4. Some foreigners among the Israelites had a strong craving for ⌊other kinds of⌋ food. Even the Israelites started crying again and said, “If only we had meat to eat!
5. Remember all the free fish we ate in Egypt and the cucumbers, watermelons, leeks, onions, and garlic we had?
6. But now we’ve lost our appetite! Everywhere we look there’s nothing but manna!”
7. (Manna was ⌊small⌋ like coriander seeds and looked like resin.
8. The people would go around and gather it, then grind it in a handmill or crush it in a mortar. They would cook it in a pot or make round loaves of bread out of it. It tasted like rich pastry made with olive oil.
9. When dew fell on the camp at night, manna fell with it.)
10. Moses heard people from every family crying at the entrance to their tents. The Lord became very angry, and Moses didn’t like it either.
11. So he asked, “Lord, why have you brought me this trouble? How have I displeased you that you put the burden of all these people on me?
12. Am I their mother? Did I give birth to them? Are you really asking me to carry them in my arms—as a nurse carries a baby—all the way to the land you promised their ancestors with an oath?
13. Where can I get meat for all these people? They keep crying for me to give them meat to eat.
14. I can’t take care of all these people by myself. This is too much work for me!
15. If this is how you’re going to treat me, why don’t you just kill me? I can’t face this trouble anymore.”