民數記11:1-35

11:1 眾百姓發怨言，他們的惡語達到耶和華的耳中。耶和華聽見了就怒氣發作，使火在他們中間焚燒，直燒到營的邊界。
11:2 百姓向摩西哀求，摩西祈求耶和華，火就熄了。
11:3 那地方便叫做他備拉，因為耶和華的火燒在他們中間。
11:4 他們中間的閒雜人大起貪慾的心；以色列人又哭號說：「誰給我們肉吃呢？
11:5 我們記得，在埃及的時候不花錢就吃魚，也記得有黃瓜、西瓜、韭菜、蔥、蒜。
11:6 現在我們的心血枯竭了，除這嗎哪以外，在我們眼前並沒有別的東西。」
11:7 （這嗎哪彷彿芫荽子，又好像珍珠。
11:8 百姓周圍行走，把嗎哪收起來，或用磨推，或用臼搗，煮在鍋中，又做成餅，滋味好像新油。
11:9 夜間露水降在營中，嗎哪也隨著降下。）
11:10 摩西聽見百姓各在各家的帳棚門口哭號。耶和華的怒氣便大發作，摩西就不喜悅。
11:11 摩西對耶和華說：「你為何苦待僕人？我為何不在你眼前蒙恩，竟把這管理百姓的重任加在我身上呢？
11:12 這百姓豈是我懷的胎，豈是我生下來的呢？你竟對我說：『把他們抱在懷裡，如養育之父抱吃奶的孩子，直抱到你起誓應許給他們祖宗的地去。』
11:13 我從哪裡得肉給這百姓吃呢？他們都向我哭號說：『你給我們肉吃吧！』
11:14 管理這百姓的責任太重了，我獨自擔當不起。
11:15 你這樣待我，我若在你眼前蒙恩，求你立時將我殺了，不叫我見自己的苦情。」
11:16 耶和華對摩西說：「你從以色列的長老中招聚七十個人，就是你所知道作百姓的長老和官長的，到我這裡來，領他們到會幕前，使他們和你一同站立。
11:17 我要在那裡降臨，與你說話，也要把降於你身上的靈分賜他們，他們就和你同當這管百姓的重任，免得你獨自擔當。
11:18 又要對百姓說：『你們應當自潔，預備明天吃肉，因為你們哭號說：誰給我們肉吃！我們在埃及很好。這聲音達到了耶和華的耳中，所以他必給你們肉吃。
11:19 你們不止吃一天、兩天、五天、十天、二十天，
11:20 要吃一個整月，甚至肉從你們鼻孔裡噴出來，使你們厭惡了，因為你們厭棄住在你們中間的耶和華，在他面前哭號說：我們為何出了埃及呢！』」
11:21 摩西對耶和華說：「這與我同住的百姓、步行的男人有六十萬，你還說：『我要把肉給他們，使他們可以吃一個整月。』
11:22 難道給他們宰了羊群牛群，或是把海中所有的魚都聚了來，就夠他們吃嗎？」
11:23 耶和華對摩西說：「耶和華的膀臂豈是縮短了嗎？現在要看我的話向你應驗不應驗。」
11:24 摩西出去，將耶和華的話告訴百姓，又招聚百姓的長老中七十個人來，使他們站在會幕的四圍。
11:25 耶和華在雲中降臨，對摩西說話，把降與他身上的靈分賜那七十個長老。靈停在他們身上的時候，他們就受感說話，以後卻沒有再說。
11:26 但有兩個人仍在營裡，一個名叫伊利達，一個名叫米達。他們本是在那些被錄的人中，卻沒有到會幕那裡去。靈停在他們身上，他們就在營裡說預言。
11:27 有個少年人跑來告訴摩西說：「伊利達、米達在營裡說預言。」
11:28 摩西的幫手，嫩的兒子約書亞，就是摩西所揀選的一個人，說：「請我主摩西禁止他們。」
11:29 摩西對他說：「你為我的緣故嫉妒人嗎？惟願耶和華的百姓都受感說話！願耶和華把他的靈降在他們身上！」
11:30 於是，摩西和以色列的長老都回到營裡去。
11:31 有風從耶和華那裡颳起，把鵪鶉由海面颳來，飛散在營邊和營的四圍；這邊約有一天的路程，那邊約有一天的路程，離地面約有二肘。
11:32 百姓起來，終日終夜，並次日一整天，捕取鵪鶉；至少的也取了十賀梅珥，為自己擺列在營的四圍。
11:33 肉在他們牙齒之間尚未嚼爛，耶和華的怒氣就向他們發作，用最重的災殃擊殺了他們。
11:34 那地方便叫做基博羅‧哈他瓦（就是貪慾之人的墳墓），因為他們在那裡葬埋那起貪慾之心的人。
11:35 百姓從基博羅‧哈他瓦走到哈洗錄，就住在哈洗錄。

 Now the people complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord, and when he heard them his anger was aroused. Then fire from the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. ² When the people cried out to Moses, he prayed to the Lord and the fire died down. ³ So that place was called Taberah,^[a] because fire from the Lord had burned among them.

