Old Testament Lesson
Num. 11: 24- 33 (NRSV)
24 So Moses went out and told the people the
words of the LORD; and he gathered seventy elders of the people,
and placed them all around the tent. 25 Then the LORD came down
in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that
was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit
rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.
26 Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other
named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those
registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they
prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses,
"Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp." 28 And
Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men,
said, "My lord Moses, stop them!" 29 But Moses said
to him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the
LORD's people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit
on them!" 30 And Moses and the elders of Israel returned
to the camp. 31 Then a wind went out from the LORD, and it brought
quails from the sea and let them fall beside the camp, about a
day's journey on this side and a day's journey on the other side,
all around the camp, about two cubits deep on the ground. 32
So the people worked all that day and night and all the next day,
gathering the quails; the least anyone gathered was ten homers;
and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp.
33 But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it
was consumed, the anger of the LORD was kindled against the people,
and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.