made against him. Who are we? Your complaints aren't against us but against the LORD."
9Then Moses said to Aaron, "Say to the whole Israelite community, 'Come near to the LORD, because he's heard your complaints.'"10As Aaron spoke to the whole Israelite community, they turned to look toward the desert, and just then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared in the cloud.
11The LORD spoke to Moses, 12"I've heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them, 'At twilight you will eat meat. And in the morning you will have your fill of bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God.'"
13In the evening a flock of quail flew down and covered the camp. And in the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14When the layer of dew lifted, there on the desert surface were thin flakes, as thin as frost on the ground. 15When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "Whata is it?" They didn't know what it was.
Moses said to them, "This is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat. 16This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Collect as much of it as each of you can eat, one omerb per person. You may collect for the number of people in your household.'"17The Israelites did as Moses said, some collecting more, some less. 18But when they measured it out by the omer, the ones who had collected more had nothing left over, and the ones who had collected less had no shortage. Everyone collected just as much as they could eat. 19Moses said to them, "Don't keep any of it until morning."20But they didn't listen to Moses. Some kept part of it until morning, but it became infested with worms and stank. Moses got angry with them. 21Every morning they gathered it, as much as each person could eat. But when the sun grew hot, it melted away.
22On the sixth day the people collected twice as much food as usual, two omers per person. All the chiefs of the community came and told Moses. 23He said to them, "This is what the LORD has said, 'Tomorrow is a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. Bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. But you can set aside and keep all the leftovers until the next morning.'"24So they set the leftovers aside until morning, as Moses had commanded. They didn't stink or become infested with worms. 25The next day Moses said, "Eat it today, because today is a Sabbath to the LORD. Today you won't find it out in the field. 26Six days you will gather it. But on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be nothing to gather."
27On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather bread, but they found nothing. 28The LORD said to Moses, "How long will you refuse to obey my commandments and instructions?29Look! The LORD has given you the Sabbath. Therefore, on the sixth day he gives you enough food for two days. Each of you should stay where you are and not leave your place on the seventh day."30So the people rested on the seventh day.
31The Israelite people called it manna. It was like coriander seed, white, and tasted like honey wafers. 32Moses said, "This is what the LORD has commanded: 'Let an omer of it be kept safe for future generations so that they can see the food that I used to feed you in the desert when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"
33Moses said to Aaron, "Take a jar, and put one full omer of manna in it. Then set it in the LORD's presence, where it should be kept safe for future generations."34Aaron did as the LORD commanded Moses, and he put it in front of the covenant document for safekeeping. 35The Israelites ate manna for forty years, until they came to a livable land. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. (36An omerc is one-tenth of an ephah.)
Water from a rock
Exodus 17The whole Israelite community broke camp and set out from the Sin desert to continue their journey, as the LORD commanded. They set up their camp at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2The people argued with Moses and said, "Give us water to drink."
Moses said to them, "Why are you arguing with me? Why are you testing the LORD?"
3But the people were very thirsty for water there, and they complained to Moses, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?"
4So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What should I do with this people? They are getting ready to stone me."
5The LORD said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of Israel's elders with you. Take in your hand the shepherd's rod that you used to strike the Nile River, and go. 6I'll be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Hit the rock. Water will come out of it, and the people will be able to drink." Moses did so while Israel's elders watched. 7He called the place Massahd and Meribah,e because the Israelites argued with and tested the LORD, asking, "Is the LORD really with us or not?"
Israel defeats Amalek
8Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some men for us and go fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I'll stand on top of the hill with the shepherd's rod of God in my hand."10So Joshua did as Moses told him. He fought with Amalek while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel would start winning the battle. Whenever Moses lowered his hand, Amalek would start winning. 12But Moses' hands grew tired. So they took a stone and put it under Moses so he could sit down on it. Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on each side of him so that his hands remained steady until sunset. 13So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army with the sword.
14Then the LORD said to Moses, "Write this as a reminder on a scroll and read it to Joshua: I will completely wipe out the memory of Amalek under the sky."
15Moses built an altar there and called it, "The LORD is my banner."16He said, "The power of the LORD's banner!f The LORD is at war with Amalek in every generation."
Sharing the burden of leadership
Exodus 18Jethro, Midian's priest and Moses' father-in-law, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for God's people Israel, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt. 2Moses' father-in-law Jethro took with him Zipporah, Moses' wife whom he had sent away, 3along with her two sons. One was named Gershom because he said, "I have been an immigrantg living in a foreign land."4The other was named Eliezerh because he said, "The God of my ancestors was my helper who rescued me from Pharaoh's sword."5Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought Moses' sons and wife back to him in the desert where he had set up camp at God's mountain. 6He sent word to Moses: "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you along with your wife and her two sons."7Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him. They asked each other how they were doing, and then they went into the tent. 8Moses then told his father-in-law everything that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians on Israel's behalf, all the difficulty they had on their journey, and how the LORD had rescued them. 9Jethro was glad about all the good things that the LORD had done for Israel in saving them from the Egyptians' power.
10Jethro said, "Bless the LORD who rescued you from the Egyptians' power and from Pharaoh's power, who rescued the people from Egypt's oppressive power. 11Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods, because of what happened when the Egyptians plotted against them."12Then Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, brought an entirely burned offering and sacrifices to God. Aaron came with all of Israel's elders to eat a meal with Moses' father-in-law in God's presence.
13The next day Moses sat as a judge for the people, while the people stood around Moses from morning until evening. 14When Moses' father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, "What's this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people are standing around you from morning until evening?"
15Moses