Exodus 16

Manna and Quail from Heaven

16Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin

, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt.H5265H362H5712H1121H3478H935H4057H5512H362H5514H2568H6240H3117H8145H2320H3318H776H4714 2There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.H5712H1121H3478H3885H4872H175H4057 3"If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt," they moaned. "There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death."H1121H3478H559H4310H5414H4191H3027H3068H776H4714H3427H1320H5518H398H3899H7648H3318H4057H4191H6951H7458 4Then the LORD said to Moses, "Look, I'm going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.H559H3068H4872H4305H3899H8064H5971H3318H3950H1697H3117H3117H5254H3212H8451 5On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual."H8345H3117H3559H834H935H4932H3950H3117H3117 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "By evening you will realize it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt.H4872H175H559H1121H3478H6153H3045H3068H3318H776H4714 7In the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?"H1242H7200H3519H3068H8085H8519H3068H5168H3885H3885 8Then Moses added, "The LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the LORD, not against us."H4872H559H3068H5414H6153H1320H398H1242H3899H7646H3068H8085H8519H3885H5168H8519H3068 9Then Moses said to Aaron, "Announce this to the entire community of Israel: 'Present yourselves before the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.'"H4872H559H175H559H5712H1121H3478H7126H6440H3068H8085H8519 10And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the LORD in the cloud.H175H1696H5712H1121H3478H6437H4057H3519H3068H7200H6051 11Then the LORD said to Moses,H3068H1696H4872H559 12"I have heard the Israelites' complaints. Now tell them, 'In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'"H8085H8519H1121H3478H1696H559H996H6153H398H1320H1242H7646H3899H3045H3068H430 13That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew.H6153H7958H5927H3680H4264H1242H2919H7902H5439H4264 14When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground.H2919H7902H5927H6440H4057H1851H2636H1851H3713H776 15The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. "What is it?" they asked each other. They had no idea what it was. And Moses told them, "It is the food the LORD has given you to eat.H1121H3478H7200H559H376H251H4478H3045H4872H559H3899H3068H5414H402 16These are the LORD's instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts

for each person in your tent."H1697H834H3068H6680H3950H376H6310H400H6016H1538H4557H5315H3947H376H168 17So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little.H1121H3478H6213H3950H7235H4591 18But when they measured it out

, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.H4058H6016H7235H5736H4591H2637H3950H376H6310H400 19Then Moses told them, "Do not keep any of it until morning."H4872H559H376H3498H1242 20But some of them didn't listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.H8085H4872H582H3498H1242H7311H8438H887H4872H7107 21After this the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up melted and disappeared.H3950H1242H376H6310H400H8121H2552H4549 22On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual—four quarts

for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation.H8345H3117H3950H4932H3899H8147H6016H259H5387H5712H935H5046H4872 23He told them, "This is what the LORD commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the LORD. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow."H559H3068H1696H4279H7677H6944H7676H3068H644H644H1310H1310H3605H5736H3240H4931H1242 24So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor.H3240H1242H4872H6680H887H7415 25Moses said, "Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the LORD. There will be no food on the ground today.H4872H559H398H3117H3117H7676H3068H3117H4672H7704 26You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground that day."H8337H3117H3950H7637H3117H7676 27Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food.H3318H5971H7637H3117H3950H4672 28The LORD asked Moses, "How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions?H3068H559H4872H3985H8104H4687H8451 29They must realize that the Sabbath is the LORD's gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day."H7200H3068H5414H7676H5414H8345H3117H3899H3117H3427H376H376H3318H4725H7637H3117 30So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day.H5971H7673H7637H3117 31The Israelites called the food manna

. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.H1004H3478H7121H8034H4478H1407H2233H3836H2940H6838H1706 32Then Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: Fill a two-quart container with manna to preserve it for your descendants. Then later generations will be able to see the food I gave you in the wilderness when I set you free from Egypt."H4872H559H1697H3068H6680H4393H6016H4931H1755H7200H3899H398H4057H3318H776H4714 33Moses said to Aaron, "Get a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Then put it in a sacred place before the LORD to preserve it for all future generations."H4872H559H175H3947H259H6803H5414H6016H4393H4478H3240H6440H3068H4931H1755 34Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded Moses. He eventually placed it in the Ark of the Covenant—in front of the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant

.H3068H6680H4872H175H3240H6440H5715H4931 35So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.H1121H3478H398H4478H705H8141H935H776H3427H398H4478H935H7097H776H3667 36The container used to measure the manna was an omer, which was one tenth of an ephah; it held about two quarts

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