Exodus 16

The Lord Provides Manna

1Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of 1Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on 2the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2The whole congregation of the sons of Israel 3grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The sons of Israel said to them, “4Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, 5when we sat by the pots of 6meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, 7I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may 8test them, whether or not they will walk in My 9instruction. 510On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening 1112you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7and in the morning 13you will see 14the glory of the Lord, for 15He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and 16what are we, that you grumble against us?”

The Lord Provides Meat

8Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you 17meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are 18not against us but against the Lord.”

9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘19Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they 20looked toward the wilderness, and behold, 21the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12“22I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘23At twilight you shall eat 24meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and 25you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13So it came about at evening that 26the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning 27there was a layer of dew around the camp. 1428When the layer of dew 29evaporated, behold, on the 30surface of the wilderness 31there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “32What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “33It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 16This is 34what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man 35as much as he should eat; you shall take 3637an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” 17The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18When they measured it with an omer, 38he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered 39as much as he should eat. 19Moses said to them, “40Let no man leave any of it until morning.” 20But 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. 21They gathered it morning by morning, every man 41as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

The Sabbath Observed

2242Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the 43leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23then he said to them, “This is what the Lord 44meant: 45Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and 46all that is left over 47put aside to be kept until morning.” 24So they 48put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and 49it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it. 25Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 2650Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be 51none.”

27It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 28Then the Lord said to Moses, “52How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My 53instructions? 29See, 54the Lord 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.” 30So the people rested on the seventh day.

31The house of 55Israel named it 56manna, and it was like 57coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32Then Moses said, “This is 58what the Lord 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.’” 33Moses said to Aaron, “59Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.” 34As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before 60the Testimony, to be kept. 3561The 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 62an omer is a tenth of an 63ephah.)