⁴ The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! ⁵ We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the 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 coriander seed and looked like resin. ⁸ The people went around gathering it, and then ground it in a hand mill or crushed it in a mortar. They cooked it in a pot or made it into loaves. And it tasted like something made with olive oil. ⁹ When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down.

¹⁰ Moses heard the people of every family wailing at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became exceedingly angry, and Moses was troubled. ¹¹ He asked the Lord, “Why have you brought this trouble on your servant? What have I done to displease you that you put the burden of all these people on me? ¹² Did I conceive all these people? Did I give them birth? Why do you tell me to carry them in my arms, as a nurse carries an infant, to the land you promised on oath to their ancestors? ¹³ Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep wailing to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴ I cannot carry all these people by myself; the burden is too heavy for me. ¹⁵ If this is how you are going to treat me, please go ahead and kill me—if I have found favor in your eyes—and do not let me face my own ruin.”

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses: “Bring me seventy of Israel’s elders who are known to you as leaders and officials among the people. Have them come to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you. ¹⁷ I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the power of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them. They will share the burden of the people with you so that you will not have to carry it alone.

¹⁸ “Tell the people: ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow, when you will eat meat. The Lord heard you when you wailed, “If only we had meat to eat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will eat it. ¹⁹ You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, ²⁰ but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it—because you have rejected the Lord, who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

²¹ But Moses said, “Here I am among six hundred thousand men on foot, and you say, ‘I will give them meat to eat for a whole month!’ ²² Would they have enough if flocks and herds were slaughtered for them? Would they have enough if all the fish in the sea were caught for them?”

²³ The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”

²⁴ So Moses went out and told the people what the Lord had said. He brought together seventy of their elders and had them stand around the tent. ²⁵ Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke with him, and he took some of the power of the Spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders. When the Spirit rested on them, they prophesied—but did not do so again.

²⁶ However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. ²⁷ A young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

²⁸ Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ aide since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!”

²⁹ But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” ³⁰ Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

³¹ Now a wind went out from the Lord and drove quail in from the sea. It scattered them up to two cubits^[b] deep all around the camp, as far as a day’s walk in any direction. ³² All that day and night and all the next day the people went out and gathered quail. No one gathered less than ten homers.^[c] Then they spread them out all around the camp. ³³ But while the meat was still between their teeth and before it could be consumed, the anger of the Lord burned against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. ³⁴ Therefore the place was named Kibroth Hattaavah,^[d] because there they buried the people who had craved other food.

³⁵ From Kibroth Hattaavah the people traveled to Hazeroth and stayed there.

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    希伯來書3章9-11節：「在那裡，你們的祖宗試我探我，並且觀看我的作為有四十年之久。所以，我厭煩那世代的人，說：他們心裡常常迷糊，竟不曉得我的作為！我就在怒中起誓說：他們斷不可進入我的安息。」

    希伯來書的作者這樣說就是要我們回想，以色列人在曠野怎樣對待上帝，而上帝是如何處置他們，正如本章所描述的。所以，希伯來書的作者最後宣告：「上帝四十年之久，又厭煩誰呢？豈不是那些犯罪、屍首倒在曠野的人嗎？又向誰起誓，不容他們進入他的安息呢？豈不是向那些不信從的人嗎？    這樣看來，他們不能進入安息是因為不信的緣故了。」（3:17-19）

    在這裡讓我們看見以色列人遭上帝的怒氣是因為「不信」，他們的不信是因為他們心中的貪念所造成的，他們只想享受物質的好處，忘記自己是在曠野，本是沒有東西好吃，上帝憐憫他們賜下嗎哪餵養他們，竟然抱怨上帝，要求要吃肉！

    我們讀到這樣的記載，也要反省自己，是不是和他們一樣有不信的惡心，心中充滿貪慾，不知感謝主的恩典？求主幫助，讓我們知道心存感謝，耐心等候上帝應許的實現，心中才會得真正的安息！