The Wilderness Years

and now our soul is dry, there is not anything, save the manna, before our eyes.'

And the manna is as coriander seed, and its aspect as the aspect of bdolach;

the people have turned aside and gathered it , and ground it with millstones, or beat it in a mortar, and boiled it in a pan, and made it cakes, and its taste hath been as the taste of the moisture of oil.

And in the descending of the dew on the camp by night, the manna descendeth upon it.

And Moses heareth the people weeping by its families, each at the opening of his tent, and the anger of Jehovah burneth exceedingly, and in the eyes of Moses it is evil.

And Moses saith unto Jehovah, `Why hast Thou done evil to Thy servant? and why have I not found grace in Thine eyes--to put the burden of all this people upon me?

I--have I conceived all this people? I--have I begotten it, that Thou sayest unto me, Carry it in thy bosom as the nursing father beareth the suckling, unto the ground which Thou hast sworn to its fathers?

Whence have I flesh to give to all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give to us flesh, and we eat.

I am not able--I alone--to bear all this people, for it is too heavy for me;

and if thus Thou art doing to me--slay me, I pray Thee; slay, if I have found grace in thine eyes, and let me not look on mine affliction.'

And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou hast known that they are elders of the people, and its authorities; and thou hast taken them unto the tent of meeting, and they have stationed themselves there with thee,

and I have come down and spoken with thee there, and have kept back of the Spirit which is upon thee, and have put on them, and they have borne with thee some of the burden of the people, and thou dost not bear it thyself alone.

`And unto the people thou dost say, Sanctify yourselves for to-morrow, and ye have eaten flesh (for ye have wept in the ears of Jehovah, saying, Who doth give us flesh? for we had good in Egypt) --and Jehovah hath given to you flesh, and ye have eaten.

Ye do not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days; --

unto a month of days, till that it come out from your nostrils, and it hath become to you an abomination; because that ye have loathed Jehovah, who is in your midst, and weep before Him, saying, Why is this? --we have come out of Egypt!'

And Moses saith, `Six hundred thousand footmen are the people in whose midst I am ; and Thou, Thou hast said, Flesh I give to them, and they have eaten, a month of days!

Is flock and herd slaughtered for them, that one hath found for them? --are all the fishes of the sea gathered for them--that one hath found for them?'

And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Is the hand of Jehovah become short? now thou dost see whether My word meeteth thee or not.'

And Moses goeth out, and speaketh unto the people the words of Jehovah, and gathereth seventy men of the elders of the people, and causeth them to stand round about the tent,

and Jehovah cometh down in the cloud, and speaketh unto him, and keepeth back of the Spirit which is on him, and putteth on the seventy men of the elders; and it cometh to pass at the resting of the Spirit on them, that they prophesy, and do not cease.

And two of the men are left in the camp, the name of the one is Eldad, and the name of the second Medad, and the spirit resteth upon them, (and they are among those written, and have not gone out to the tent), and they prophesy in the camp;

and the young man runneth, and declareth to Moses, and saith, `Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.'

And Joshua son of Nun, minister of Moses, one of his young men, answereth and saith, `My lord Moses, restrain them.'

And Moses saith to him, `Art thou zealous for me? O that all Jehovah's people were prophets! that Jehovah would put His Spirit upon them!'

And Moses is gathered unto the camp, he and the elders of Israel.