1. The people complained to the Lord about their troubles. When he heard them, he became angry. Fire from the Lord burned among the people. It burned the edge of the camp.
2. So the people cried out to Moses. He prayed to the Lord, and the fire stopped burning.
3. So that place was called Taberah. The people named it that because the Lord’s fire had burned among them.
4. Some troublemakers among them wanted better food. Soon all the Israelites began complaining. They said, “We want meat!
5. We remember the fish we ate for free in Egypt. We also had cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic.
6. But now we have lost our appetite. We never see anything but this manna!”
7. The manna was like small white seeds.
8. The people would go to gather it. Then they ground it in handmills. Or they crushed it between stones. They cooked it in a pot or made cakes with it. It tasted like bread baked with olive oil.
9. When the dew fell on the camp each night, so did the manna.
10. Moses heard every family crying. They stood in the entrances of their tents. The Lord became very angry. And Moses got upset.
11. He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought me this trouble? I’m your servant. What have I done wrong? Why did you make me responsible for all these people?
12. I am not the father of all these people. I didn’t give birth to them. Why do you make me carry them to the land you promised to our ancestors? Must I carry them in my arms as a nurse carries a baby?
13. Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying to me, ‘We want meat!’