Exodus 16
16
The Lord Sends Food from Heaven
1On the fifteenth day of the second month after the Israelites had escaped from Egypt, they left Elim and started through the western edge of the Sinai Desert#16.1 the western edge of the Sinai Desert: Hebrew “the Sin Desert.” in the direction of Mount Sinai. 2There in the desert they started complaining to Moses and Aaron, 3“We wish the Lord had killed us in Egypt. When we lived there, we could at least sit down and eat all the bread and meat we wanted. But you have brought us out here into this desert, where we are going to starve.”
4 #
Ws 16.20-29; Jn 6.31. The Lord said to Moses, “I will send bread#16.4 bread: This was something like a thin wafer, and it was called “manna,” which in Hebrew means, “What is it?” down from heaven like rain. Tell the people to go out each day and gather only enough for that day. That's how I will see if they obey me. 5But on the sixth day of each week they must gather and cook twice as much.”
6Moses and Aaron told the people, “This evening you will know that the Lord was the one who rescued you from Egypt. 7And in the morning you will see his glorious power, because he has heard your complaints against him. Why should you grumble to us? Who are we?”
8Then Moses continued, “You will know it is the Lord when he gives you meat each evening and more than enough bread each morning. He is really the one you are complaining about, not us—we are nobodies—but the Lord has heard your complaints.”
9Moses turned to Aaron and said, “Bring the people together, because the Lord has heard their complaints.”
10Aaron was speaking to them, when everyone looked out toward the desert and saw the bright glory of the Lord in a cloud. 11The Lord said to Moses, 12“I have heard my people complain. Now tell them that each evening they will have meat and each morning they will have more than enough bread. Then they will know that I am the Lord their God.”
13That evening a lot of quails came and landed everywhere in the camp, and the next morning dew covered the ground. 14After the dew had gone, the desert was covered with thin flakes that looked like frost. 15#1 Co 10.3. The people had never seen anything like this, and they started asking each other, “What is it?”#16.15 What is it: See the note at 16.4.
Moses answered, “This is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat. 16And he orders you to gather about two liters for each person in your family—that should be more than enough.”
17They did as they were told. Some gathered more and some gathered less. 18#2 Co 8.15. Everyone had exactly what they needed, just the right amount.
19Moses told them not to keep any overnight. 20Some of them disobeyed, but the next morning what they kept was stinking and full of worms, and Moses was angry.
21Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and in the heat of the day the rest melted. 22However, on the sixth day of the week, everyone gathered enough to have four liters, instead of two. When the leaders reported this to Moses, 23#Ex 20.8-11. he told them that the Lord had said, “Tomorrow is the Sabbath, a sacred day of rest in honor of me. So gather all you want to bake or boil, and make sure you save enough for tomorrow.”
24The people obeyed, and the next morning the food smelled fine and had no worms. 25“You may eat the food,” Moses said. “Today is the Sabbath in honor of the Lord, and there won't be any of this food on the ground today. 26You will find it there for the first six days of the week, but not on the Sabbath.”
27A few of the Israelites did go out to look for some, but there was none. 28Then the Lord said, “Moses, how long will you people keep disobeying my laws and teachings? 29Remember that I was the one who gave you the Sabbath. That's why on the sixth day I provide enough bread for two days. Everyone is to stay home and rest on the Sabbath.” 30And so they rested on the Sabbath.
31 #
Nu 11.7-9. The Israelites called the bread manna.#16.31 manna: See the note at 16.4. It was white like coriander seed and delicious as wafers made with honey. 32Moses told the people that the Lord had said, “Store up two liters of this manna, because I want future generations to see the food I gave you during the time you were in the desert after I rescued you from Egypt.”
33 #
He 9.4. Then Moses told Aaron, “Put some manna in a jar and store it in the place of worship for future generations to see.”
34Aaron followed the Lord's instructions and put the manna in front of the sacred chest for safekeeping. 35-36#Js 5.11,12. The Israelites ate manna for 40 years, before they came to the border of Canaan that was a settled land.#16.35,36 land: The Hebrew text adds, “An omer is one tenth of an ephah.” In the CEV “omer” is usually translated “two liters.”
Currently Selected:
Exodus 16: CEV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Exodus 16
16
1 THEY SET out from Elim, and all the congregation of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they left the land of Egypt.
2 And the whole congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,
3 And said to them, Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from the heavens for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law or not.
5 On the sixth day they shall prepare to bring in twice as much as they gather daily.
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all Israel, At evening you shall know that the Lord has brought you out from the land of Egypt,
7 And in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, for He hears your murmurings against the Lord. For what are we, that you murmur against us?
8 And Moses said, [This will happen] when the Lord gives you in the evening flesh to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumblings which you murmur against Him; what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.
9 And Moses said to Aaron, Say to all the congregation of Israel, Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your murmurings.
10 And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud!
11 The Lord said to Moses,
12 I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites; speak to them, saying, At twilight you shall eat meat, and between the two evenings you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.
13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning the dew lay round about the camp.
14 And when the dew had gone, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a fine, round and flakelike thing, as fine as hoarfrost on the ground.
15 When the Israelites saw it, they said one to another, Manna [What is it?]. For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. [John 6:31, 33.]
16 This is what the Lord has commanded: Let every man gather of it as much as he will need, an omer for each person, according to the number of your persons; take it, every man for those in his tent.
17 The [people] did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
18 When they measured it with an omer, he who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack; each gathered according to his need.
19 Moses said, Let none of it be left until morning.
20 But they did not listen to Moses; some of them left of it until morning, and it bred worms, became foul, and stank; and Moses was angry with them.
21 They gathered it every morning, each as much as he needed, for when the sun became hot it melted.
22 And on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each person; and all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.
23 He said to them, The Lord has said, Tomorrow is a solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake and boil what you will bake and boil today; and all that remains over put aside for you to keep until morning.
24 They laid it aside till morning, as Moses told them; and it did not become foul, neither was it wormy.
25 Moses said, Eat that today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you shall find none in the field.
26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there shall be none.
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
28 The Lord said to Moses, How long do you [people] refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?
29 See, the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore He gives you on the sixth day the bread for two days; let every man remain in his place; let no man leave his place on the seventh day.
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel called the bread manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted like wafers made with honey.
32 Moses said, This is what the Lord commands, Take an omer of it to be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread with which I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.
33 And Moses said to Aaron, Take a pot and put an omer of manna in it, and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations.
34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron laid it up before the Testimony to be kept [in the ark]. [Heb. 9:4.]
35 And the Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a habitable land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
36 (Now an omer is the tenth of an ephah.)
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation