The LORD Sends Quails

111 Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord ; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled , and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp . 2 The people therefore cried out to Moses , and Moses prayed to the Lord and the fire died out. 3 So the name of that place was called Taberah , because the fire of the Lord burned among them.

4 The rabble who were among them had greedy desires e ; and also the sons of Israel wept again and said , " Who will give us meat to eat ? 5 " We remember the fish which we used to eat free in Egypt , the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic , 6 but now our appetite is gone . There is nothing at all to look at except this manna ." 7 Now the manna was like coriander seed , and its appearance like that of bdellium . 8 The people would go about and gather it and grind it between two millstones or beat it in the mortar , and boil it in the pot and make cakes with it; and its taste was as the taste of cakes baked with oil . 9 When the dew fell on the camp at night , the manna would fall with it. 10 Now Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families , each man at the doorway of his tent ; and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly , and Moses was displeased e . 11 So Moses said to the Lord , "Why have You been so hard on Your servant ? And why have I not found favor in Your sight , that You have laid the burden of all this people on me? 12 "Was it I who conceived all this people ? Was it I who brought them forth , that You should say to me, 'Carry them in your bosom as a nurse carries a nursing infant , to the land which You swore to their fathers '? 13 "Where e am I to get meat to give to all this people ? For they weep before me, saying , 'Give us meat that we may eat !' 14 " I alone am not able to carry all this people , because it is too burdensome for me. 15 " So if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once , if I have found favor in Your sight , and do not let me see my wretchedness ."

16 The Lord therefore said to Moses , "Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel , whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting , and let them take their stand there with you. 17 " Then I will come down and speak with you there , and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone . 18 "Say to the people , ' Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow , and you shall eat meat ; for you have wept in the ears of the Lord , saying , "Oh that someone would give us meat to eat ! For we were well-off in Egypt ." Therefore the Lord will give you meat and you shall eat . 19 'You shall eat , not one day , nor two days , nor five days , nor ten days , nor twenty days , 20 but a whole month , until e it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you; because e you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before Him, saying , "Why did we ever leave e Egypt ?""' 21 But Moses said , "The people , among whom I am, are 600,000 e e on foot ; yet You have said , 'I will give them meat , so that they may eat for a whole month .' 22 "Should flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to be sufficient for them? Or should all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to be sufficient for them?" 23 The Lord said to Moses , "Is the Lord'S power limited ? Now you shall see whether My word will come true for you or not."

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord . Also, he gathered seventy men of the elders of the people , and stationed them around the tent . 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him; and He took of the Spirit who was upon him and placed Him upon the seventy elders . And when the Spirit rested upon them, they prophesied . But they did not do it again . 26 But two men had remained in the camp ; the name of one was Eldad and the name of the other Medad . And the Spirit rested upon them (now they were among those who had been registered , but had not gone out to the tent ), and they prophesied in the camp . 27 So a young man ran and told Moses and said , "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp ." 28 Then Joshua the son of Nun , the attendant of Moses from his youth , said , " Moses , my lord , restrain them." 29 But Moses said to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would e that all the Lord'S people were prophets , that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!" 30 Then Moses returned to the camp , both he and the elders of Israel .

31 Now there went forth a wind from the Lord and it brought quail from the sea , and let them fall beside the camp , about a day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side , all around the camp and about two cubits deep on the surface of the ground . 32 The people spent all day and all night and all the next day , and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers ) and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp . 33 While the meat was still between their teeth , before it was chewed , the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people , and the Lord struck the people with a very severe plague . 34 So the name of that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah , because there they buried the people who had been greedy . 35 From Kibroth-hattaavah the people set out for Hazeroth , and they remained at Hazeroth .

The Number and Duties of the Levites

31 Now these are the records of the generations of Aaron and Moses at the time when the Lord spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai . 2 These then are the names of the sons of Aaron : Nadab the firstborn , and Abihu , Eleazar and Ithamar . 3 These are the names of the sons of Aaron , the anointed priests , whom he ordained e to serve as priests . 4 But Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord when they offered strange fire before the Lord in the wilderness of Sinai ; and they had no children . So Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests in the lifetime of their father Aaron . 5 Then the Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 6 " Bring the tribe of Levi near and set them before Aaron the priest , that they may serve him. 7 "They shall perform the duties for him and for the whole congregation before the tent of meeting , to do the service of the tabernacle . 8 "They shall also keep all the furnishings of the tent of meeting , along with the duties of the sons of Israel , to do the service of the tabernacle . 9 "You shall thus give the Levites to Aaron and to his sons ; they are wholly given to him from among the sons of Israel . 10 "So you shall appoint Aaron and his sons that they may keep their priesthood , but the layman who comes near shall be put to death ." 11 Again the Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 12 "Now, behold , I have taken the Levites from among the sons of Israel instead of every firstborn , the first issue of the womb among the sons of Israel . So the Levites shall be Mine. 13 "For all the firstborn are Mine; on the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt , I sanctified to Myself all the firstborn in Israel , from man to beast . They shall be Mine; I am the Lord ."

