Liber Numeri 11

1 Interea ortum est murmur populi, quasi dolentium pro labore, contra Dominum. Quod cum audisset Dominus, iratus est. Et accensus in eos ignis Domini devoravit extremam castrorum partem.

And the people murmured sinfully before the Lord; and the Lord heard [them] and was very angry; and fire was kindled amongst them from the Lord, and devoured a part of the camp.

2 Cumque clamasset populus ad Moysen, oravit Moyses ad Dominum, et absorptus est ignis.

And the people cried to Moses: and Moses prayed to the Lord, and the fire was quenched.

3 Vocavitque nomen loci illius, Incensio: eo quod incesus fuisset contra eos ignis Domini.

And the name of that place was called Burning; for a fire was kindled amongst them from the Lord.

4 Vulgus quippe promiscuum, quod ascenderat cum eis, flagravit desiderio, sedens et flens, iunctis sibi pariter filiis Israel, et ait: Quis dabit nobis ad vescendum carnes?

And the mixed multitude amongst them lusted exceedingly; and they and the children of Israel sat down and wept and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?

5 Recordamur piscium quos comedebamus in Ægypto gratis: in mentem nobis veniunt cucumeres, et pepones, porrique, et cepe, et allia.

We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt freely; and the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the garlic, and the onions.

6 Anima nostra arida est, nihil aliud respiciunt oculi nostri nisi Man.

But now our soul is dried up; our eyes [turn] to nothing but to the manna.

7 Erat autem Man quasi semen coriandri, coloris bdellii.

And the manna is as coriander seed, and the appearance of it the appearance of hoarfrost.

8 Circuibatque populus, et colligens illud, frangebat mola, sive terebat in mortario, coquens in olla, et faciens ex eo tortulas saporis quasi panis oleati.

And the people went through the field, and gathered, and ground it in the mill, or pounded it in a mortar, and baked it in a pan, and made cakes of it; and the sweetness of it was as the taste [of] wafer made with oil.

9 Cumque descederet nocte super castra ros, descendebat pariter et Man.

And when the dew came upon the camp by night, the manna came down upon it.

10 Audivit ergo Moyses flentem populum per familias, singulos per ostia tentorii sui. Iratusque est furor Domini valde: sed et Moysi intoleranda res visa est.

And Moses heard them weeping by their families, every one in his door: and the Lord was very angry; and the thing was evil in the sight of Moses.

11 Et ait ad Dominum: Cur afflixisti servum tuum? quare non invenio gratiam coram te? et cur imposuisti pondus universi populi huius super me?

And Moses said to the Lord, Why have you afflicted your servant, and why have I not found grace in your sight, that you should lay the weight of this people upon me?

12 Numquid ego concepi omnem hanc multitudinem, vel genui eam, ut dicas mihi: Porta eos in sinu tuo sicut portare solet nutrix infantulum, et defer in terram, pro qua iurasti patribus eorum?

Have I conceived all this people, or have I born them? that you say to me, Take them into your bosom, as a nurse would take her suckling, into the land which you sware to their fathers?

13 Unde mihi carnes ut dem tantæ multitudini? Flent contra me, dicentes: Da nobis carnes ut comedamus.

Whence have I flesh to give to all this people? for they weep to me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.

14 Non possum solus sustinere omnem hunc populum, quia gravis est mihi.

I shall not be able to bear this people alone, for this thing is too heavy for me.

15 Sin aliter tibi videtur, obsecro ut interficias me, et inveniam gratiam in oculis tuis, ne tantis afficiar malis.

And if you do thus to me, kill me utterly, if I have found favour with you, that I may not see my affliction.

16 Et dixit Dominus ad Moysen: Congrega mihi septuaginta viros de senibus Israel, quos tu nosti quod senes populi sint ac magistri: et duces eos ad ostium tabernaculi fœderis, faciesque ibi stare tecum,

And the Lord said to Moses, Gather me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you yourself know that they are the elders of the people, and their scribes; and you shall bring them to the tabernacle of witness, and they shall stand there with you.

17 ut descendam et loquar tibi: et auferam de spiritu tuo, tradamque eis, ut sustentent tecum onus populi, et non tu solus graveris.

And I will go down, and speak there with you; and I will take of the spirit that is upon you, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear together with you the burden of the people, and you shall not bear them alone.

18 Populo quoque dices: Sanctificamini: cras comedetis carnes. Ego enim audivi vos dicere: Quis dabit nobis escas carnium? Bene nobis erat in Ægypto. Ut det vobis Dominus carnes, et comedatis:

And to the people you shall say, Purify yourselves for the morrow, and you shall eat flesh; for you wept before the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: and the Lord shall allow you to eat flesh, and you shall eat flesh.

