 homer is about 220 liters or 6 bushels

(e)11:34 Kibroth Hattaavah means “graves of lust”