21. Moses replied, “At least six hundred thousand grown men are here with me. How can you say there will be enough meat to feed them and their families for a whole month?
22. Even if we butchered all our sheep and cattle, or caught every fish in the sea, we wouldn't have enough to feed them.”
23. The Lord answered, “I can do anything! Watch and you'll see my words come true.”
24. Moses told the people what the Lord had said. Then he chose seventy respected leaders and went with them to the sacred tent. While the leaders stood in a circle around the tent, Moses went inside,
25. and the Lord spoke with him. Then the Lord took some authority from Moses and gave it to the seventy leaders. And when the Lord's Spirit took control of them, they started shouting like prophets. But they did it only this one time.
26. Eldad and Medad were two leaders who had not gone to the tent. But when the Spirit took control of them, they began shouting like prophets there in camp.
27. A boy ran to Moses and told him about Eldad and Medad.
28. Joshua was there helping Moses, as he had done since he was young. And he said to Moses, “Sir, you must stop them!”
29. But Moses replied, “Are you concerned what this might do to me? I wish the Lord would give his Spirit to all his people so everyone could be a prophet.”
30. Then Moses and the seventy leaders went back to camp.
31. Some time later the Lord sent a strong wind that blew quails in from the sea until Israel's camp was completely surrounded with birds, piled up about a metre high for miles in every direction.
32. The people picked up quails for two days—each person collected at least a thousand kilogrammes. Then they spread them out to dry.
33. But before the meat could be eaten, the Lord became angry and sent a disease through the camp.
34. After they had buried the people who had been so greedy for meat, they called the place “Graves for the Greedy”.
35. Israel then broke camp and travelled to Hazeroth.