Exodus 16

Manna and Quail from Heaven

1On the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt, the whole congregation of Israel set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.

1And they journeyed from Elim, all the congregation of the sons of Israel, and they came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and between Sinai, on the five and tenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.

2And there in the desert the whole congregation of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron.

2And all congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness.

3“If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”

3And the sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of YHWH in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of flesh, when we ate bread to the full. For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions.

4And YHWH said to Moses, “Behold, I am raining down for you bread from the heavens, and the people shall go out and gather the portion of a day in its day, so that I may test them whether they will walk in My law or not.

5Then on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

5And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be double over what they gather day by day.”

6So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt,

6And Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “And you shall know at evening that YHWH has brought you out from the land of Egypt,

7and in the morning you will see the LORD’s glory, because He has heard your grumbling against Him. For who are we, that you should grumble against us?”

7and in the morning you shall see the glory of YHWH, in His hearing your complaints against YHWH. And what are we, that you grumble against us?”

8And Moses added, “The LORD will give you meat to eat this evening and bread to fill you in the morning, for He has heard your grumbling against Him. Who are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”

8And Moses said, “In YHWH giving to you flesh in the evening to eat, and bread in the morning to the full, in YHWH hearing your complaints that you complain against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us, but against YHWH.”

9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole congregation of Israel, ‘Come before the LORD, for He has heard your grumbling.’”

9And Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before YHWH, for He has heard your complaints.’”

10And as Aaron was speaking to the whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the desert, and there in a cloud the glory of the LORD appeared.

10And it came to pass as Aaron spoke to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, that they turned toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of YHWH appeared in the cloud.

11Then the LORD said to Moses,

11And YHWH spoke to Moses, saying,

12“I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”

12“I have heard the complaints of the sons of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘Between the evenings you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread, and you shall know that I am YHWH your God.’”

13That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.

13And it came to pass in the evening that the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning the dew was lying around the camp.

14When the layer of dew had evaporated, there were thin flakes on the desert floor, as fine as frost on the ground.

14And the lying of the dew went up, and behold, on the face of the wilderness a thin, flaky substance, as thin as frost on the earth.

15When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

So Moses told them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.

15And the sons of Israel saw it, and they said, each man to his brother, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that YHWH has given to you for food.

16This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Each one is to gather as much as he needs. You may take an omer for each person in your tent.’”

16This is the word that YHWH has commanded: ‘Let every man gather from it, according to the mouths of his eating, an omer for each person; to the number of your souls, each man shall take for those who are in his tent.’”

17So the Israelites did this. Some gathered more, and some less.

17And the sons of Israel did so. And they gathered—the one much, and the one little.

18When they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much had no excess, and he who gathered little had no shortfall. Each one gathered as much as he needed to eat.

18And they measured it with the omer, and he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Each man gathered according to the mouths of his eating.

19Then Moses said to them, “No one may keep any of it until morning.”

19And Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.”

20But they did not listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it became infested with maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

20And they did not listen to Moses, and some men left from it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.

21Every morning each one gathered as much as was needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away.

21And they gathered it morning by morning, each man according to the mouths of his eating; and when the sun grew hot, it melted.

The Sabbath Observed

22On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much food—two omers per person—and all the leaders of the congregation came and reported this to Moses.

22And it came to pass, on the sixth day, that they gathered double bread—two omers for each one—and all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.

23He told them, “This is what the LORD has said: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil. Then set aside whatever remains and keep it until morning.’”

23And he said to them, “This is what YHWH has said: ‘Tomorrow is a complete rest, a holy Sabbath to YHWH,. What you bake, bake, and what you boil, boil; and all that remains, lay up for yourselves to be kept until the morning.’”

24So they set it aside until morning as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell or contain any maggots.

24And they laid it up until the morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it.

25“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you will not find anything in the field.

25And Moses said, “Eat it today; for today is a Sabbath to YHWH; today you will not find it in the field.

26For six days you may gather, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it will not be there.”

26Six days you shall gather it, and on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none in it.”

27Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find anything.

27And it came to pass on the seventh day, that some of the people went out to gather, and they found none.

28Then the LORD said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commandments and instructions?

28And YHWH said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?

29Understand that the LORD has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day He will give you bread for two days. On the seventh day, everyone must stay where he is; no one may leave his place.”

29See that YHWH has given to you the Sabbath; upon thus He gives to you on the sixth day bread for two days. Let each man remain in his place; let no man go out from his place on the seventh day.”

30So the people rested on the seventh day.

30And the people rested on the seventh day.

The Jar of Manna

31Now the house of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey.

31And the house of Israel called its name Manna, and it was like white coriander seed, and its taste was like wafers with honey.

32Moses said, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Keep an omer of manna for the generations to come, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

32And Moses said, “This is the word that YHWH has commanded: ‘The fullness of an omer from it is to be kept for your generations, so that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’”

33So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and fill it with an omer of manna. Then place it before the LORD to be preserved for the generations to come.”

33And Moses said to Aaron, “Take one pot, and put there the fullness of an omer of manna, and lay it up before the face of YHWH to be kept for your generations.”

34And Aaron placed it in front of the Testimony, to be preserved just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

34And as YHWH commanded Moses, Aaron laid it up before the face of the Testimony to be kept.

35The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land where they could settle; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

35And the sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

36(Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

36And an omer is a tenth of an ephah.