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.)
天糧
1以色列全體會眾從以琳出發，來到以琳和西奈中間的汛曠野，時值他們離開埃及後的第二個月的十五日。 2以色列全體會眾在曠野向摩西和亞倫發怨言說： 3「我們還不如當初在埃及就死在耶和華手中。在那裡，我們至少可以圍在肉鍋旁吃個飽。現在，你把我們帶到曠野來，是要叫全體會眾餓死在這裡嗎？」
4耶和華對摩西說：「我要從天上降下食物給你們。百姓可以每天出去拾取他們當天所需的分量，這樣我就可以試驗他們是否遵行我的吩咐。 5到第六天，他們要比平時多拾取一倍的分量。」 6摩西和亞倫對以色列百姓說：「今晚你們就知道把你們從埃及領出來的是耶和華。 7早上，你們會看見祂的榮耀，因為祂聽見了你們向祂所發的怨言。我們算什麼，你們竟埋怨我們？」 8摩西又說：「耶和華聽見你們發的怨言了，晚上祂必給你們肉吃，早晨再給你們餅吃個飽。我們算什麼？你們埋怨的其實不是我們，而是耶和華。」 9摩西對亞倫說：「你去叫以色列全體會眾到耶和華面前來，因為祂已聽見他們的怨言。」 10亞倫對以色列全體會眾說話的時候，他們向曠野遠望，果然看見耶和華的榮光在雲彩中顯現。 11耶和華對摩西說： 12「我已經聽見以色列人的怨言。你告訴他們，『到了黃昏，你們就會有肉吃，早晨就會有餅可以吃飽，這樣你們就知道我是你們的上帝耶和華。』」
13到了傍晚，有許多鵪鶉飛來，把營地都遮蓋了。到了早晨，營區四周的地上佈滿露水， 14露水蒸發以後，曠野便出現一層薄薄的、像白霜的東西。 15以色列人見了，不知道是何物，便彼此議論說：「這是什麼？」摩西對他們說：「這就是耶和華給你們的食物。 16耶和華吩咐你們要按自己和家人的食量來拾取，每人拾取兩升。」
17於是，以色列人遵命而行，有人拾的多，有人拾的少。 18後來，他們用升斗16·18 「升斗」原文為「俄梅珥」，一種量器，約兩升。量的時候，就發現多拾的沒有剩餘，少拾的也沒有缺乏，剛好是每人所需要的量。 19摩西又吩咐他們說：「你們所拾取的，不可留到早晨！」 20可是，有的人不聽，留了一些。到了早上，食物已腐爛生蟲，發出惡臭，摩西就向他們發怒。 21百姓每天早晨出營拾取食物，各人按著所需分量拾取，到太陽升起後，食物就融化了。 22到第六天，他們就拾取雙倍的分量，也就是每人四升。會眾的首領來稟告摩西， 23摩西對他們說：「耶和華說，『明天是安息日，是向耶和華守的聖安息日。你們要把一切食物預備好，或烤或煮，吃剩的可以留到早晨。』」 24百姓就照摩西的吩咐，把吃剩的食物留到早晨，食物沒有發臭生蟲。 25摩西對他們說：「你們今天就吃這些吧，因為今天是耶和華的安息日，你們在野外找不到食物。 26你們有六天可以拾取食物，但第七天是安息日，沒有食物可以拾取。」 27到了第七天早晨，有些人仍然出去要拾取食物，結果什麼也找不到。 28耶和華對摩西說：「你們到什麼時候才肯遵行我的誡命和吩咐呢？ 29要知道，耶和華已將安息日賜給你們，所以第六天我會賜你們雙倍的食物。第七天，人人都要留在營中，不許外出。」 30於是，百姓在第七天休息。
31以色列人稱這種食物為嗎哪，它形狀像芫荽的種子，白色，味道像蜜製薄餅。 32摩西說：「以下是耶和華的吩咐，『把兩升的嗎哪保存起來，直到世世代代，以便你們的子子孫孫可以看見上帝帶你們離開埃及時，在曠野賜給你們的食物。』」 33於是，摩西吩咐亞倫：「拿個罐子盛滿兩升的嗎哪，放在耶和華面前，留到世世代代。」 34亞倫便照耶和華給摩西的吩咐，把嗎哪放在約櫃前保存起來。 35以色列百姓就在曠野吃了四十年的嗎哪，直到他們到達有人煙的地方，到迦南的邊境為止。 36當時一俄梅珥等於十分之一伊法。
