| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1When they journeyed from Elim, the entire company of Israelites came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus from the land of Egypt. | 1Then 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. |
| 2The entire company of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert. | 2There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. |
| 3The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this desert to kill this whole assembly with hunger!" | 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.” |
| 4Then the LORD said to Moses, "I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them. Will they will walk in my law or not? | 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. |
| 5On the sixth day they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather every other day." | 5On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” |
| 6Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, "In the evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt, | 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. |
| 7and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your murmurings against the LORD. As for us, what are we, that you should murmur against us?" | 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?” |
| 8Moses said, "You will know this when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because the LORD has heard your murmurings that you are murmuring against him. As for us, what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD." | 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.” |
| 9Then Moses said to Aaron, "Tell the whole community of the Israelites, 'Come before the LORD, because he has heard your murmurings.'" | 9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the LORD, for he has heard your complaining.’” |
| 10As Aaron spoke to the whole community of the Israelites and they looked toward the desert, there the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud, | 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. |
| 11and the LORD spoke to Moses: | 11Then the LORD said to Moses, |
| 12"I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, 'During the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread, so that you may know that I am the LORD your God.'" | 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.’” |
| 13In the evening the quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. | 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. |
| 14When the layer of dew had evaporated, there on the surface of the desert was a thin flaky substance, thin like frost on the earth. | 14When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. |
| 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" because they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the LORD has given you for food. | 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. |
| 16"This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Each person is to gather from it what he can eat, an omer per person according to the number of your people; each one will pick it up for whoever lives in his tent.'" | 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.” |
| 17The Israelites did so, and they gathered--some more, some less. | 17So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. |
| 18When they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one had gathered what he could eat. | 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. |
| 19Moses said to them, "No one is to keep any of it until morning." | 19Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” |
| 20But they did not listen to Moses; some kept part of it until morning, and it was full of worms and began to stink, and Moses was angry with them. | 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. |
| 21So they gathered it each morning, each person according to what he could eat, and when the sun got hot, it would melt. | 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. |
| 22And on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers per person; and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses. | 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. |
| 23He said to them, "This is what the LORD has said: 'Tomorrow is a time of cessation from work, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Whatever you want to bake, bake today; whatever you want to boil, boil today; whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.'" | 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.” |
| 24So they put it aside until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it. | 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. |
| 25Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the area. | 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. |
| 26Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any." | 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.” |
| 27On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they found nothing. | 27Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food. |
| 28So the LORD said to Moses, "How long do you refuse to obey my commandments and my instructions? | 28The LORD asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? |
| 29See, because the LORD has given you the Sabbath, that is why he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day." | 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.” |
| 30So the people rested on the seventh day. | 30So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day. |
| 31The house of Israel called its name "manna." It was like coriander seed and was white, and it tasted like wafers with honey. | 31The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers. |
| 32Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Fill an omer with it to be kept for generations to come, so that they may see the food I fed you in the desert when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.'" | 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.” |
| 33Moses 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." | 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.” |
| 34Just as the LORD commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony for safekeeping. | 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. |
| 35Now 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. | 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. |
| 36(Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.) | 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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