16:11 When2 they journeyed from Elim, the entire company3 of Israelites came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus4 from the land of Egypt. 16:2 And the entire company5 of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert. 16:3 The Israelites said to them, “Oh that we had died6 by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by7 the pots of meat, and when we ate bread to the full!8 But you have brought us out into this desert to kill9 this whole assembly with hunger!”
16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain10 bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out11 and gather a certain amount each day, that I may test them,12 whether13 they will walk in my law14 or not. 16:5 And on the sixth day15 they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather each day.”16
16:6 And Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening17 you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt. 16:7 And in the morning you will see18 the glory19 of the Lord, because he heard20 your murmurings against the Lord. And what are we,21 that you should murmur against us?”
16:8 And Moses said, “You will know this22 when the Lord gives you23 meat to eat in the evening, and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the Lord heard your murmurings that you are murmuring against him. And what are we? Your murmurings are not against us,24 but against the Lord.”
16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community25 of the Israelites, ‘Come26 before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.’”
16:10 And as Aaron spoke27 to the whole community28 of the Israelites, they looked toward the desert, and there the glory of the Lord29 appeared30 in the cloud. 16:11 Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 16:12 “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘During the evening31 you will eat flesh,32 and in the morning you will be satisfied33 with bread, so that you may know34 that I am the Lord your God.”35
16:13 And in the evening the quail36 came up and covered the camp; and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. 16:14 When37 the layer of dew had evaporated,38 there were small round things39 on the surface of the desert, small like the frost on the earth. 16:15 When40 the Israelites saw it, they said to one another,41 “What is it?” because they did not know what it was.42 And Moses said to them, “It is the bread43 that the Lord has given you for food.44
16:16 “This is what45 the Lord has commanded:46 ‘Each person is to gather47 from it what he can eat, an omer48 per person49 according to the number50 of your people;51 each one will pick it up52 for whoever lives53 in his tent.’” 16:17 And the Israelites did so, and they gathered—some more, some less. 16:18 When54 they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one gathered what he could eat.
16:19 And Moses said to them, “No one55 is to keep any of it56 until morning.” 16:20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some57 kept part of it until morning. It58 was full59 of worms and began to stink. And Moses was angry with them. 16:21 So they gathered it each morning,60 each person according to what he could eat; and when the sun got hot, it melted.61 16:22 And62 on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers63 per person;64 and all the leaders65 of the community66 came and told67 Moses. 16:23 And he said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a time of cessation,68 a holy Sabbath69 to the Lord. Whatever you want to70 bake, bake today;71 and whatever you want to boil, boil today; and whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.’”
16:24 So they put it aside until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink, nor was there any worm in it. 16:25 And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the area.72 16:26 Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”
16:27 And on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they found nothing. 16:28 So the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse73 to obey my commandments and my instructions? 16:29 See, because the Lord has given you the Sabbath, that is why74 he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. So75 each of you stay where he is;76 let no one77 go out of his place on the seventh day.” 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
16:31 So the Israelites78 called its name “manna.”79 Now it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted80 like wafers and honey.
16:32 Then Moses said, “This is what81 the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it to be kept82 for generations to come,83 so that they may see84 the food I fed you in the desert when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’” 16:33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put in it an omer full of manna, and place it before the Lord to be kept for generations to come.” 16:34 Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony85 for safekeeping.86
16:35 Now the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was inhabited; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. 16:36 Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.87
Water at Massa and Meribah