Numbers 11:10-29

¹⁰And Mosheh heard the people lamenting with their families, a man at the door of his tent. And the displeasure of the Lord grew very strong, as in the eyes of Mosheh it was evil.

¹¹And Mosheh said before the Lord, Wherefore hast Thou done painfully to Thy servant, and why have I not found mercy before Thee, that Thou hast put the burden of all this people upon me?

¹²Am I father to all this people, or are they my children, that Thou hast said to me, Carry them in thy strength, as the nurse carrieth the suckling, unto the land which Thou hast covenanted to their fathers?

¹³Whence shall I have flesh to give to all this people? For they lament to me, saying: Give us flesh to eat.

¹⁴I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.

¹⁵And if Thou do thus with me, kill me, I pray, if I have found mercy before Thee, that I may not see my wretchedness.

¹⁶And the Lord said to Mosheh, Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be elders of the people, and the overseers thereof, and bring them to the tabernacle of ordinance, and let them stand there with thee;

¹⁷And I will reveal Myself, and will speak with thee there; and I will make enlargement of the Spirit that is upon thee, and put it upon them, that they may bear with thee the burden of the people, and thou mayest not sustain it by thyself alone.

¹⁸And say thou to the people, Prepare yourselves for the morrow, and you shall eat flesh; for that you have lamented before the Lord, saying: Who will give us flesh, that we may eat? For it was better with us in Mizraim; and I will give you flesh, and you shall eat.

¹⁹Not one day shall you eat (it), nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days;

²⁰But for a month of days, until you loathe it, and it be an offence to you; because you have felt, dislike to the Word of the Lord, whose Shekinah dwelleth among you; and before whom you have wept, saying: Why came we out of Mizraim?

²¹But Mosheh said, The people among whom I am are six hundred thousand footmen; and Thou hast said, I will give them flesh to eat for a month of days.

²²Shall the oxen and sheep be slaughtered for them, to satisfy them, or all the fish of the sea be gathered that they may be satisfied?

²³And the Lord said to Mosheh: Is the Word of the Lord restrained? Now shalt thou see whether My saying come to pass with thee or not.

²⁴And Mosheh went forth, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered together seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.

²⁵And the Lord was revealed in the Cloud, and spake with him, and he made enlargement of the Spirit that was upon him, and imparted to the seventy men, the elders; and it came to pass that when the Spirit of prophecy rested upon them they prophesied, and ceased not.

²⁶But two men remained in the camp, the name of the one Eldad, and the name of the second Medad; and the Spirit of prophecy rested upon them; and, though they were in the writings, they had not come out of the camp; but they prophesied in the camp.

²⁷And a young man ran, and showed to Mosheh, and said: Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.

²⁸And Jehoshua bar Nun, the minister of Mosheh from his youth, answered and said, Ribboni Mosheh, put them in bond.

²⁹But Mosheh said, Art thou jealous for my sake? I would that all the people of the Lord did prophesy, and that the Lord would confer the Spirit of prophecy upon them.