Exodus Chapter 16:
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Verses from Exodus, Chapter 16 of the book of Exodus of the Bible.
The manna and the quails
- 1. They departed from Elim, and the whole community of the Israelites arrived in the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month, after they left Egypt.
- 2. There, in the desert, the entire community of Israelites began to murmur against Moses and Aaron.
- 3. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in Egypt! There we sat around the meat pots and ate bread to our hearts' content, but you brought us to this desert to make this entire community starve.”
- 4. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. The people will go out and collect their daily portion daily, so that I can test whether they walk in my law or not.
- 5. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring, it will be double what they harvest daily.”
- 6. Then Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt,
- 7. and tomorrow you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings against the Lord. Who are we that you murmur against us?”
- 8. Moses continued: “In the evening the Lord will give you meat to eat, and tomorrow you will have plenty of bread, for the Lord has heard your murmurings against him. Who are we? You do not murmur against us, but against the Lord.”
- 9. Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, 'Come before the Lord, for he has heard your murmurings.'”
- 10. When Aaron spoke to the entire community of Israelites, they looked into the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
- 11. The Lord said to Moses:
- 12. “I heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them: 'In the twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.'”
- 13. In the afternoon of that day, a number of quails covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
- 14. When the dew evaporated, there was, on the surface of the desert, a tiny thing, like flakes of frost, like crystals.
- 15. When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is this?” Because they didn't know what it was. Moses said to them, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
- 16. This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Each of you take what you need, one omer per person, according to the number of people in each tent.'”
- 17. The Israelites did this and caught, some more, some less.
- 18. When measuring with the omer, there was nothing left for those who had taken more, nor was there anything missing for those who had taken less. Everyone took what they needed.
- 19. Moses said to them, “Let no one save anything for the next day.”
- 20. However, some did not obey Moses and kept part of it until the next day, but it bred worms and smelled bad. That's why Moses was angry with them.
- 21. Every day everyone collected an omer, and what was left didn't smell bad or have any bugs in it.
- 22. On the sixth day, they collected a double amount of food, two omers per person. The community leaders went to tell Moses about this,
- 23. and he said to them, “This is what the Lord said: 'Tomorrow is a day of rest, a Sabbath holy to the Lord. Bake what you bake and cook what you cook. Save whatever is left for the next morning.'”
- 24. So they kept it until the next day, as Moses had commanded, and it did not smell bad or have any worms.
- 25. Moses said, “Eat this today, for today is the Sabbath to the Lord. Today you will not find anything in the field.
- 26. For six days you will catch it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
- 27. However, on the seventh day, some of the people went to search, but they found nothing.
- 28. Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to obey my commandments and my laws?
- 29. Look! The Lord gave them the Sabbath. Therefore, on the sixth day, he gives them bread for two days. Everyone stay where they are; no one leaves his place on the seventh day.”
- 30. So the people rested on the seventh day.
- 31. The house of Israel called this food “manna.” It was white like coriander and tasted like honey cake.
- 32. Moses said, “This is what the Lord commanded: 'Fill an omer with manna, and keep it for future generations, so that they may see the bread that I gave them to eat in the wilderness when I brought them out of Egypt.'”
- 33. Then Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then deposit it before the Lord, so that it may be kept for future generations.”
- 34. As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron placed the jar before the ark of the covenant to be kept.
- 35. The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they reached an inhabited land; They ate manna until they reached the borders of Canaan.
- 36. The omer is the tenth part of the ephah.
