Daily Text and Bible Reading: Thursday, January 23 [Press play below]

16.1 After they departed from Elim, the entire assembly of the Israelites eventually came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the 15th day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.
16.2 Then the entire assembly of the Israelites began to murmur against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
16.3 The Israelites kept saying to them: “If only we had died by Jehovah’s hand in the land of Egypt while we were sitting by the pots of meat, while we were eating bread to satisfaction. Now you have brought us out into this wilderness to put this whole congregation to death by famine.”
16.4 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Here I am raining down bread for you from the heavens, and each of the people should go out to gather his amount day by day, so that I may put them to the test to see whether they will walk in my law or not.
16.5 But on the sixth day when they prepare what they have gathered, it is to be double the amount that they pick up on each of the other days.”
16.6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites: “In the evening you will certainly know that it is Jehovah who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
16.7 In the morning you will see Jehovah’s glory, for he has heard your murmurings against Jehovah. Who are we that you should murmur against us?”
16.8 Moses continued: “When Jehovah gives you meat to eat in the evening and in the morning bread to satisfaction, you will see that Jehovah has heard your murmurings that you are murmuring against him. But who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against Jehovah.”
16.9 Then Moses said to Aaron: “Tell the entire assembly of the Israelites, ‘Come near before Jehovah, for he has heard your murmurings.’”
16.10 As soon as Aaron had spoken to the entire assembly of the Israelites, they turned and faced toward the wilderness, and look! Jehovah’s glory appeared in the cloud.
16.11 Jehovah spoke further to Moses, saying:
16.12 “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread, and you will certainly know that I am Jehovah your God.’”
16.13 So that evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp.
16.14 When the layer of dew evaporated, there was a fine, flaky substance on the surface of the wilderness, as fine as frost on the ground.
16.15 When the Israelites saw it, they began to say to one another, “What is it?” for they did not know what it was. Moses said to them: “It is the bread that Jehovah has given you for food.
16.16 This is what Jehovah has commanded, ‘Each one should gather it according to how much he can eat. You are to take an omer measure for each individual according to the number of the people that each of you has in his tent.’”
16.17 The Israelites began to do so; they gathered it, some gathering much and some gathering little.
16.18 When they would measure it by the omer, the one who had gathered much had no surplus and the one who had gathered little had no shortage. They each gathered it according to what they could eat.
16.19 Then Moses said to them: “Nobody should leave any of it until the morning.”
16.20 But they did not listen to Moses. When some men left some of it until the morning, it bred worms and stank, and Moses became indignant at them.
16.21 They would pick it up morning by morning, each one according to what he could eat. When the sun got hot, it melted.
16.22 On the sixth day, they picked up twice as much bread, two omer measures for each person. So all the chieftains of the assembly came and reported it to Moses.
16.23 At that he said to them: “It is what Jehovah has said. Tomorrow there will be a complete rest, a holy sabbath to Jehovah. Bake what you need to bake, and boil what you need to boil; then save whatever is left over and keep it until the morning.”
16.24 So they saved it until the morning, just as Moses had commanded, and it did not stink nor were there maggots in it.
16.25 Then Moses said: “Eat it today, because today is a sabbath to Jehovah. Today you will not find it on the ground.
16.26 You will pick it up for six days, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”
16.27 However, some of the people did go out to pick it up on the seventh day, but they found nothing.
16.28 So Jehovah said to Moses: “How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?
16.29 Take notice of the fact that Jehovah has given you the Sabbath. That is why he is giving you the bread for two days on the sixth day. Everyone must stay where he is; nobody is to leave his locality on the seventh day.”
16.30 So the people observed the Sabbath on the seventh day.
16.31 The house of Israel named the bread “manna.” It was white like coriander seed, and its taste was like that of flat cakes with honey.
16.32 Then Moses said: “This is what Jehovah has commanded, ‘Fill an omer measure of it as something to be kept throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread that I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I was bringing you out of the land of Egypt.’”
16.33 So Moses said to Aaron: “Take a jar and put in it an omer measure of manna and deposit it before Jehovah as something to be kept throughout your generations.”
16.34 Just as Jehovah commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the Testimony so that it might be preserved.
16.35 The Israelites ate the manna for 40 years, until they came to a land that was inhabited. They ate the manna until they came to the frontier of the land of Canaan.
16.36 Now an omer is a tenth of an ephah measure.
17.1 The entire assembly of the Israelites departed from the wilderness of Sin by stages according to the order of Jehovah, and they camped at Rephidim. But there was no water for the people to drink.
