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. 2But the whole congregation of the sons of Israel 3grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The sons of Israel said to them, “4If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, 5when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread until we were full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this entire assembly with hunger!”

4Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, 6I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may 7test them, whether or not they will walk in My 8instruction. 59On 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 1011you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7and in the morning 12you will see 13the glory of the Lord, for 14He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and 15what are we, that you grumble against us?”

The Lord Provides Meat

8And Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you meat 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 16not against us but against the Lord.”

9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘17Come forward before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10And it came about, as Aaron spoke to the entire congregation of the sons of Israel, that they 18looked toward the wilderness, and behold, 19the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12“20I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘21At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and 22you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13So it came about at evening that 23the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning 24there was a layer of dew around the camp. 1425When the layer of dew 26evaporated, behold, on the 27surface of the wilderness 28there 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, “29What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “30It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 16This is 31what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone gather 32as much as he will eat; you shall take 3334an omer apiece according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’” 17The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18When they measured it by the 35omer, 36the one who had gathered much did not have too much, and the one who had gathered little did not have too little; everyone gathered 37as much as he would eat. 19Moses said to them, “38No one is to 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 stank; and Moses was angry with them. 21They gathered it morning by morning, everyone 39as much as he would eat; but when the sun became hot, it would melt.

The Sabbath

2240Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, 41two omers for each one. When all the 42leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23then he said to them, “This is what the Lord 43meant: 44Tomorrow is a Sabbath observance, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and 45all that is left over 46put aside to be kept until morning.” 24So they put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and 47it did not stink nor was there a maggot in it. 25Then Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 2648Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be 49none.”

27Yet it 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, “50How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My 51instructions? 29See, 52the Lord has given you the Sabbath; for that reason He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain, everyone, in his place; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.” 30So the people rested on the seventh day.

31And the house of 53Israel named the bread 54manna, and it was like 55coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey. 32Then Moses said, “This is 56what the Lord has commanded: ‘A 57full omer of it is to be kept safe throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’” 33And Moses said to Aaron, “58Take a jar and put a 59full omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept safe throughout your generations.” 34As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before 60the Testimony, to be kept. 35And 61the sons of Israel ate the manna for 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 63omer is a tenth of an ephah.)