29th March

¹ And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp.² And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.³ And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them.⁴ And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat?⁵ We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:⁶ But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.⁷ And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium.⁸ And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.⁹ And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.¹⁰ Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly; Moses also was displeased.¹¹ And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy sight, that thou layest the burden of all this people upon me?¹² Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them, that thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers?¹³ Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat.¹⁴ I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me.¹⁵ And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.¹⁶ And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee.¹⁷ And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone.¹⁸ And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying, Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat.¹⁹ Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days;²⁰ But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?²¹ And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.²² Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to suffice them?²³ And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD's hand waxed short? thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.²⁴ And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle.²⁵ And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease.²⁶ But there remained two of the men in the camp, the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp.²⁷ And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp.²⁸ And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them.²⁹ And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them!³⁰ And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the elders of Israel.³¹ And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.³² And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.³³ And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.³⁴ And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.³⁵ And the people journeyed from Kibrothhattaavah unto Hazeroth; and abode at Hazeroth.

¹ My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.² Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye.³ Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart.⁴ Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call understanding thy kinswoman:⁵ That they may keep thee from the strange woman, from the stranger which flattereth with her words.⁶ For at the window of my house I looked through my casement,⁷ And beheld among the simple ones, I discerned among the youths, a young man void of understanding,⁸ Passing through the street near her corner; and he went the way to her house,⁹ In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:¹⁰ And, behold, there met him a woman with the attire of an harlot, and subtil of heart.¹¹ (She is loud and stubborn; her feet abide not in her house:¹² Now is she without, now in the streets, and lieth in wait at every corner.)¹³ So she caught him, and kissed him, and with an impudent face said unto him,¹⁴ I have peace offerings with me; this day have I payed my vows.¹⁵ Therefore came I forth to meet thee, diligently to seek thy face, and I have found thee.¹⁶ I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.¹⁷ I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.¹⁸ Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning: let us solace ourselves with loves.¹⁹ For the goodman is not at home, he is gone a long journey:²⁰ He hath taken a bag of money with him, and will come home at the day appointed.²¹ With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.²² He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;²³ Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare, and knoweth not that it is for his life.²⁴ Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.²⁵ Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.²⁶ For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.²⁷ Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

¹ And he looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury.² And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites.³ And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all:⁴ For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.⁵ And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,⁶ As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.⁷ And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?⁸ And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.⁹ But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.¹⁰ Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:¹¹ And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.¹² But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.¹³ And it shall turn to you for a testimony.¹⁴ Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer:¹⁵ For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.¹⁶ And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death.¹⁷ And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.¹⁸ But there shall not an hair of your head perish.¹⁹ In your patience possess ye your souls.²⁰ And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.²¹ Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.²² For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.²³ But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.²⁴ And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.²⁵ And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;²⁶ Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.²⁷ And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.²⁸ And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.²⁹ And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;³⁰ When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.³¹ So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.³² Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.³³ Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.³⁴ And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.³⁵ For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.³⁶ Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.³⁷ And in the day time he was teaching in the temple; and at night he went out, and abode in the mount that is called the mount of Olives.³⁸ And all the people came early in the morning to him in the temple, for to hear him.