15 Then Mosheh and the Israelis sang this song to Yahweh:[ref]

“I will sing to Yahweh because he’s been so successful—

he’s thrown both the horses and their riders into the sea.

2 I will sing about Yahweh, my source of strength,[ref]

and the one who saves me.

I will praise him because he’s my god—

≈ he’s my father’s god and I will honour him.

3 Yahweh is a warrior.

Yahweh is his name.

4 He threw Far’oh’s chariots and his army into the sea.

≈ His hand-picked officers have been sunk in the sea.

5 The deep waters cover them.

≈ They descended into the depths like a stone.

6 Yahweh’s right arm is so powerful.

≈ Yahweh’s right arm shattered our enemy.

7 You toss away your adversaries with your great power.

Your burning anger consumes them like straw in a fire.

8 It was your breath that made the waters pile up.

They stood up like a heap.

The deep water seemed like it was solid.

9 Our enemies thought that they could chase after us and overtake us.

They had planned to satisfy themselves by sharing out the plunder.

They were ready to use their swords and swing their arms to destroy us.

10 But you blew with your breath.

The sea covered them.

They sank like lead in that terrible surge.

11 Which other god is like you, Yahweh?

Who else is so powerful and yet sinless,

receiving praises for doing miracles?

12 You stretched out your powerful arm.

The earth swallowed them up.

13 You are leading the people you bought back,

because you committed yourself to love them.

You used your strength to lead them to your sinless home.

14 Other countries have heard, and they tremble.

≈ Anguish has struck the inhabitants of Filistia.

15 The chiefs of Edom have panicked.

≈ Trembling has seized the leaders of Moab.

≈ The inhabitants of Kanaan have melted away.

16 Terror and dread have fallen on them.

After seeing your great power, they’ve stayed as still as stone

until your people have all marched past, Yahweh.

Until the people you bought have all gone past them.

17 Bring them into the land

and establish them on the mountain of your inheritance.

The place you’ve chosen to become your home, Yahweh—

a sanctuary built by your hands, master.

18 Yahweh will reign as king forever and ever.

19 Far’oh’s horse went into the sea, along with his chariots and horsemen,[fn]

and Yahweh brought the water back over them,

after the Israelis had walked through on dry ground in the middle of the sea.”

20 Then Aharon’s sister Miryam who was a prophetess, picked up a tambourine and went outside. All the other women did likewise and followed her out to dance together 21 so Miryam sang this response:

“Sing to Yahweh and tell of his amazing victory—

He tossed the horses and their riders into the sea.”

4 Howevever, there was a group of stirrers among the people that badly wanted to have meat and other foods to eat. That spread to all the Israelis who wept and asked, “Who’ll give us meat to eat? 5 We remember the fish that we ate in Egypt for free, as well as the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic, 6 but now our appetite has shrivelled up because we don’t see anything to eat except this ‘stuff’.”

7 (The ‘stuff’ they ate every day was a bit like coriander seed except kind of clear.[ref] 8 Each morning the people went around gathering it, then ground it with a stone mill or pounded it in a mortar, then they boiled it and made something like bread rolls with it. They tasted like fresh olive oil. 9 The ‘stuff’ actually descended on the camp during the night with the dew.)[ref]

10 Mosheh heard the people weeping in their tents (set up by tribe and clan). He thought it was wrong, and it made Yahweh very angry. 11 So Mosheh asked Yahweh, “Why have you caused me, your servant, to be in trouble like this? Don’t you approve of me?. Why has the burden of all this people group landed on me? 12 Was it me who conceived it? Did I carry it to the land promised to their ancestors, like I was a wet-nurse? 13 All these people come to me to ask me to give them meat to eat. Where would I get enough meat to feed all them? 14 I can’t bear the load of this entire people group by myself—it’s too heavy for me. 15 If that’s what you’re doing to me, please kill me now if I’ve found favour in your eyes. Then I wouldn’t have to suffer like this.”

16 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, “Bring me seventy of Yisrael’s elders who you know are good leaders, and take them to the sacred tent, and let them take their positions there with you. 17 I’ll come down and talk with you there, and I’ll take some of the spirit that’s on you and put it on them, and then they’ll carry the burden of the people along with you. Then you won’t have to carry it by yourself. 18 Also, tell the people that because they wept in my hearing about not having meat to eat like you all did in Egypt, they must purify themselves for tomorrow, because I’ll provide meat for you all to eat. 19 You won’t just have meat for a day or two, or for five, ten, or twenty days, 20 you have it for a whole month until it comes out your nostrils. Yes, it’ll make you all nauseous because you rejected Yahweh who’s among you, and you all wept in front of him, complaining, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’ ”

21 Mosheh queried, “There’s 600,000 able to serve in the army plus women and children, yet you say that you’ll give them all enough meat to eat every day for month! 22 Even if we killed all the cattle and sheep, or caught all the fish in the sea, that wouldn’t be enough meat for all them.”

