The Lord Sends Fire Among the People
1The people weren’t happy about the hard times they were having. The Lord heard what they were saying. It made him very angry. Then the Lord sent fire on them. It blazed out among the people. It burned up some of the outer edges of the camp. 2The people cried out to Moses. Then he prayed to the Lord. And the fire died down. 3So that place was named Taberah. That’s because fire from the Lord had blazed out among them there.
The Lord Sends Quail for the People to Eat
4Some people with them began to wish for other food. Again the Israelites began to cry out. They said, “We wish we had meat to eat. 5We remember the fish we ate in Egypt. It didn’t cost us anything. We also remember the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. 6But now we’ve lost all interest in eating. We never see anything but this manna!”
7The manna was like coriander seeds. It looked like sap from a tree. 8The people went around gathering it. Then they ground it up in a small mill they held in their hands. Or they crushed it in a stone bowl. They cooked it in a pot. Or they made loaves out of it. It tasted like something made with olive oil. 9When the dew came down on the camp at night, the manna also came down.
10Moses heard people from every family crying at the entrances to their tents. The Lord became very angry. So Moses became upset. 11He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on me? Why aren’t you pleased with me? Why have you loaded me down with the troubles of all these people? 12Am I like a mother to them? Are they my children? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms? Do I have to carry them the way a nurse carries a baby? Do I have to carry them to the land you promised? You promised the land to their people of long ago. 13Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying out to me. They say, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ 14I can’t carry all these people by myself. The load is too heavy for me. 15Is this how you are going to treat me? If you are pleased with me, just put me to death right now. Don’t let me live if I have to see myself destroyed anyway.”
16The Lord said to Moses, “Bring me 70 of Israel’s elders. Bring men that you know are leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting. I want them to stand there with you. 17I will come down and speak with you there. I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you. And I will put it on them. They will share the responsibility of these people with you. Then you will not have to carry it alone.
18“Tell the people, ‘Set yourselves apart for tomorrow. At that time you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you cried out. You said, “We wish we had meat to eat. We were better off in Egypt.” Now the Lord will give you meat. And you will eat it. 19You will not eat it for just one or two days. You will not eat it for just five, ten or 20 days. 20Instead, you will eat it for a whole month. You will eat it until it comes out of your noses. You will eat it until you hate it. The Lord is among you. But you have turned your back on him. You have cried out while he was listening. You have said, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?” ’ ”
21But Moses said to the Lord, “Here I am among 600,000 men on the march. And you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month’! 22Would they have enough if flocks and herds were killed for them? Would they have enough even if all the fish in the ocean were caught for them?”
23The Lord answered Moses, “Am I not strong enough? Now you will see whether what I say will come true for you.”
24So Moses went out. He told the people what the Lord had said. He gathered 70 of their elders together. He had them stand around the tent of meeting. 25Then the Lord came down in the cloud. He spoke with Moses. He took some of the power of the Spirit that was on Moses. And he put it on the 70 elders. When the Spirit came on them, they prophesied. But they didn’t do it again.
26Two men had remained in the camp. Their names were Eldad and Medad. They were listed among the elders. But they didn’t go out to the tent of meeting. In spite of that, the Spirit came on them too. So they prophesied in the camp. 27A young man ran up to Moses. He said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”
28Joshua spoke up. He was the son of Nun. Joshua had been Moses’ helper from the time he was young. He said, “Moses! Please stop them!”
29But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for me? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets. And I wish that the Lord would put his Spirit on them.” 30Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
31The Lord sent out a wind. It drove quail in from the Red Sea. It scattered them all around the camp. They were about three feet above the ground. They could be seen in every direction as far as a person could walk in a day. 32The people went out all day and gathered quail. They gathered them all night and all the next day. No one gathered less than 60 bushels. Then they spread the quail out all around the camp. 33But while the meat was still in their mouths, the Lord acted. Before the people could swallow it, he became very angry with them. He struck them with a terrible plague. 34So the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah. That’s where the bodies of the people who had wished for other food were buried.
35From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth. And they stayed there.
Moto Wochokera kwa Yehova
1Anthu atadandaula kwa Yehova chifukwa cha mavuto awo, Yehovayo anamva ndipo anakwiya kwambiri. Kenaka moto wa Yehova unayaka pakati pawo ndi kutentha zigawo zina za kunja kwa msasa. 2Anthuwo analira kwa Mose ndipo Moseyo atapemphera kwa Yehova, motowo unazima. 3Motero malowo anawatcha Tabera, chifukwa moto wa Yehova unayaka pakati pawo.
Zinziri Zochokera kwa Yehova
4Anthu ena osokoneza amene anali pakati pa Aisraeli anayamba kukhumba chakudya cha ku Igupto ndipo Aisraeli nawonso anayamba kufuwula kwambiri nʼkumati, “Tikanangopeza nyama yoti nʼkudya! 5Tikukumbukira nsomba zaulere zimene tinkadya ku Igupto komanso nkhaka, mavwende, anyezi wamitundumitundu ndi adyo. 6Koma tsopano chilakolako chathu chatha. Sitikuona kanthu kena kakudya koma mana basi!”
7Mana ankafanana ndi mbewu zamapira ndipo maonekedwe ake anali ngati ulimbo wowuma. 8Anthu ankapita kukatola manawo, nʼkumasinja mu mtondo kapena kupera. Ankawaphika mu mʼphika kapena kupanga makeke. Ndipo ankakoma ngati makeke ophikira mafuta a olivi. 9Mame akamagwa pa msasawo usiku ankagwera kumodzi ndi manawo.
