Manna and Quail
1The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
4Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”
6So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”
9Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ”
10While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.
11The Lord said to Moses, 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.’ ”
13That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.
Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer16:16 That is, possibly about 3 pounds or about 1.4 kilograms; also in verses 18, 32, 33 and 36 for each person you have in your tent.’ ”
17The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.
19Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
20However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.
21Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers16:22 That is, possibly about 6 pounds or about 2.8 kilograms for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’ ”
24So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25“Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”
27Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you16:28 The Hebrew is plural. refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30So the people rested on the seventh day.
31The people of Israel called the bread manna.16:31 Manna sounds like the Hebrew for What is it? (see verse 15). It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’ ”
33So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”
34As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. 35The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.
36(An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)
天粮
1以色列全体会众从以琳出发，来到以琳和西奈中间的汛旷野，时值他们离开埃及后的第二个月的十五日。 2以色列全体会众在旷野向摩西和亚伦发怨言说： 3“我们还不如当初在埃及就死在耶和华手中。在那里，我们至少可以围在肉锅旁吃个饱。现在，你把我们带到旷野来，是要叫全体会众饿死在这里吗？”
4耶和华对摩西说：“我要从天上降下食物给你们。百姓可以每天出去拾取他们当天所需的分量，这样我就可以试验他们是否遵行我的训诲。 5到第六天，他们要比平时多拾取一倍，好够两天的分量。” 6摩西和亚伦对以色列百姓说：“今天晚上你们就知道把你们从埃及领出来的是耶和华。 7明天早上，你们会看见祂的荣耀，因为祂听见了你们向祂所发的怨言。我们算什么，你们何必埋怨我们？ 8耶和华听见你们发的怨言了，晚上祂必给你们肉吃，早晨再给你们饼吃。我们算什么？你们埋怨的其实不是我们，而是耶和华。” 9摩西对亚伦说：“你去叫以色列全体会众到耶和华面前来，因为祂已听见他们的怨言。” 10亚伦对以色列全体会众说话的时候，他们向旷野远望，果然看见耶和华的荣光在云彩中显现。 11耶和华对摩西说： 12“我已经听见以色列人的怨言。你告诉他们，‘到了黄昏，你们就会有肉吃，早晨就会有饼可以吃饱，这样你们就知道我是你们的上帝耶和华。’”
13到了黄昏，果然有许多鹌鹑飞来，把营地都遮盖了。到了早晨，营区四周的地上布满露水， 14露水蒸发以后，旷野便出现一层薄薄的、像白霜的东西。 15以色列人见了，不知道是何物，便彼此议论说：“这是什么？”摩西对他们说：“这就是耶和华给你们的食物。 16耶和华吩咐你们要按自己和家人的食量来拾取，每人约拾取两升。”
17于是，以色列人遵命而行，有些拾的多，有些拾的少。 18后来，他们用俄梅珥16:18 “俄梅珥”，量器，约“两升”。量的时候，就发现多拾的没有剩余，少拾的也没有缺乏，刚好是每人所需要的量。 19摩西又吩咐他们说：“你们所拾取的，不可留到早晨！” 20可是，有的人不听，留了一些。到第二天早上，食物已腐烂生虫，发出恶臭，摩西就向他们发怒。 21于是，百姓每天早晨出营拾取食物，各人按着所需分量拾取，到太阳升起后，食物就融化了。 22到第六天，他们就拾取双倍的分量，也就是每人四升。会众的首领来禀告摩西， 23摩西对他们说：“耶和华说，‘明天是安息日，是向耶和华守的圣安息日。你们要把一切食物预备好，或烤或煮，吃剩的可以留到明天。’” 24百姓就照摩西的吩咐，把吃剩的食物留到第二天早晨，食物没有发臭生虫。 25摩西对他们说：“你们今天就吃这些吧，因为今天是耶和华的安息日，地上不会有食物让你们拾取。 26你们有六天可以拾取食物，但第七天是安息日，没有食物可以拾取。” 27到了第七天早晨，有些人仍然出去要拾取食物，结果什么也找不到。 28耶和华对摩西说：“你们到什么时候才肯遵行我的诫命和吩咐呢？ 29要知道，耶和华已将安息日赐给你们，所以第六天我会赐你们双倍的食物。第七天，人人都要留在营中，不许外出。” 30于是，百姓在第七天休息。
31以色列人称这种食物为吗哪，它形状像芫荽的种子，白色，味道像用蜜糖制成的薄饼。 32摩西说：“以下是耶和华的吩咐，‘把两升的吗哪存留起来，直到世世代代，以便你们的子子孙孙可以看见上帝带你们离开埃及时在旷野赐给你们的食物。’” 33于是，摩西吩咐亚伦：“拿个罐子盛满两升的吗哪，放在耶和华面前，留到世世代代。” 34亚伦便照耶和华给摩西的吩咐，把吗哪放在约柜前保存起来。 35以色列百姓就在旷野吃了四十年的吗哪，直到他们到达有人烟的迦南为止。 36一俄梅珥等于十分之一伊法。