23 “Do you think that Yahweh’s powerless?” Yahweh replied. “Soon you’ll see whether or not my statement will come true.”

24 So Mosheh went out and passed on Yahweh’s message to the people. Then he gathered seventy men from the Israeli elders and stood them around the tent. 25 Then Yahweh came down in the cloud and spoke to Mosheh, and he took some of the spirit away from him and put it on those seventy elders. As the spirit rested on them, they prophesied (but they never did that again).

26 Two of the men who were listed (named Eldad and Meydad), had remained in the main camp (not going to the sacred tent), and the spirit had also rested on them and they prophesied in the camp. 27 A young man ran to Mosheh and told him that Eldad and Meydad were prophesying there in the camp.

28 Then Nun’s son Yehoshua (who had helped Mosheh since his youth) responded, “My master Mosheh, stop them from that.”

29 But Mosheh replied, “Are you being jealous on my behalf? I’d be happy if Yahweh would put his spirit on all the people and make them into prophets.” 30 Then Mosheh and the elders went back to their tents.

31 Then Yahweh sent a wind that blew quails from the ocean, and they dropped on the ground a day’s walk in every direction around the camp until they were piled a metre high. 32 So the people went out and collected the quail—each family getting at least the equivalent of ten large barrels full, and they spread the meat around the camp to sun dry. 33 Then when they started to cook and eat some of the fresh meat, Yahweh got very angry and struck the people with a terrible plague before they could even chew it. 34 So that place was named Kivrot-Hattaavah (which means ‘Graves of the cravers’), because that was where they buried the people who had craved meat.

16 Now Korah (son of Yitshar, son of Kehat, son of Levi) along with Datah and Aviram (sons of Eliav) and On (son of Pelet)[ref] 2 rebelled against Mosheh along with 250 respected, Israeli community leaders. 3 They got together and challenged Mosheh and Aharon, “You think you’re great but the entire community is sacred and has Yahweh among us, so why do you consider yourselves more important than Yahweh’s community?”

4 When Mosheh heard that, he fell to his knees with his face to the ground 5 and responded to Korah and his supporters, “Tomorrow morning Yahweh will show who’s sacred and who belongs to him. Yahweh will present his chosen leader. make known who is to him and the holy one, and he will present to him, and whom he chooses he will present to him. 6 So Korah and supporters, bring incense burners 7 and put burning coals and incense in them, and bring them to Yahweh’s presence tomorrow. Then the man that Yahweh chooses will be the sacred one. It’s you Levites who think you’re great.”

8 Then Mosheh told Korah, “You Levites, please listen. 9 Isn’t it enough for you all that Yisrael’s god separated you from the rest of the Israeli community to present you to him to serve in Yahweh’s residence and to stand in front of the gatherings to minister to them? 10 Yahweh has presented you and your brothers, the other Levites to approach him. Are you all wanting the priesthood now also? 11 So it’s Yahweh that you and your group are opposing, not really Aharon that you’re all grumbling about.”

12 Then Mosheh summoned Eliav’s sons Datan and Aviram but they refused to come. 13 ◙ 14 ◙

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32 Meanwhile, the people had noticed that Mosheh had been up on the mountain for a long time, so they gathered themselves around Aharon and told him, “Come on. Make some gods for us that can go ahead of us, because we don’t know what’s happened to that Mosheh—the man[fn] who brought us out of Egypt.”[ref]

2 Aharon replied, “Go and get the gold earrings off your wives and your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So the people took off all their gold earrings and brought them to Aharon, 4 and he took them and smelted and crafted the gold into the form of a young bull. Then the people said, “These are your gods,[fn] Yisrael, who brought you out of Egypt.”[ref]

5 When Aharon saw that, he built an altar in front of the bull and announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to honour Yahweh.” 6 So they got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Then the people sat down to eat and drink, then stood up to make merry.[ref]

7 Then Yahweh told Mosheh, “Go on down because your people that you brought out of Egypt have gone bad—8 they’ve quickly deviated from what I instructed them. They’ve made a metal bull for themselves and have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and they’ve said, ‘Yisrael, these are your gods that brought you out of Egypt.’ ” 9 Then Yahweh said to Mosheh, “I’ve seen this people, and look, they’re so stubborn. 10 So leave me alone now and let my anger rage against them. I will destroy them and make you into a great nation.” 11 But Mosheh pleaded with his god Yahweh and asked, “Yahweh, why are you angry at your people that you have brought out of Egypt with your incredible power and actions?[ref] 12 If you did that, the Egyptians would say, ‘Ha, he brought them out with evil plans to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from off the earth.’ Turn from your anger and repent from any idea of doing evil to your people. 13 Remember Abraham and Yitshak and Yisra’el—your servants that you swore to them yourself and told them, ‘I will cause your descendants to increase like the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land which I told you about, and they will inherit it forever.’ ”[ref] 14 So Yahweh repented from the evil that he’d said he’d do to his people.

