8. Then Moses said, “It is the Lord who will give you meat to eat in the evening and as much bread as you want in the morning, because he has heard how much you have complained against him. When you complain against us, you are really complaining against the Lord.”
9. Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community to come and stand before the Lord, because he has heard their complaints.”
10. As Aaron spoke to the whole community, they turned towards the desert, and suddenly the dazzling light of the Lord appeared in a cloud.
11. The Lord said to Moses,
12. “I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them that at twilight they will have meat to eat, and in the morning they will have all the bread they want. Then they will know that I, the Lord, am their God.”
13. In the evening a large flock of quails flew in, enough to cover the camp, and in the morning there was dew all round the camp.
14. When the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert. It was as delicate as frost.
15. When the Israelites saw it, they didn't know what it was and asked each other, “What is it?”Moses said to them, “This is the food that the Lord has given you to eat.
16. The Lord has commanded that each of you is to gather as much of it as he needs, two litres for each member of his household.”
17. The Israelites did this, some gathering more, others less.
18. When they measured it, those who gathered much did not have too much, and those who gathered less did not have too little. Each had gathered just what he needed.
19. Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it for tomorrow.”
20. But some of them did not listen to Moses and saved part of it. The next morning it was full of worms and smelt rotten, and Moses was angry with them.
21. Every morning each one gathered as much as he needed; and when the sun grew hot, what was left on the ground melted.
22. On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four litres for each person. All the leaders of the community came and told Moses about it,
23. and he said to them, “The Lord has commanded that tomorrow is a holy day of rest, dedicated to him. Bake today what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Whatever is left should be put aside and kept for tomorrow.”
24. As Moses had commanded, they kept what was left until the next day; it did not spoil or get worms in it.
25. Moses said, “Eat this today, because today is the Sabbath, a day of rest dedicated to the Lord, and you will not find any food outside the camp.
26. You must gather food for six days, but on the seventh day, the day of rest, there will be none.”
27. On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather food, but they did not find any.