¹The people were complaining in the ears of the LORD . When the LORD heard it , his anger burnt ; and the LORD ’s fire burnt amongst them , and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp .

²The people cried to Moses ; and Moses prayed to the LORD , and the fire abated.

³The name of that place was called Taberah , because the LORD ’s fire burnt amongst them .[#11:3 Taberah means “burning”]

⁴The mixed multitude that was amongst them lusted exceedingly ; and the children of Israel also wept again , and said, “Who will give us meat to eat?

⁵We remember the fish , which we ate in Egypt for nothing ; the cucumbers , and the melons, and the leeks , and the onions , and the garlic ;

⁶but now we have lost our appetite . There is nothing at all except this manna to look at .”

⁷The manna was like coriander seed , and it looked like bdellium.[#11:7 Bdellium is a resin extracted from certain African trees.]

⁸The 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 .

⁹When the dew fell on the camp in the night , the manna fell on it .

¹⁰Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families , every man at the door of his tent; and the LORD ’s anger burnt greatly ; and Moses was displeased .

¹¹Moses said to the LORD , “Why have you treated your servant so badly ? Why haven’t I found favour in your sight , that you lay the burden of all this people on me ?

¹²Have 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 ’?

¹³Where could I get meat to give all these people ? For they weep before me , saying, ‘Give us meat , that we may eat.’

¹⁴I am not able to bear all this people alone , because it is too heavy for me .

¹⁵If you treat me this way, please kill me right now , if I have found favour in your sight ; and don’t let me see my wretchedness .”

¹⁶The 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 .

¹⁷I 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 .

¹⁸“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.

¹⁹You will not eat just one day , or two days , or five days , or ten days , or twenty days ,

²⁰but a whole month , until it comes out at your nostrils, and it is loathsome to you ; because you have rejected the LORD who is amongst you , and have wept before him , saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt ?”’”

²¹Moses said, “The people , amongst 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 .’

²²Shall 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 ?”

²³The LORD said to Moses , “Has the LORD ’s hand grown short ? Now you will see whether my word will happen to you or not .”

²⁴Moses 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.

²⁵The 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 .

²⁶But 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 .

²⁷A young man ran , and told Moses , and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp !”

²⁸Joshua the son of Nun , the servant of Moses , one of his chosen men , answered , “My lord Moses , forbid them !”

²⁹Moses 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 !”

³⁰Moses went into the camp , he and the elders of Israel .

³¹A 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 above the surface of the earth.[#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 centimetres.]

³²The 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 ; and they spread them all out for themselves around the camp .[#11:32 1 homer is about 220 litres or 6 bushels]

³³While the meat was still between their teeth , before it was chewed , the LORD ’s anger burnt against the people , and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague .

³⁴The name of that place was called Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who lusted.[#11:34 Kibroth Hattaavah means “graves of lust”]

³⁵From Kibroth Hattaavah the people travelled to Hazeroth ; and they stayed at Hazeroth .