1 Yahweh Rains Bread from Heaven Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.
2 And the whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
3 And the sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of 16:3Or flesh meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to put this whole assembly to death with hunger.”
4 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “Behold, I will 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 or not they will walk in My 16:4Or instruction law.
5 Now it will be on the sixth day, they shall prepare what they bring in, and it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”
6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening 16:6Lit and you you will know that Yahweh has brought you out of the land of Egypt;
7 and in the morning 16:7Lit and you you will see the glory of Yahweh, for He hears your grumblings against Yahweh; and what are we, that you grumble against us?”Yahweh Gives Meat and Bread
8 And Moses said, “This will happenwhen Yahweh gives you 16:8Or flesh meat to eat in the evening and bread to the full in the morning; for Yahweh hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against Yahweh.”
9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before Yahweh, for He has heard your grumblings.’ ”
10 Now it happened as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they turned toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud.
11 And Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
12 “I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘ 16:12Lit Between the two evenings At twilight you shall eat 16:12Or flesh meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread, so that you shall know that I am Yahweh your God.’ ”
13 So it happened at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
14 Then the layer of dew 16:14Lit had gone up evaporated, and behold, on the 16:14Lit face of surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.
15 And the sons of Israel sawitand said to one another, “ 16:15Heb Man hu, sounds similar to manna; cf. 16:31 What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which Yahweh has given you to eat.
16 This is 16:16Lit the thing which what Yahweh has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man 16:16Lit according to his eating as much as he should eat; you shall take an 16:16Lit an omer for a head; an omer was approx.2.1qt. or2.3l omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’ ”
17 And the sons of Israel did so;somegathered much andsomelittle.
18 And they measured it with an 16:18An omer was approx.2.1qt. or2.3l omer, and he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered 16:18Lit according to his eating as much as he should eat.
19 And Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.”
20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.
21 So they gathered it morning by morning, every man 16:21Lit according to his eating as much as he should eat; but the sun would grow hot, and it would melt.Yahweh Gives Bread for Two Days
22 Now it happened that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. Then all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses.
23 And he said to them, “This is what Yahweh has spoken: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to Yahweh. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is in excess 16:23Lit lay up for you put aside to be kept until morning.”
24 So they 16:24Lit laid it up put it aside until morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.
25 And Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to Yahweh; today you will not find it in the field.
26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day,thesabbath, there will be 16:26Lit none on it none.”
27 Now it happened on the seventh day, that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.
28 Then Yahweh said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My 16:28Or instructions laws?
29 See, Yahweh has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 And the house of Israel named it 16:31Heb man, cf.16:15 manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey.
32 Then Moses said, “This is 16:32Lit the thing which what Yahweh has commanded, ‘Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that 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 omerful of manna in it, and place it before Yahweh to be kept throughout your generations.”
34 As Yahweh commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony to be kept.
35 And the sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.
36 (Now an 16:36 An omer was approx.2.1qt. or2.3l omer is a tenth of an 16:36 An ephah was approx. 21 qt. or 23 l ephah.)