New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Now when the people complained in the hearing of the Lord about their misfortunes, the Lord heard it and his anger was kindled. Then the fire of the Lord burned against them, and consumed some outlying parts of the camp.
1
Now the people were saying evil against the Lord; and the Lord, hearing it, was angry and sent fire on them, burning the outer parts of the tent-circle.
2 But the people cried out to Moses; and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire abated.
2
And the people made an outcry to Moses, and Moses made prayer to the Lord, and the fire was stopped.
3 So that place was called Taberah, because the fire of the Lord burned against them.
3
So that place was named Taberah, because of the fire of the Lord which had been burning among them.
4 The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, "If only we had meat to eat!
4
And the mixed band of people who went with them were overcome by desire: and the children of Israel, weeping again, said, Who will give us flesh for our food?
5 We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic;
5
Sweet is the memory of the fish we had in Egypt for nothing, and the fruit and green plants of every sort, sharp and pleasing to the taste:
6 but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at."
6
But now our soul is wasted away; there is nothing at all: we have nothing but this manna before our eyes.
7 Now the manna was like coriander seed, and its color was like the color of gum resin.
7
Now the manna was like a seed of grain, like small clear drops.
8 The people went around and gathered it, ground it in mills or beat it in mortars, then boiled it in pots and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was like the taste of cakes baked with oil.
8
The people went about taking it up from the earth, crushing it between stones or hammering it to powder, and boiling it in pots, and they made cakes of it: its taste was like the taste of cakes cooked with oil.
9 When the dew fell on the camp in the night, the manna would fall with it.
9
When the dew came down on the tents at night, the manna came down with it.
10 Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased.
10
And at the sound of the people weeping, every man at his tent-door, the wrath of the Lord was great, and Moses was very angry.
11 So Moses said to the Lord, "Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
11
And Moses said to the Lord, Why have you done me this evil? and why have I not grace in your eyes, that you have put on me the care of all this people?
12 Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, "Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child,' to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors?
12
Am I the father of all this people? have I given them birth, that you say to me, Take them in your arms, like a child at the breast, to the land which you gave by an oath to their fathers?
13 Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, "Give us meat to eat!'
13
Where am I to get flesh to give to all this people? For they are weeping to me and saying, Give us flesh for our food.
14 I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me.
14
I am not able by myself to take the weight of all this people, for it is more than my strength.
15 If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favor in your sight—and do not let me see my misery."
15
If this is to be my fate, put me to death now in answer to my prayer, if I have grace in your eyes; and let me not see my shame.
16 So the Lord said to Moses, "Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you.
16
And the Lord said to Moses, Send for seventy of the responsible men of Israel, who are in your opinion men of weight and authority over the people; make them come to the Tent of meeting and be there with you.
17 I will come down and talk with you there; and I will take some of the spirit that is on you and put it on them; and they shall bear the burden of the people along with you so that you will not bear it all by yourself.
17
And I will come down and have talk with you there: and I will take some of the spirit which is on you and put it on them, and they will take part of the weight of the people off you, so that you do not have to take it by yourself.
18 And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wailed in the hearing of the Lord, saying, "If only we had meat to eat! Surely it was better for us in Egypt.' Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat.
18
And say to the people, Make yourselves clean before tomorrow and you will have flesh for your food: for in the ears of the Lord you have been weeping and saying, Who will give us flesh for food? for we were well off in Egypt: and so the Lord will give you flesh, and it will be your food;
19 You shall eat not only one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days,
19
Not for one day only, or even for five or ten or twenty days;
20 but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, "Why did we ever leave Egypt?' "
20
But every day for a month, till you are tired of it, turning from it in disgust: because you have gone against the Lord who is with you, and have been weeping before him saying, Why did we come out of Egypt?
21 But Moses said, "The people I am with number six hundred thousand on foot; and you say, "I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month'!
21
Then Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and you have said, I will give them flesh to be their food for a month.
22 Are there enough flocks and herds to slaughter for them? Are there enough fish in the sea to catch for them?"
22
Are flocks and herds to be put to death for them? or are all the fish in the sea to be got together so that they may be full?
23 The Lord said to Moses, "Is the Lord's power limited? Now you shall see whether my word will come true for you or not."
23
And the Lord said to Moses, Has the Lord's hand become short? Now you will see if my word comes true for you or not.
24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent.
24
And Moses went out and gave the people the words of the Lord: and he took seventy of the responsible men of the people, placing them round the Tent.
25 Then the Lord came 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 when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.
25
Then the Lord came down in the cloud and had talk with him, and put on the seventy men some of the spirit which was on him: now when the spirit came to rest on them, they were like prophets, but only at that time.
26 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.
26
But two men were still in the tent-circle one of them named Eldad and the other Medad: and the spirit came to rest on them; they were among those who had been sent for, but they had not gone out to the Tent: and the prophet's power came on them in the tent-circle.
27 And a young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."
27
And a young man went running to Moses and said, Eldad and Medad are acting as prophets in the tent-circle.
28 And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, "My lord Moses, stop them!"
28
Then Joshua, the son of Nun, who had been Moses' servant from the time when he was a child, said, My lord Moses, let them be stopped.
29 But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!"
29
And Moses said to him, Are you moved by envy on my account? If only all the Lord's people were prophets, and the Lord might put his spirit on them!
30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.
30
Then Moses, with the responsible men of Israel, went back to the tent-circle.
31 Then a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quails 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, all around the camp, about two cubits deep on the ground.
31
Then the Lord sent a wind, driving little birds from the sea, so that they came down on the tents, and all round the tent-circle, about a day's journey on this side and on that, in masses about two cubits high over the face of the earth.
32 So the people worked all that day and night and all the next day, gathering the quails; the least anyone gathered was ten homers; and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
32
And all that day and all night and the day after, the people were taking up the birds; the smallest amount which anyone got was ten homers: and they put them out all round the tents.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was consumed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague.
33
But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was tasted, the wrath of the Lord was moved against the people and he sent a great outburst of disease on them.
34 So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had the craving.
34
So that place was named Kibroth-hattaavah; because there they put in the earth the bodies of the people who had given way to their desires.
35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed to Hazeroth.
35
From Kibroth-hattaavah the people went on to Hazeroth; and there they put up their tents.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.