17.2 So the people began quarreling with Moses and saying: “Give us water to drink.” But Moses said to them: “Why are you quarreling with me? Why do you keep putting Jehovah to the test?”
17.3 But the people were very thirsty for water there, and they kept murmuring against Moses and saying: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to kill us and our sons and our livestock with thirst?”
17.4 Finally Moses cried out to Jehovah: “What should I do with this people? A little longer and they will stone me!”
17.5 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Go ahead of the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel and your rod with which you struck the Nile River. Take it in your hand and walk on.
17.6 Look! I will be standing before you there on the rock in Horeb. You must strike the rock, and water will come out of it, and the people will drink it.” Moses did so before the eyes of the elders of Israel.
17.7 So he named the place Massah and Meribah because of the quarreling of the Israelites and because they put Jehovah to the test by saying: “Is Jehovah in our midst or not?”
17.8 Then the Amalekites came and fought against Israel in Rephidim.
17.9 At this Moses said to Joshua: “Choose men for us and go out to fight against the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill, with the rod of the true God in my hand.”
17.10 Then Joshua did just as Moses told him, and he fought against the Amalekites. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
17.11 As long as Moses kept his hands lifted up, the Israelites prevailed, but as soon as he would let down his hands, the Amalekites prevailed.
17.12 When the hands of Moses were heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands, so that his hands remained steady until the sun set.
17.13 Thus Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.
17.14 Jehovah now said to Moses: “Write this as a memorial in the book and repeat it to Joshua, ‘I will completely wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.’”
17.15 Then Moses built an altar and named it Jehovah-nissi,
17.16 saying: “Because his hand is against the throne of Jah, Jehovah will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”
18.1 Now Jethro the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard about all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, how Jehovah had brought Israel out of Egypt.
18.2 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah, Moses’ wife, when she was sent back to him,
18.3 along with her two sons. One son was named Gershom, because Moses said, “I have become a foreign resident in a foreign land,”
18.4 and the other was named Eliezer, because he said, “The God of my father is my helper, who rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword.”
18.5 So Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, along with Moses’ sons and his wife, came to Moses into the wilderness where he was camping at the mountain of the true God.
18.6 Then he sent word to Moses: “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.”
18.7 At once Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and he bowed down and kissed him. Each of them asked about the other’s welfare, and then they went into the tent.
18.8 Moses related to his father-in-law all that Jehovah had done to Pharaoh and Egypt in behalf of Israel, all the hardships that had befallen them along the way, and how Jehovah had delivered them.
18.9 Jethro rejoiced over all the good that Jehovah had done for Israel by rescuing them from Egypt.
18.10 Then Jethro said: “Praised be Jehovah, who rescued you from Egypt and from Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from under Egypt’s control.
18.11 Now I know that Jehovah is greater than all the other gods, because of what he did to those who acted arrogantly against his people.”
18.12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices for God, and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law before the true God.
18.13 On the next day, Moses sat down as usual to serve as judge for the people, and the people kept standing before Moses from morning until evening.
18.14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said: “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit here alone with all the people standing before you from morning until evening?”
18.15 Moses said to his father-in-law: “Because the people keep coming to me to inquire of God.
18.16 When a case arises, it comes to me and I must judge between one person and the other, and I make known the decisions of the true God and his laws.”
18.17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him: “What you are doing is not good.
18.18 You will surely wear out, both you and this people who are with you, because this is too big a load for you and you cannot carry it by yourself.
18.19 Now listen to me. I will give you advice, and God will be with you. You serve as representative for the people before the true God, and you must bring the cases to the true God.
18.20 You should warn them about what the regulations and the laws are and make known to them the way in which they should walk and the work that they should do.
18.21 But you should select from the people capable men fearing God, trustworthy men hating dishonest profit, and appoint these over them as chiefs over thousands, chiefs over hundreds, chiefs over fifties, and chiefs over tens.
18.22 They should judge the people when cases arise, and they will bring every difficult case to you, but every minor case they will decide. Make it easier for yourself by letting them share the load along with you.
18.23 If you do this, and God so commands you, you will be able to stand the strain, and everyone will go home satisfied.”
18.24 Moses immediately listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
18.25 Moses chose capable men out of all Israel and appointed them heads over the people, as chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, chiefs of fifties, and chiefs of tens.
18.26 So they judged the people when cases arose. A difficult case they would bring to Moses, but every minor case they would judge.
18.27 After that Moses saw his father-in-law off, and he went his way to his land.