19 non uno die, nec duobus, vel quinque aut decem, nec viginti quidem,

You shall not eat one day, nor two, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days;

20 sed usque ad mensem dierum, donec exeat per nares vestras, et vertatur in nauseam, eo quod replueritis Dominum, qui in medio vestri est, et fleveritis coram eo, dicentes: Quare egressi sumus ex Ægypto?

you shall eat for a full month, until [the flesh] come out at your nostrils; and it shall be nausea to you, because you disobeyed the Lord, who is amongst you, and wept before him, saying, What had we to do to come out of Egypt?

21 Et ait Moyses: Sexcenta millia peditum huius populi sunt, et tu dicis: Dabo eis esum carnium mense integro.

And Moses said, The people amongst whom I am are six hundred thousand footmen; and you said, I will give them flesh to eat, and they shall eat a whole month.

22 Numquid ovium et boum multitudo cædetur, ut possit sufficere ad cibum? Vel omnes pisces maris in unum congregabuntur, ut eos satient?

Shall sheep and oxen be slain for them, and shall it suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, and shall it suffice them?

23 Cui respondit Dominus: Numquid manus Domini invalida est? Iam nunc videbis utrum meus sermo opere compleatur.

And the Lord said to Moses, Shall not the hand of the Lord be fully sufficient? now shall you know whether my word shall come to pass to you or not.

24 Venit igitur Moyses, et narravit populo verba Domini, congregans septuaginta viros de senibus Israel, quos stare fecit circa tabernaculum.

And Moses went out, and spoke the words of the Lord to the people; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and he set them round about the tabernacle.

25 Descenditque Dominus per nubem, et locutus est ad eum, auferens de Spiritu qui erat in Moyse, et dans septuaginta viris. Cumque requievisset in eis Spiritus, prophetaverunt, nec ultra cessaverunt.

And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy men that were elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied and ceased.

26 Remanserat autem in castris duo viri, quorum unus vocabatur Eldad, et alter Medad, super quos requievit Spiritus. Nam et ipsi descripti fuerant, et non exierant ad tabernaculum.

And there were two men left in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Modad; and the spirit rested upon them, and these were of the number of them that were enrolled, but they did not come to the tabernacle; and they prophesied in the camp.

27 Cumque prophetarent in castris, cucurrit puer, et nunciavit Moysi, dicens: Eldad et Medad prophetant in castris.

And a young man ran and told Moses, and spoke, saying, Eldad and Modad prophesy in the camp.

28 Statim Iosue filius Nun, minister Moysi, et electus e pluribus, ait: Domine mi Moyses prohibe eos.

And Joshua the son of Naue, who attended on Moses, the chosen one, said, [My] lord Moses, forbid them.

29 At ille: Quid, inquit, æmularis pro me? Quis tribuat ut omnis populus prophetet, et det eis Dominus Spiritum suum?

And Moses said to him, Are you jealous on my account? and would that all the Lord's people were prophets; whenever the Lord shall put his spirit upon them.

30 Reversusque est Moyses, et maiores natu Israel in castra.

And Moses departed into the camp, himself and the elders of Israel.

31 Ventus autem egrediens a Domino arreptans trans mare coturnices detulit, et demisit in castra itinere quantum uno die confici potest, ex omni parte castrorum per circuitum, volabantque in aere duobus cubitis altitudine super terram.

And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails over from the sea; and it brought them down upon the camp a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on that side, round about the camp, as it were two cubits from the earth.

32 Surgens ergo populus toto die illo, et nocte, ac die altero, congregavit coturnicum, qui parum, decem coros: et siccaverunt eas per gyrum castrorum.

And the people rose up all the day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered quails; he that gathered least, gathered ten measures; and they refreshed themselves round about the camp.

33 Adhuc carnes erant in dentibus eorum, nec defecerat huiuscemodi cibus: et ecce furor Domini concitatus in populum, percussit eum plaga magna nimis.

The flesh was yet between their teeth, before it failed, when the Lord was angry with the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague.

34 Vocatusque est ille locus, Sepulchra concupiscentiæ: ibi enim sepelierunt populum qui desideraverat.

And the name of that place was called the Graves of Lust; for there they buried the people that lusted.

35 Egressi autem de Sepulchris concupiscentiæ, venerunt in Haseroth, et manserunt ibi.

The people departed from the Graves of Lust to Aseroth; and the people halted at Aseroth.