Various Authors Various Authors - The Tanakh

33And they set forward from the mount of the Lord three days' journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out a resting-place for them. 34And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, when they set forward from the camp.

35And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said: 'Rise up, O Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.' 36And when it rested, he said: 'Return, O Lord, unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel.'

11And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp. 2And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto the Lord, and the fire abated. 3And the name of that place was called 2Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burnt among them.

4And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept on their part, and said: 'Would that we were given flesh to eat! 5We remember the fish, which we were wont to eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; 6but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all; we have nought save this manna to look to.'— 7Now the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium. 8The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and seethed it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of a cake baked with oil. 9And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.— 10And Moses heard the people weeping, family by family, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased. 11And Moses said unto the Lord: 'Wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people upon me? 12Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that Thou shouldest say unto me: Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which Thou didst swear unto their fathers? 13Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they trouble me with their weeping, saying: Give us flesh, that we may eat. 14I am not able to bear all this people myself alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in Thy sight; and let me not look upon my wretchedness.'

16And the Lord said unto Moses: 'Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee. 17And I will come down and speak with thee there; and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone. 18And say thou unto the people: Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying: Would that we were given flesh to eat! for it was well with us in Egypt; therefore the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected the Lord who is among you, and have troubled Him with weeping, saying: Why, now, came we forth out of Egypt?' 21And Moses said: 'The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and yet Thou hast said: I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month! 22If flocks and herds be slain for them, will they suffice them? or if all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, will they suffice them?' 23And the Lord said unto Moses: 'Is the Lord's hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not.'

24And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent. 25And the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more. 26But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad; and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were recorded, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp. 27And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said: 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.' 28And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and said: 'My lord Moses, shut them in.' 29And Moses said unto him: 'Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all the Lord's people were prophets, that the Lord would put His spirit upon them! ' 30And Moses withdrew into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

31And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought across 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, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth. 32And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails; he that gathered least gathered ten heaps; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote the people with a very great plague. 34And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people that lusted. 35From 3Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at Hazeroth.

12And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman. 2And they said: 'Hath the Lord indeed spoken only with Moses? hath He not spoken also with us?' And the Lord heard it.— 3Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.— 4And the Lord spoke suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam: 'Come out ye three unto the tent of meeting.' And they three came out. 5And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth. 6And He said: 'Hear now My words: if there be a prophet among you, I the Lord do make Myself known unto him in a vision, I do speak with him in a dream. 7My servant Moses is not so; he is trusted in all My house; 8with him do I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord doth he behold; wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moses?' 9And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and He departed. 10And when the cloud was removed from over the Tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow; and Aaron looked upon Miriam; and, behold, she was leprous. 11And Aaron said unto Moses: 'Oh my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned. 12Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb.' 13And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying: 'Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee.'

14And the Lord said unto Moses: 'If her father had but spit in her face, should she not hide in shame seven days? let her be shut up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.' 15And Miriam was shut up without the camp seven days; and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. 16And afterward the people journeyed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.