Israel Leaves Sinai
11 sIn the second year, in the second month, on the twentieth day of the month, the cloud tlifted from over the tabernacle of the testimony, 12 uand the people of Israel set out vby stages from the wilderness of Sinai. And the cloud settled down in the wilderness of wParan. 13 They set out for the first time xat the command of the Lord by Moses.
17 And whenever the cloud ilifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 jAt the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.
14 yThe standard of the camp of the people of Judah set out first by their companies, and over their company was zNahshon the son of Amminadab. 15 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Issachar was aNethanel the son of Zuar. 16 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Zebulun was bEliab the son of Helon.
17 And when the tabernacle was ctaken down, the dsons of Gershon and the esons of Merari, who carried the tabernacle, set out. 18 And the standard of the camp of Reuben set out by their companies, and over their company was fElizur the son of Shedeur. 19 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Simeon was gShelumiel the son of Zurishaddai. 20 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Gad was hEliasaph the son of Deuel.
21 iThen the Kohathites set out, jcarrying the holy things, and the tabernacle was kset up before their arrival. 22 lAnd the standard of the camp of the people of Ephraim set out by their companies, and over their company was mElishama the son of Ammihud. 23 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Manasseh was nGamaliel the son of Pedahzur. 24 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Benjamin was oAbidan the son of Gideoni.
25 pThen the standard of the camp of the people of Dan, acting as the rear guard of all the camps, set out by their companies, and over their company was qAhiezer the son of Ammishaddai. 26 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Asher was rPagiel the son of Ochran. 27 And over the company of the tribe of the people of Naphtali was sAhira the son of Enan. 28 This was the order of march of the people of Israel by their companies, when they set out.
29 And Moses said to tHobab the son of uReuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, v‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for wthe Lord has promised good to Israel.” 30 But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” 31 And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us. 32 And if you do go with us, whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”
33 So they set out from xthe mount of the Lord three days’ journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to yseek out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.
35 And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, z“Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” 36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”
The People Complain
1 And the people acomplained bin the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, and when the Lord heard it, his anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some outlying parts of the camp. 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses cprayed to the Lord, and the fire died down. 3 So the name of that place was called dTaberah,1 because the fire of the Lord burned among them.
4 Now the rabble that was among them had a strong ecraving. And the people of Israel also wept again and said, f“Oh that we had meat to eat! 5 We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. 6 But now our strength is dried up, and gthere is nothing at all but this hmanna to look at.”
7 Now the manna was ilike coriander seed, and its appearance like that of bdellium. 8 The people went about and gathered it and ground it in handmills or beat it in mortars and boiled it in pots and made cakes of it. And the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil. 9 jWhen the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.
10 kMoses heard the people weeping throughout their clans, everyone at the door of his tent. And the anger of the Lord blazed hotly, and Moses was displeased. 11 Moses said to the Lord, l“Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the mburden of all this people on me? 12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the nland that you swore to give their fathers? 13 oWhere am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’ 14 I am not able to carry all this people palone; the burden is too heavy for me. 15 qIf you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”
Elders Appointed to Aid Moses
16 Then the Lord said to Moses, r“Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the selders of the people and tofficers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you uand put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For vit was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, 20 but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have wrejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’” 21 But Moses said, “The people among whom I am number xsix hundred thousand on foot, and you have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat a whole month!’ 22 yShall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and be enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and be enough for them?” 23 And the Lord said to Moses, z“Is the Lord’s hand shortened? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not.”
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord. And he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tent. 25 Then the Lord acame down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. And bas soon as the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied. But they did not continue doing it.
26 Now two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the Spirit rested on them. They were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, cthe assistant of Moses from his youth, said, “My lord Moses, dstop them.” 29 But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? eWould that all the Lord’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
Quail and a Plague
31 Then a wind from the Lord sprang up, fand it brought gquail from the sea and let them fall beside 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 cubits2 above the ground. 32 And the people rose all that day and all night and all the next day, and gathered the quail. Those who gathered least gathered ten homers.3 And they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. 33 hWhile the meat was yet between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck down the people with a very great iplague. 34 Therefore the name of that place was called jKibroth-hattaavah,4 because there they buried the people who had the craving. 35 kFrom Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to lHazeroth, and they remained at Hazeroth.
Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses
1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman. 2 mAnd they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. 3 Now the man Moses was very nmeek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth. 4 And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. 5 And the Lord ocame down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward. 6 And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; pI speak with him in a dream. 7 qNot so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak rmouth to mouth, sclearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed.
10 tWhen the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous,5 ulike snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not punish us6 because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “O God, please heal her—please.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but vspit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? wLet her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 xAfter that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of yParan.
