¹ And the people were as murmurers, speaking evil in the ears of HaShem; and when HaShem heard it, His anger was kindled; and the fire of HaShem burnt among them, and devoured in the uttermost part of the camp.

² And the people cried unto Moses; and Moses prayed unto HaShem, and the fire abated.

³ And the name of that place was called Taberah,¹ because the fire of HaShem burnt among them.

1. That is, Burning.

⁴ And the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting; and the children of Israel also wept on their part, and said: 'Would that we were given flesh to eat!

⁵ We remember the fish, which we were wont to eat in Egypt for nought; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic;

⁶ but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all; we have nought save this manna to look to.'--

⁷ Now the manna was like coriander seed, and the appearance thereof as the appearance of bdellium.

⁸ The people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in mortars, and seethed it in pots, and made cakes of it; and the taste of it was as the taste of a cake baked with oil.

⁹ And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.--

¹⁰ And Moses heard the people weeping, family by family, every man at the door of his tent; and the anger of HaShem was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.

¹¹ And Moses said unto HaShem: 'Wherefore hast Thou dealt ill with Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in Thy sight, that Thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?

¹² Have I conceived all this people? have I brought them forth, that Thou shouldest say unto me: Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing-father carrieth the sucking child, unto the land which Thou didst swear unto their fathers?

¹³ Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they trouble me with their weeping, saying: Give us flesh, that we may eat.

¹⁴ I am not able to bear all this people myself alone, because it is too heavy for me.

¹⁵ And if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in Thy sight; and let me not look upon my wretchedness.'

¹⁶ And HaShem said unto Moses: 'Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with thee.

¹⁷ And I will come down and speak with thee there; and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.

¹⁸ And say thou unto the people: Sanctify yourselves against to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh; for ye have wept in the ears of HaShem, saying: Would that we were given flesh to eat! for it was well with us in Egypt; therefore HaShem will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.

¹⁹ Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;

²⁰ but a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you; because that ye have rejected HaShem who is among you, and have troubled Him with weeping, saying: Why, now, came we forth out of Egypt?'

²¹ And Moses said: 'The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand men on foot; and yet Thou hast said: I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month!

²² If flocks and herds be slain for them, will they suffice them? or if all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, will they suffice them?'

²³ And HaShem said unto Moses: 'Is HaShem'S hand waxed short? now shalt thou see whether My word shall come to pass unto thee or not.'

²⁴ And Moses went out, and told the people the words of HaShem; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the Tent.

²⁵ And HaShem came down in the cloud, and spoke unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and put it upon the seventy elders; and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, but they did so no more.

²⁶ But there remained two men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad; and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were recorded, but had not gone out unto the Tent; and they prophesied in the camp.

²⁷ And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said: 'Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.'

²⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses from his youth up, answered and said: 'My lord Moses, shut them in.'

²⁹ And Moses said unto him: 'Art thou jealous for my sake? would that all HaShem'S people were prophets, that HaShem would put His spirit upon them!'

³⁰ And Moses withdrew into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.

³¹ And there went forth a wind from HaShem, and brought across quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits above the face of the earth.

³² And the people rose up all that day, and all the night, and all the next day, and gathered the quails; he that gathered least gathered ten heaps; and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.

³³ While the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the anger of HaShem was kindled against the people, and HaShem smote the people with a very great plague.

³⁴ And the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah,¹ because there they buried the people that lusted.

1. That is, The graves of lust.

³⁵ From Kibroth-hattaavah the people journeyed unto Hazeroth; and they abode at Hazeroth.