10Mose anamva anthu a banja lililonse akufuwula, banja lililonse pa khomo la tenti yake. Yehova anakwiya kwambiri ndipo Mose anavutikanso mu mtima. 11Mose anafunsa Yehova kuti, “Chifukwa chiyani mwabweretsa mavuto otere pa mtumiki wanune? Nʼchiyani chimene ndachita choti sichinakusangalatseni mpaka kundisenzetsa katundu wa anthu onsewa? 12Kodi Ndine amene ndinatenga pathupi pa anthu onsewa? Kodi ndinawabala ndine? Bwanji mukundiwuza kuti ndiwanyamule mʼmanja mwanga, monga momwe mlezi amanyamulira kamwana, kupita nawo ku malo omwe munalonjeza ndi lumbiro kwa makolo awo? 13Ndingayipeze kuti nyama yoti anthu onsewa adye? Iwowa akulirira ine kuti, ‘Tipatse nyama tidye!’ 14Sindingathe kusamala anthu onsewa ndekha. Katundu ameneyu ndi wolemera kwambiri kwa ine. 15Ngati umu ndi mmene muzichitira nane, chonde ingondiphani pompano. Koma ngati mwandikomera mtima ndiye ndisaonenso mavutowa.”
16Yehova anawuza Mose kuti, “Undibweretsere anthu 70 ochokera pakati pa akuluakulu a Aisraeli, amene umawadziwa kuti ndiwo atsogoleri komanso akuluakulu a mabanja. Abwere ku tenti ya msonkhano kuti ayime kumeneko pamodzi ndi iwe. 17Ndidzatsika ndi kuyankhula nawe kumeneko, ndipo ndidzatenga mzimu umene uli pa iwe ndi kuyika pa iwowo. Adzakuthandiza kusenza nkhawa za anthuwa ndipo sudzasenzanso wekha.”
18“Uwawuze anthuwo kuti, ‘Mudziyeretse, kukonzekera mawa, pamene mudzadya nyama.’ Yehova anakumvani pamene munkalira kuti, ‘Zikanakhala bwino tikanapeza nyama yoti tidye! Tinkakhala bwino ku Igupto!’ Tsopano Yehova adzakupatsani nyama ndipo mudzayidyadi. 19Simudzadya tsiku limodzi lokha, kapena masiku awiri, kapena asanu, khumi kapena masiku makumi awiri, 20koma mwezi wonse, mpaka itakukolani ndi kutopa nayo chifukwa mwakana Yehova yemwe ali pakati panu ndipo mwalira pamaso pake kuti, ‘Bwanji tinachoka ku Igupto?’ ”
21Koma Mose anati, “Taonani pano ndili pakati pa anthu 600,000 amene ndi kuyenda nawo ndipo Inuyo mukuti, ‘Ndidzawapatsa nyama kuti adye mwezi wathunthu!’ 22Kodi ngakhale titapha nkhosa ndi ngʼombe, zingawakwanire? Ngakhale titagwira nsomba zonse za mʼnyanja, kodi zingawakwanire iwowa?”
23Yehova anayankha Mose kuti, “Kodi dzanja langa ndi lalifupi? Uwona tsopano ngati zimene ndanenazo zichitike kapena ayi.”
24Choncho Mose anatuluka nakawuza anthu zomwe Yehova ananena. Anasonkhanitsa pamodzi akuluakulu makumi asanu ndi awiri aja ndi kuwayimiritsa mozungulira Chihema. 25Ndipo Yehova anatsika mʼmitambo ndi kuyankhula naye ndipo anatengako mzimu womwe unali pa Mose ndi kuwuyika pa akuluakulu makumi asanu ndi awiri aja. Pamene mzimuwo unakhazikika pa akuluakuluwo, anayamba kunenera koma sanapitirize.
26Koma anthu ena awiri omwe mayina awo anali Elidadi ndi Medadi, anatsalira mu msasa. Anali nawo mʼgulu la olembedwa aja, koma sanapite nawo ku Chihema. Komabe mzimu unakhala pa iwo ndipo ananenera ali mu msasa. 27Mnyamata wina anathamanga kudzawuza Mose kuti, “Elidadi ndi Medadi akunenera mu msasa.”
28Yoswa mwana wa Nuni, mtumiki wa Mose kuyambira ubwana wake, anayankha kuti, “Mbuye wanga Mose, aletseni!”
29Koma Mose anati, “Kodi ukuchita nsanje chifukwa cha ine? Ndikanakonda kuti anthu onse a Yehova akhale aneneri ndi kuti Yehova ayike mzimu wake pa iwo!” 30Mose ndi akuluakulu a Israeli aja anabwerera ku msasa.
31Pamenepo Yehova anawutsa mphepo yochokera ku nyanja imene inabweretsa zinziri. Zinzirizo zinagwera pansi kuzungulira msasa, mtunda wa kilomita imodzi mbali zonse ndipo msinkhu wake unali mita imodzi. 32Tsiku limenelo masana onse mpaka usiku ndiponso tsiku lotsatiralo, anthu anatuluka kunja kukatola zinziri. Palibe amene anasonkhanitsa zochepera makilogalamu 1,000 ndipo anaziyanika kuzungulira msasa wonse. 33Koma pamene anthuwo ankadya nyamayo, asanayimeze nʼkomwe, ukali wa Yehova unafika pa iwo ndipo Iye anawakantha ndi mliri woopsa. 34Nʼchifukwa chake malowo anawatcha Kibiroti Hatava chifukwa pamenepo anakwirirapo anthu osusuka aja.
35Kuchoka pa Kibiroti Hatava anthuwo anayenda kupita ku Heziroti ndipo anakhala kumeneko kwa kanthawi.
