Seventy Elders and the Quail

¹The people began complaining, which displeased the LORD. The LORD heard it, and His anger was kindled. Fire from the LORD blazed among them, consuming those on the outskirts of the camp. ²The people cried out to Moses, and when Moses prayed to the LORD, the fire died down. ³That place was named Taberah, because the fire of the LORD had burned among them there. ⁴The foreigners who had joined them began craving other food, and soon the Israelites were weeping too, saying, "Who's going to give us meat to eat? ⁵We remember the fish we ate in Egypt — it cost us nothing! And the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic! ⁶But now our soul is dried up: there is nothing at all to see except this manna before us. ⁷The manna looked like coriander seed, with the color of bdellium. ⁸The people would go out and gather it, then grind it in mills or crush it in mortars. They'd bake it in pans and make cakes from it. It tasted like something made with fresh olive oil. ⁹When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna would appear with it. ¹⁰Moses could hear the people weeping — family after family, each man standing at the entrance of his tent. The LORD's anger burned intensely, and Moses was deeply troubled. ¹¹Moses said to the LORD, "Why have you brought this burden on your servant? What have I done to lose your favor, that you've placed the weight of all these people on me? ¹²Did I conceive all these people? Did I give birth to them? Yet you tell me, 'Carry them in your arms, like a nurse carries a baby, all the way to the land you promised their ancestors.' ¹³Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep crying to me, 'Give us meat to eat!' ¹⁴I can't carry all these people by myself — it's too much for me. ¹⁵If this is how you're going to treat me, then just kill me now — if I've found any favor with you at all — and spare me from this misery." ¹⁶The LORD said to Moses, "Bring me 70 men from Israel's elders — men you know to be leaders and officials among the people. Bring them to the Tent of Meeting and have them stand there with you. ¹⁷I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and place it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so you won't have to carry it alone. ¹⁸Then tell the people: 'Set yourselves apart for tomorrow, because you're going to eat meat. You've been weeping where the LORD can hear you, saying, "Who will give us meat? Life was better in Egypt!" So the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it. ¹⁹You won't eat it for just 1 day, or 2 days, or 5, or 10, or even 20 days. ²⁰You'll eat it for a whole month — until it comes out your nostrils and you're sick of it — because you have rejected the LORD who is right here among you, and you've wept before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?"'" ²¹Moses said, "I'm surrounded by 600,000 men on foot, and you're saying you'll give them meat to eat for a whole month? ²²Even if we slaughtered all our flocks and herds, would that be enough? Even if we caught every fish in the sea, would that be enough?" ²³The LORD said to Moses, "Is the LORD's power limited? Now you'll see whether or not my word comes true." ²⁴Moses went out and told the people what the LORD had said. He gathered 70 of the elders and positioned them around the Tent of Meeting. ²⁵The LORD came down in a cloud and spoke to him. He took some of the spirit that was upon him and gave it to the 70 elders. When the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and did not cease. ²⁶Two men had stayed behind in the camp — one named Eldad and the other Medad. They were on the list of chosen elders but hadn't gone out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit rested on them too, and they prophesied right there in the camp. ²⁷A young man ran to Moses and reported, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!" ²⁸Joshua son of Nun, who had served Moses since he was young, spoke up: "My lord Moses, stop them!" ²⁹But Moses replied, "Are you jealous on my behalf? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on every one of them!" ³⁰Then Moses returned to the camp, along with the elders of Israel. ³¹A wind sent by the LORD swept in from the sea, driving quail into the area around the camp. They covered the ground about a day's journey in every direction, piled up about 2 cubits deep. ³²The people were on their feet all that day, all night, and all the next day gathering quail. The person who gathered the least still collected 10 homers. They spread the quail out all around the camp to dry. ³³But while the meat was still between their teeth — before they had even chewed it — the LORD's anger blazed against the people, and the LORD struck them with a devastating plague. ³⁴That place was named Kibroth Hattaavah, which means "graves of craving," because that's where they buried the people who had given in to their cravings. ³⁵From Kibroth Hattaavah, the people traveled to Hazeroth, and they stayed there.