14 The assembled people cried loudly that entire night, 2 and then they started to protest against Mosheh and Aharon. They were all saying, “If only we’d died in Egypt or back there in this wilderness. 3 Why did Yahweh bring us to this place only to be slaughtered in battle with our wives and children being taken as plunder? Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” 4 So they said to each other, “Let’s choose a new leader to take us back to Egypt.”

5 Then Mosheh and Aharon fell to their knees with their faces bowed in front of all the assembled Israelis. 6 Then Nun’s son Yehoshua and Yefunneh’s son Kalev, two of those who’d explored that land, tore their clothes in grief 7 and spoke to all those Israelis gathered there, “The land that we passed throughout and explored is a very, very good place. 8 If Yahweh is pleased with us, then he’ll take us into it and give it to us—that land flowing with milk and honey. 9 However, you all mustn’t rebel against Yahweh, and you mustn’t be scared of the people in that area because they’ll be like bread for us. There’s nothing left to protect them as Yahweh is with us, so don’t be afraid.” 10 Then the mass of people talked about killing them by throwing rocks at them, but Yahweh’s brilliant light suddenly appeared to all the Israelis from the sacred tent.

11 Yahweh said to Mosheh, “How long will this people group spurn me for? How long will they refuse to believe in me for, despite all the miracles that I’ve done among them? 12 I’ll strike them with a plague and destroy them. I’m make you into a nation that’s greater and more powerful than them.”

13 But Mosheh disagreed with Yahweh, “Then Egypt will hear about how you used your power to bring these people out from among them, 14 and they’ll report to the inhabitants of Kanaan, because those inhabitants have heard that you, Yahweh, are right here in the middle of us Israeli people, and how your cloud rests on us, and how you lead us with that pillar of cloud that becomes a pillar of fire at night. 15 If you exterminate all the Israelis, those nations who’ve heard about your fame will say, 16 ‘That Yahweh couldn’t take those people into the land that he promised them, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.’ 17 So may the power of my master be great, just as you’ve previously said, 18 ‘Yahweh is slow to anger and quick to show loyal commitment, forgiving disobedience and rebellion. Yet he doesn’t leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the father’s disobedience onto the next three generations.’ 19 Please forgive this people for their disobedience, applying your incredible loyal commitment like how you did when you brought these people from Egypt all the way to here.”

20 “I’ve forgiven as per your request,” Yahweh replied, 21 “however, as surely as I live and as all the land is filled with Yahweh’s light, 22 and despite them all seeing my power and the miracles that I did both in Egypt and in the wilderness, they’ve now tested me many times and haven’t done what I told them, 23 so there’s no way that they’ll enter the land that I promised to their ancestors. All those who despised me won’t get to enter it. 24 However, my servant Kalev (Caleb) has a different spirit with him, and he wholeheartedly followed me, so I’ll take him into the land that he explored, and his descendants will inherit it.[ref] 25 The Amalekites and Kanaanites live in the valleys. Tomorrow, you all must turn and set off towards the wilderness via the route to the Red Sea.

26 Then Yahweh said to Mosheh and Aharon, 27 “How much longer do I have to put up with this evil gathering that grumble against me? I’ve heard the complaints that the Israelis are making against me. 28 Tell them this, ‘Yahweh declares that as I live, your own words that I heard are exactly what I’ll do to you all. 29 Indeed you’ll die there in the wilderness—all those men who were listed as being twenty years old and older that complained against me. 30 You all won’t enter that land that I would have used my power to settle you into. The only exceptions are Yefunneh’s son Kalev (Caleb) and Nun’s son Yehoshua (Joshua). 31 The children of you all that you said would be taken as plunder, I take them in and they’ll experience the land that you all have rejected, 32 but your bodies will remain in this wilderness. 33 Your sons will become shepherds in the wilderness for forty years, and they will suffer for your unfaithfulness until you yourselves all become corpses in the wilderness. 34 For each day that you explored the land, you’ll all bear your disobedience for one year, so forty days will be forty years of experiencing my displeasure. 35 I, Yahweh, have spoken that I’ll certainly do that to this evil community that joined together against me. They’ll meet their end and die there in the wilderness.’ ”

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2 Then Yahweh’s messenger went from Gilgal to Bokim and told the Israelis, “I brought you all out of Egypt and led you here to this land that I promised to your ancestors. I had said that I wouldn’t ever break my agreement with you all, 2 but that you mustn’t form treaties with the peoples who lived here, rather you must tear down their altars. But you all haven’t obeyed what I said. What have you gone and done?[ref] 3 So I’m telling you that I won’t drive your enemies out ahead of you, but they’ll be like thorns in your sides and you’ll all end up being enslaved to their idols.”