14 Then the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai , saying , 15 " Number the sons of Levi by their fathers' households , by their families ; every male from a month old and upward you shall number ." 16 So Moses numbered them according to the word of the Lord , just as he had been commanded . 17 These then are the sons of Levi by their names : Gershon and Kohath and Merari . 18 These are the names of the sons of Gershon by their families : Libni and Shimei ; 19 and the sons of Kohath by their families : Amram and Izhar , Hebron and Uzziel ; 20 and the sons of Merari by their families : Mahli and Mushi . These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers' households . 21 Of Gershon was the family of the Libnites and the family of the Shimeites ; these were the families of the Gershonites . 22 Their numbered men, in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward , even their numbered men were 7,500 e e e . 23 The families of the Gershonites were to camp behind the tabernacle westward , 24 and the leader of the fathers' households of the Gershonites was Eliasaph the son of Lael . 25 Now the duties of the sons of Gershon in the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle and the tent , its covering , and the screen for the doorway of the tent of meeting , 26 and the hangings of the court , and the screen for the doorway of the court which is around the tabernacle and the altar , and its cords , according to all the service concerning them. 27 Of Kohath was the family of the Amramites and the family of the Izharites and the family of the Hebronites and the family of the Uzzielites ; these were the families of the Kohathites . 28 In the numbering of every male from a month old and upward , there were 8,600 e e , performing the duties of the sanctuary . 29 The families of the sons of Kohath were to camp on the southward side of the tabernacle , 30 and the leader of the fathers' households of the Kohathite families was Elizaphan the son of Uzziel . 31 Now their duties involved the ark , the table , the lampstand , the altars , and the utensils of the sanctuary with which they minister , and the screen , and all the service concerning them; 32 and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest was the chief of the leaders of Levi , and had the oversight of those who perform the duties of the sanctuary . 33 Of Merari was the family of the Mahlites and the family of the Mushites ; these were the families of Merari . 34 Their numbered men in the numbering of every male from a month old and upward , were 6,200 e e . 35 The leader of the fathers' households of the families of Merari was Zuriel the son of Abihail . They were to camp on the northward side of the tabernacle . 36 Now the appointed duties of the sons of Merari involved the frames of the tabernacle , its bars , its pillars , its sockets , all its equipment , and the service concerning them, 37 and the pillars around the court with their sockets and their pegs and their cords . 38 Now those who were to camp before the tabernacle eastward , before the tent of meeting toward the sunrise , are Moses and Aaron and his sons , performing the duties of the sanctuary for the obligation of the sons of Israel ; but the layman coming near was to be put to death . 39 All the numbered men of the Levites , whom Moses and Aaron numbered at the command of the Lord by their families , every male from a month old and upward , were 22,000 e e .

The Redemption of the Firstborn

40 Then the Lord said to Moses , " Number every firstborn male of the sons of Israel from a month old and upward , and make a list of their names . 41 "You shall take the Levites for Me, I am the Lord , instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel , and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the cattle of the sons of Israel ." 42 So Moses numbered all the firstborn among the sons of Israel , just as the Lord had commanded him; 43 and all the firstborn males by the number of names from a month old and upward , for their numbered men were 22,273 e e e e e . 44 Then the Lord spoke to Moses , saying , 45 " Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the sons of Israel and the cattle of the Levites . And the Levites shall be Mine; I am the Lord . 46 " For the ransom of the 273 e e of the firstborn of the sons of Israel who are in excess beyond the Levites , 47 you shall take five shekels apiece , per head ; you shall take them in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary ( the shekel is twenty gerahs ), 48 and give the money , the ransom of those who are in excess among them, to Aaron and to his sons ." 49 So Moses took the ransom money from those who were in excess , beyond those ransomed by the Levites ; 50 from the firstborn of the sons of Israel he took the money in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary , 1,365 e e e e . 51 Then Moses gave the ransom money to Aaron and to his sons , at the command of the Lord , just as the Lord had commanded Moses .