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Day 3: Manna in the Wilderness and Our Life of Faith

Exodus 16

Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin,between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. ² There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

³ “If only the Lordhad killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. ⁵ On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.”

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ⁷ In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?” ⁸ Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.”

⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, “Announce this to the entire community of Israel: ‘Present yourselves before the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.’” ¹⁰ And as Aaron spoke to the whole community of Israel, they looked out toward the wilderness. There they could see the awesome glory of the Lord in the cloud.

¹¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹² “I have heard the Israelites’ complaints. Now tell them, ‘In the evening you will have meat to eat, and in the morning you will have all the bread you want. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

¹³ That evening vast numbers of quail flew in and covered the camp. And the next morning the area around the camp was wet with dew.¹⁴ When the dew evaporated, a flaky substance as fine as frost blanketed the ground. ¹⁵ The Israelites were puzzled when they saw it. “What is it?” they asked each other. They had no idea what it was.

And Moses told them, “It is the food the Lord has given you to eat. ¹⁶ These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent.”

¹⁷ So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. ¹⁸ But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed.

¹⁹ Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” ²⁰ But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.

²¹ After this the people gathered the food morning by morning, each family according to its need. And as the sun became hot, the flakes they had not picked up melted and disappeared. ²² On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much as usual—four quarts^[e] for each person instead of two. Then all the leaders of the community came and asked Moses for an explanation. ²³ He told them, “This is what the Lordcommanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord. So bake or boil as much as you want today, and set aside what is left for tomorrow.”

²⁴ So they put some aside until morning, just as Moses had commanded. And in the morning the leftover food was wholesome and good, without maggots or odor.²⁵ Moses said, “Eat this food today, for today is a Sabbath day dedicated to the Lord. There will be no food on the ground today. ²⁶ You may gather the food for six days, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. There will be no food on the ground that day.”

²⁷ Some of the people went out anyway on the seventh day, but they found no food.²⁸ The Lord asked Moses, “How long will these people refuse to obey my commands and instructions? ²⁹ They must realize that the Sabbath is the Lord’s gift to you. That is why he gives you a two-day supply on the sixth day, so there will be enough for two days. On the Sabbath day you must each stay in your place. Do not go out to pick up food on the seventh day.”³⁰ So the people did not gather any food on the seventh day.

³¹ The Israelites called the food manna. It was white like coriander seed, and it tasted like honey wafers.

³² Then Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: Fill a two-quart container with manna to preserve it for your descendants. Then later generations will be able to see the food I gave you in the wilderness when I set you free from Egypt.”

³³ Moses said to Aaron, “Get a jar and fill it with two quarts of manna. Then put it in a sacred place before the Lord to preserve it for all future generations.”³⁴ Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded Moses. He eventually placed it in the Ark of the Covenant—in front of the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant. ³⁵ So the people of Israel ate manna for forty years until they arrived at the land where they would settle. They ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

³⁶ The container used to measure the manna was an omer, which was one-tenth of an ephah; it held about two quarts.

第三天：曠野中的嗎哪與我們的信心生活

出埃及記 16

以色列全會眾從以琳起行，在出埃及後第二個月十五日，到了以琳和西奈中間汛的曠野。 ² 以色列全會眾在曠野向摩西、亞倫發怨言， ³ 說：「巴不得我們早死在埃及地耶和華的手下，那時我們坐在肉鍋旁邊，吃得飽足。你們將我們領出來，到這曠野，是要叫這全會眾都餓死啊！」

⁴ 耶和華對摩西說：「我要將糧食從天降給你們。百姓可以出去，每天收每天的份，我好試驗他們遵不遵我的法度。 ⁵ 到第六天，他們要把所收進來的預備好了，比每天所收的多一倍。」 ⁶ 摩西、亞倫對以色列眾人說：「到了晚上，你們要知道是耶和華將你們從埃及地領出來的。 ⁷ 早晨，你們要看見耶和華的榮耀，因為耶和華聽見你們向他所發的怨言了。我們算什麼，你們竟向我們發怨言呢？」 ⁸ 摩西又說：「耶和華晚上必給你們肉吃，早晨必給你們食物得飽，因為你們向耶和華發的怨言，他都聽見了。我們算什麼？你們的怨言不是向我們發的，乃是向耶和華發的。」 ⁹ 摩西對亞倫說：「你告訴以色列全會眾說：『你們就近耶和華面前，因為他已經聽見你們的怨言了。』」 ¹⁰ 亞倫正對以色列全會眾說話的時候，他們向曠野觀看，不料，耶和華的榮光在雲中顯現。 ¹¹ 耶和華曉諭摩西說： ¹² 「我已經聽見以色列人的怨言。你告訴他們說：『到黃昏的時候，你們要吃肉，早晨必有食物得飽，你們就知道我是耶和華你們的神。』」

¹³ 到了晚上，有鵪鶉飛來，遮滿了營。早晨，在營四圍的地上有露水。 ¹⁴ 露水上升之後，不料，野地面上有如白霜的小圓物。¹⁵ 以色列人看見，不知道是什麼，就彼此對問說：「這是什麼呢？」摩西對他們說：「這就是耶和華給你們吃的食物。 ¹⁶ 耶和華所吩咐的是這樣：你們要按著各人的飯量，為帳篷裡的人按著人數收起來，各拿一俄梅珥。」¹⁷ 以色列人就這樣行，有多收的，有少收的。¹⁸ 及至用俄梅珥量一量，多收的也沒有餘，少收的也沒有缺，各人按著自己的飯量收取。¹⁹ 摩西對他們說：「所收的，不許什麼人留到早晨。」 ²⁰ 然而他們不聽摩西的話，內中有留到早晨的，就生蟲變臭了。摩西便向他們發怒。

²¹ 他們每日早晨，按著各人的飯量收取，日頭一發熱，就消化了。²² 到第六天，他們收了雙倍的食物，每人兩俄梅珥。會眾的官長來告訴摩西， ²³ 摩西對他們說：「耶和華這樣說：『明天是聖安息日，是向耶和華守的聖安息日。你們要烤的就烤了，要煮的就煮了，所剩下的都留到早晨。』」 ²⁴ 他們就照摩西的吩咐留到早晨，也不臭，裡頭也沒有蟲子。 ²⁵ 摩西說：「你們今天吃這個吧，因為今天是向耶和華守的安息日，你們在田野必找不著了。 ²⁶ 六天可以收取，第七天乃是安息日，那一天必沒有了。」 ²⁷ 第七天，百姓中有人出去收，什麼也找不著。 ²⁸ 耶和華對摩西說：「你們不肯守我的誡命和律法，要到幾時呢？ ²⁹ 你們看，耶和華既將安息日賜給你們，所以第六天他賜給你們兩天的食物，第七天各人要住在自己的地方，不許什麼人出去。」 ³⁰ 於是百姓第七天安息了。

³¹ 這食物，以色列家叫嗎哪，樣子像芫荽子，顏色是白的，滋味如同攙蜜的薄餅。 ³² 摩西說：「耶和華所吩咐的是這樣：要將一滿俄梅珥嗎哪留到世世代代，使後人可以看見我當日將你們領出埃及地，在曠野所給你們吃的食物。」 ³³ 摩西對亞倫說：「你拿一個罐子，盛一滿俄梅珥嗎哪，存在耶和華面前，要留到世世代代。」 ³⁴ 耶和華怎麼吩咐摩西，亞倫就怎麼行，把嗎哪放在法櫃前存留。 ³⁵ 以色列人吃嗎哪共四十年，直到進了有人居住之地，就是迦南的境界。³⁶ （俄梅珥乃伊法十分之一。）