Exodus 16

1 The whole Israelite community left Elim and went to the Desert of Sin, between Elim and Sinai. This was on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt.

They took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out of the land of Egypt.

2 There in the desert they complained to Moses and Aaron.

The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness;

3 “The Lord should've killed us back in Egypt!” the Israelites told them. “At least there we could sit down beside stewpots of meat and eat bread until we were full. But you had to bring all of us out here in the desert to starve us all to death!”

and the children of Israel said to them, “We wish that we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4 The Lord told Moses, “Just watch! I'm going to rain down bread from heaven for you! Each day the people are to go out and collect enough for that day. I'm going to test them by this to find out whether they'll follow my instructions or not.

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from the sky for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

5 On the sixth day they are to collect twice as much as usual and prepare it.”

It shall come to pass on the sixth day, that they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily.”

6 So Moses and Aaron explained to all the Israelites, “This evening you will have the proof that it was the Lord who led you out of Egypt,

Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, “At evening, you shall know that the LORD has brought you out from the land of Egypt.

7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord displayed as he responds to the complaints he's heard you making against him. For why should you be complaining to us? We're nobodies!”

In the morning, you shall see the LORD’s glory; because he hears your murmurings against the LORD. Who are we, that you murmur against us?”

8 Then Moses continued, “The Lord is going to give you meat to eat this evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, for he has heard your complaints against him. Why are you complaining to us nobodies? Your complaints aren't directed against us, but against the Lord.”

Moses said, “Now the LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you, because the LORD hears your murmurings which you murmur against him. And who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.”

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole Israelite community, ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, because he has heard your complaints.’”

Moses said to Aaron, “Tell all the congregation of the children of Israel, ‘Come close to the LORD, for he has heard your murmurings.’”

10 While Aaron was still speaking to all the Israelites, they looked toward the desert and saw the glory of the Lord appear in a cloud.

As Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the children of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the LORD’s glory appeared in the cloud.

11 The Lord told Moses,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

12 “I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘In the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will have as much bread as you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

“I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.’”

13 That evening quail flew in and landed, filling the camp. In the morning dew covered the ground all around the camp.

In the evening, quail came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay around the camp.

14 Once the dew had gone, there was something thin and flaky on the desert, looking like frost crystals on the ground.

When the dew that lay had gone, behold, on the surface of the wilderness was a small round thing, small as the frost on the ground.

15 When the Israelites saw it, they asked each another, “What is it?” because they had no idea what it was. So Moses explained to them, “It's the bread the Lord has provided for you to eat.

When the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they didn’t know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.

16 This is what the Lord has ordered you to do: ‘All of you shall collect as much as is needed. Take an omer for each person in your tent.’”

This is the thing which the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather of it everyone according to his eating; an omer a head, according to the number of your persons, you shall take it, every man for those who are in his tent.’”

17 So the Israelites did as they were told. Some collected more, while others collected less.

The children of Israel did so, and some gathered more, some less.

18 But when they measured it out in omers, those who had collected a lot didn't have any left over, while those who had only collected a little still had enough. Each person collected gathered as much as they needed to eat.

When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack. They each gathered according to his eating.

19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to leave any of it until the morning.”

Moses said to them, “Let no one leave of it until the morning.”

20 But some didn't listen to Moses. They did leave some of it until the morning, and it was full of maggots and smelled bad. Moses became angry with them.

Notwithstanding they didn’t listen to Moses, but some of them left of it until the morning, so it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.

21 So each morning everyone collected as much as they needed, and when the sun became hot, it melted away to nothing.

They gathered it morning by morning, everyone according to his eating. When the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 However, on the sixth day, they collected twice as much of this food, two omers for each person. All the Israelite leaders came and told Moses what they had done.

On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one; and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses.

23 Moses replied, “These are the Lord's instructions: ‘Tomorrow is a special day of rest, a holy Sabbath to honor the Lord. So bake what you want, and boil what you want. Then put to one side what's left and keep it until morning.’”

He said to them, “This is that which the LORD has spoken, ‘Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake that which you want to bake, and boil that which you want to boil; and all that remains over lay up for yourselves to be kept until the morning.’”

24 So they kept it until morning as Moses had ordered, and it didn't smell bad or have any maggots.

They laid it up until the morning, as Moses ordered, and it didn’t become foul, and there were no worms in it.

25 Moses told them, “Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath to honor the Lord. Today you won't find anything out there.

Moses said, “Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you shall not find it in the field.

26 You can go out collecting for six days, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, it won't be there.”

Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day is the Sabbath. In it there shall be none.”

27 However, on the seventh day some people still went out collecting, but they did not find anything.

On the seventh day, some of the people went out to gather, and they found none.

28 The Lord told Moses, “How long are you going to refuse to obey my commands and instructions?

The LORD said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?

29 You need to understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath, so on the sixth day he will provide you with food for two days. On the seventh day, everyone has to stay where they are—no one needs to go out.”

Behold, because the LORD has given you the Sabbath, therefore he gives you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Everyone stay in his place. Let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.”

30 So the people did no work on the seventh day.

So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers with honey.

The house of Israel called its name “Manna”, and it was like coriander seed, white; and its taste was like wafers with honey.

32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has ordered: ‘Keep an omer of manna as a reminder for future generations, so that they can see the food I used to feed you in the desert when I led you out of Egypt.’”

Moses said, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, ‘Let an omer-full of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”

33 So Moses told Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept as a reminder for future generations.”

Moses said to Aaron, “Take a pot, and put an omer-full of manna in it, and lay it up before the LORD, to be kept throughout your generations.”

34 Aaron did so and placed the jar in front of the Testimony, to be preserved just as the Lord had ordered Moses.

As the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron laid it up before the Testimony, to be kept.

35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to the land where they would settle down—they ate manna until they arrived at the border of Canaan.

The children of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate the manna until they came to the borders of the land of Canaan.

36 (An omer is a tenth of an ephah.)

Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.