Exodus 16

Bread from Heaven

1 They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt.2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,3 and the people of Israel said to them, "Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots 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 am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily."6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, "At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt,7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?"8 And Moses said, "When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord."

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, 'Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.'"10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.11 And the Lord said to Moses,12 "I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.'"

13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?"t For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.16 This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer,t according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.'"17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less.18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat.19 And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it over till the morning."20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,23 he said to them, "This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.'"24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it.25 Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field.26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none."

27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.28 And the Lord said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?29 See! The Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day."30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 Now the house of Israel called its name manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.32 Moses said, "This is what the Lord has commanded: 'Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, so 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 jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations."34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the testimony to be kept.35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.36 (An omer is the tenth part of an ephah.)t

Exodus 16

The Provision of Manna

1 s Whent they journeyed from Elim, the entire companyt of Israelites came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their exodust from the land of Egypt.2 The entire companyt of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert.

3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had diedt by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat byt the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full,s for you have brought us out into this desert to killt this whole assembly with hunger!”
4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to raint bread from heaven for you, and the people will go outt and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them.t Will they will walk in my laws or not?

5 On the sixth dayt they will prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather every other day.”s
6 Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the eveningts you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt,

7 and in the morning you will seet the glory of the Lord, because he has heardt your murmurings against the Lord. As for us, what are we,t that you should murmur against us?”

8 Moses said, “You will know thist when the Lord gives yout 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?t Your murmurings are not against us,t but against the Lord.”

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole communityt of the Israelites, ‘Comet before the Lord, because he has heard your murmurings.’”
10 As Aaron spoket to the whole community of the Israelites and they looked toward the desert, there the glory of the Lords appearedt in the cloud,11 and the Lord spoke to Moses:

12 “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘During the eveningt you will eat meat,s and in the morning you will be satisfiedt with bread, so that you may knowt that I am the Lord your God.’”s
13 In the evening the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp.14 Whent the layer of dew had evaporated,t there on the surface of the desert was a thin flaky substance,s thin like frost on the earth.

15 Whent the Israelites saw it, they said to one another,t “What is it?” because they did not know what it was.t Moses said to them, “It is the breads that the Lord has given you for food.s
16 “This is whatt the Lord has commanded:t ‘Each person is to gathert from it what he can eat, an omers per persont according to the numbert of your people;t each one will pick it upt for whoever livest in his tent.’”17 The Israelites did so, and they gathered – some more, some less.

18 Whent 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.
19 Moses said to them, “No onet is to keep any of itt until morning.”20 But they did not listen to Moses; somet kept part of it until morning, and it was fullt of worms and began to stink, and Moses was angry with them.21 So they gathered it each morning,t each person according to what he could eat, and when the sun got hot, it would melt.t22 Andt on the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omerst per person;t and all the leaderst of the communityt came and tolds Moses.

23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a time of cessation from work,t a holy Sabbatht to the Lord. Whatever you want tot bake, bake today;t whatever you want to boil, boil today; whatever is left put aside for yourselves to be kept until morning.’”
24 So they put it aside until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it.25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the area.t

26 Six days you will gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather it, but they found nothing.28 So the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuset to obey my commandments and my instructions?29 See, because the Lord has given you the Sabbath, that is whys he is giving you food for two days on the sixth day. Each of you stay where you are;t let no onet go out of his place on the seventh day.”

30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 The house of Israels called its name “manna.”t It was like coriander seed and was white, and it tastedt like wafers with honey.
32 Moses said, “This is whatt the Lord has commanded: ‘Fill an omer with it to be keptt for generations to come,t so that they may seet the food I fed you in the desert when I brought you out from the land of Egypt.’”33 Moses 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.”

34 Just as the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimonys for safekeeping.t
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.

36 (Now an omer is one tenth of an ephah.)ts