Exodus 16:12-35

12 "I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, "At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.' "
13 In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.
14 When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground.
15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, "It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.
16 This is what the Lord has commanded: "Gather as much of it as each of you needs, an omer to a person according to the number of persons, all providing for those in their own tents.' "
17 The Israelites did so, some gathering more, some less.
18 But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.
19 And Moses said to them, "Let no one leave any of it over until morning."
20 But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them.
21 Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.
22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers apiece. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,
23 he said to them, "This is what the Lord has commanded: "Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.' "
24 So they put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it.
25 Moses said, "Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field.
26 Six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none."
27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they found none.
28 The Lord said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and instructions?
29 See! The Lord has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you food for two days; each of you stay where you are; do not leave your place on the seventh day."
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel called it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.
32 Moses said, "This is what the Lord has commanded: "Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, in order that they may see the food with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.' "
33 And Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put an omer of manna in it, and place it before the Lord, to be kept throughout your generations."
34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the covenant, for safekeeping.
35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a habitable land; they ate manna, until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Or ["It is manna"] (Heb [man hu], see verse 31)
  • [b]. Or [treaty] or [testimony]; Heb [eduth]
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.