Moses and the Burning Bush

3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro^(A) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian,^(B) and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,^(C) the mountain^(D) of God. ² There the angel of the Lord^(E) appeared to him in flames of fire^(F) from within a bush.^(G) Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called^(H) to him from within the bush,^(I) “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”^(J)

⁵ “Do not come any closer,”^(K) God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”^{(L) 6} Then he said, “I am the God of your father,^[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”^(M) At this, Moses hid^(N) his face, because he was afraid to look at God.^(O)

⁷ The Lord said, “I have indeed seen^(P) the misery^(Q) of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned^(R) about their suffering.^{(S) 8} So I have come down^(T) to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land,^(U) a land flowing with milk and honey^(V)—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites^(W) and Jebusites.^{(X) 9} And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing^(Y) them. ¹⁰ So now, go. I am sending^(Z) you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”^(AA)

¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I^(AB) that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

¹² And God said, “I will be with you.^(AC) And this will be the sign^(AD) to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you^[b] will worship God on this mountain.^(AE)”

¹³ Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’^(AF) Then what shall I tell them?”

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I am who I am.^[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am^(AG) has sent me to you.’”

¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord,^[d] the God of your fathers^(AH)—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob^(AI)—has sent me to you.’

¹⁶ “Go, assemble the elders^(AL) of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob^(AM)—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen^(AN) what has been done to you in Egypt. ¹⁷ And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt^(AO) into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—a land flowing with milk and honey.’^(AP)

¹⁸ “The elders of Israel will listen^(AQ) to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews,^(AR) has met^(AS) with us. Let us take a three-day journey^(AT) into the wilderness to offer sacrifices^(AU) to the Lord our God.’ ¹⁹ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand^(AV) compels him. ²⁰ So I will stretch out my hand^(AW) and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders^(AX) that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.^(AY)

²¹ “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed^(AZ) toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.^{(BA) 22} Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver^(BB) and gold^(BC) and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder^(BD) the Egyptians.”^(BE)

Fire From the Lord

11 Now the people complained^(A) about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord,^(B) and when he heard them his anger was aroused.^(C) Then fire from the Lord burned among them^(D) and consumed^(E) some of the outskirts of the camp. ² When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed^(F) to the Lord^(G) and the fire died down. ³ So that place was called Taberah,^[a](H) because fire from the Lord had burned among them.^(I)

Quail From the Lord

⁴ The rabble with them began to crave other food,^(J) and again the Israelites started wailing^(K) and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵ We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.^{(L) 6} But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!^(M)”

⁷ The manna was like coriander seed^(N) and looked like resin.^{(O) 8} The people went around gathering it,^(P) and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. ⁹ When the dew^(Q) settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

¹⁰ Moses heard the people of every family wailing^(R) at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. ¹¹ He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble^(S) on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me?^{(T) 12} Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant,^(U) to the land you promised on oath^(V) to their ancestors?^{(W) 13} Where can I get meat for all these people?^(X) They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me.^{(Y) 15} If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me^(Z)—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders^(AA) who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people.^(AB) Have them come to the tent of meeting,^(AC) that they may stand there with you. ¹⁷ I will come down and speak with you^(AD) there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them.^(AE) They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.^(AF)

¹⁸ “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves^(AG) in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed,^(AH) “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!”^(AI) Now the Lord will give you meat,^(AJ) and you will eat it. ¹⁹ You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, ²⁰ but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it^(AK)—because you have rejected the Lord,^(AL) who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”^(AM)

²¹ But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men^(AN) on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ ²² Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”^(AO)

²³ The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short?^(AP) Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.^(AQ)”

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud^(AR) and spoke with him,^(AS) and he took some of the power of the Spirit^(AT) that was on him and put it on the seventy elders.^(AU) When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied^(AV)—but did not do so again.

²⁶ However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them,^(AW) and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

²⁸ Joshua son of Nun,^(AX) who had been Moses’ aide^(AY) since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”^(AZ)

²⁹ But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets^(BA) and that the Lord would put his Spirit^(BB) on them!”^{(BC) 30} Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

³¹ Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail^(BD) in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits^[b] deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. ³² All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.^[c] Then they spread them out all around the camp. ³³ But while the meat was still between their teeth^(BE) and before it could be consumed, the anger^(BF) of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague.^{(BG) 34} Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,^[d](BH) because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

³⁵ From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth^(BI) and stayed there.