16:1 When1 they journeyed from Elim, the entire company2 of Israelites came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodus3 from the land of Egypt. 16:2 And the entire company4 of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert. 16:3 And the Israelites said to them, “O that we had died5 by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by6 the pots of meat, and when we ate bread to the full;7 but you have brought us out into this desert to kill8 this whole assembly with hunger.
16:4 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “I am going to rain9 bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out10 and gather a certain amount day by day, that I may prove them,11 whether12 they will walk in my law13 or not. 16:5 And on the sixth day14 they will prepare that which they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather day by day.”15
16:6 And Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening16 you will know that Yahweh has brought you out of the land of Egypt. 16:7 And in the morning you will see17 the glory18 of Yahweh, because he heard19 your murmurings against Yahweh. And what are we,20 that you should murmur against us?”
16:8 And Moses said, “You will know this21 when Yahweh gives you22 in the evening meat to eat, and bread in the morning to satisfy you, because Yahweh heard your murmurings which you are murmuring against him. And what are we? Your murmurings are not against us,23 but against Yahweh.”
16:9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the community24 of the Israelites,
‘Come25 before Yahweh, because he has heard your murmurings.’”
16:10 And as Aaron spoke26 to the whole community27 of the Israelites, they looked toward the desert, and there the glory of Yahweh28 appeared29 in the cloud. 16:11 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 16:12 “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Speak to them saying, ‘During the evening30 you will eat flesh,31 and in the morning you will be satisfied32 with bread, that you might know33 that I am Yahweh your God.”34
16:13 And in the evening the quail35 came up and covered the camp; and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp. 16:14 When36 the layer of dew had gone up,37 there was on the surface of the desert a small round thing,38 small like the frost on the earth. 16:15 When39 the Israelites saw it, they said to one another,40 “What is it?” because they did not know what it was.41 And Moses said to them, “It is the bread42 that Yahweh has given to you for food.43
16:16 This is what44 Yahweh has commanded:45 ‘Each person is to gather46 from it what he can eat, an omer47 per person48 according to the number49 of your people;50 each one will take for whoever lives51 in his tent’.” 16:17 And the Israelites did so; and they gathered, some more, some less. 16:18 When52 they measured with an omer, the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one gathered what he could eat.
16:19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one53 keep any of it54 until morning.” 16:20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some55 kept part of it until morning. It56 was full57 of worms and began to stink. And Moses was angry with them. 16:21 So they gathered it morning by morning,58 each person according to what he could eat; and when the sun got hot, it melted.59 16:22 And60 on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers61 per person;62 and all the leaders63 of the community64 came and told65 Moses. 16:23 And he said to them, “This is what Yahweh has said: ‘Tomorrow is a time of cessation,66 a holy sabbath67 to Yahweh. Whatever you want to68 bake, bake today;69 and whatever you want to boil, boil today; and whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning’.”
16:24 So they put it aside until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink, neither was there any worm in it. 16:25 And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to Yahweh; today you will not find it in the area.70 16:26 Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will not be any.”
16:27 And on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found nothing. 16:28 So Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse71 to keep my commandments and my instructions? 16:29 See, because Yahweh has given you the sabbath, that is why72 he is giving you on the sixth day food for two days. So73 each of you stay where he is;74 let no one75 go out of his place on the seventh day.” 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
16:31 So the Israelites76 called its name “manna”;77 now it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers and honey.
16:32 Then Moses said, “This is what78 Yahweh has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it to be kept79 for generations to come,80 so that they may see81 the food which I fed you in the desert, when I brought you out from the land of Egypt’.” 16:33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put in it an omer full of manna, and place it before Yahweh to be kept for generations to come.” 16:34 Just as Yahweh commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony82 for safe keeping.83
16:35 Now 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. 16:36 Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.84