Numbers 11:4-15

4Some foreign people were travelling with the Israelites. Those people wanted very much to eat better food. So the Israelites wept again. They said, ‘We want meat to eat!

5We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt. We had as much as we wanted. And we remember all the nice vegetables, cucumbers, leeks, onions and garlic. And we remember the melons.

6But now our mouths are dry and we do not want to eat this food. There is not even anything to look at, except this manna.’

7The manna was like small seeds called coriander. Its colour was yellow and white.

8The people walked about and they picked it up from the ground. They used stones to make it into flour. Or they beat it with a stick. They boiled it in pots, and they made cakes with it. The taste of the cakes was like olive oil.

9At night, dew fell on the ground in the camp. The manna fell with the dew.

10People in every family were crying at the doors of their tents. And Moses heard them. The Lord became very angry with the people. Moses too was not happy.

11So Moses said to the Lord, ‘I am your servant. But you have given this problem to me! It seems that you are not pleased with me. You have given to me the hard job to be leader of all these people.

12They are not my children! But you have said to me, “Take care of them like parents take care of their babies. Carry them to the land that I have promised to their ancestors.”

13They are complaining to me. They are saying, “Give us meat that we can eat!” But I cannot get meat to feed all these people!

14I cannot be the leader of all these people unless I receive help. This job is too difficult for me.

15So if you do not want to help me, please kill me now. I do not want to continue to be so upset. So please be kind to me.’