Numbers 11
Wycliffe's Bible
1In the meantime grouching of the people, as of men sorrowing for travail, rose against the Lord. And when Moses had heard this thing, he was wroth; and the fire of the Lord was kindled upon them, and devoured the last part of the tents. (In the meantime, the grumbling of the people, yea, the people complaining about their travail, or their troubles, rose up against the Lord. And when Moses had heard this, he was very angry; and the Lord’s fire was kindled upon them, and devoured the last part of the camp.) 2And when the people had cried to Moses, Moses prayed [to] the Lord, and the fire was quenched. 3And he called the name of that place Burning (And they called that place Taberah), for the fire of the Lord was kindled against them (there).

4And the common people of men and women, that had gone up with them, burnt with desire of flesh (burnt with desire for flesh), and they sat, and wept, with the sons of Israel joined together with them, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5We think upon the fish that we ate in Egypt freely (We remember all the fish that we ate in Egypt); gourds, and melons, and leeks, and onions, and garlic come into our mind(s); 6our soul is dry; our eyes behold none other thing than manna. (but now our bodies be all dried up, and there is nothing to see but this manna!)

7Soothly manna was as the seed of coriander, of the colour of bdellium, which is white, and (as) bright as crystal. 8And the people went about, and gathered it, and brake it with a quernstone, either pounded it in a mortar, and seethed it in a pot (and boiled it in a pot); and made thereof little cakes of the (same) savour as of bread made with oil. 9And when [the] dew came down in the night upon the tents, also manna came down together therewith.

10Then Moses heard the people weeping by families, and each of them by the doors of their tents; and the strong vengeance of the Lord was wroth greatly, but also the grouching was seen (as) unsufferable to Moses. (And Moses heard all the people crying with their families, by the entrances to their tents; and the Lord was greatly angered, and provoked to take strong vengeance, and Moses also thought that the grumbling was insufferable.) 11And he said to the Lord, Why hast thou tormented thy servant? why find I not grace before thee? and why hast thou put the burden of all this people onto me? (And he said to the Lord, Why hast thou so tormented thy servant? why do I not find grace before thee? and why hast thou put the burden of all of these people onto me?) 12whether I have conceived all this multitude, either have begotten it, that thou say to me, Bear thou them in thy bosom, as a nurse is wont to bear a little young child, and bear thou this people into the land for the which thou swore to their fathers? (have I conceived all this multitude, or have I begotten them, so that now thou can say to me, Carry thou them in thy bosom, like a nurse is wont to carry about a young child, and carry thou these people into the land for which thou swore to their fathers?) 13whereof be meats to me, that I feed so great a multitude? They weep before me, and say, Give us flesh, that we eat; (where shall I find enough meat, so that I can feed so great a multitude? They weep before me, and say to me, Give us flesh, so that we can eat it;) 14I may not alone sustain all this people, for it is grievous to me. (I cannot sustain all these people alone, for this is too heavy a burden for me/for they be too heavy a burden for me.) 15If in other manner it seemeth to thee, I beseech thee, that thou slay me, and that I find grace in thine eyes, that I be not punished, or travailed, with so great evils. (If it seemeth to thee otherwise, then I beseech thee, that thou kill me, and so I shall receive grace from thee, and I shall no longer be punished, or travailed, with such great evil.)

16And the Lord said to Moses, Gather thou to me seventy men of the elder men of Israel, whom thou knowest to be (the) eld(er) men, and (the) masters of the people; and thou shalt lead them to the door of the tabernacle of [the] bond of peace (and thou shalt bring them to the entrance to the Tabernacle of the Covenant), and thou shalt make them to stand there with thee, 17that I come down, and speak to thee; and I shall take away of thy spirit, and I shall give to them, that they sustain with thee the burden of the people, and not thou alone be grieved. (and I shall come down, and speak with thee; and I shall take away some of the spirit that is upon thee, and I shall give it to them, so that they can help sustain the burden of the people along with thee, and so that not only thou be travailed.) 18And thou shalt say to the people, Be ye hallowed; tomorrow ye shall eat flesh; for I heard you say, Who shall give us the meats of flesh? it was well to us in Egypt; that the Lord give you flesh, (And thou shalt say to the people, Be ye purified; for tomorrow ye shall eat some flesh; for I heard you say, Who shall give us flesh to eat? yea, it was well with us in Egypt; and so the Lord shall give you flesh to eat,) 19and ye (shall) eat (it) not only one day, either twain, either five, either ten, soothly neither twenty days, 20but till to a month of days, till it go out by your nostrils, and turn into loathing; for by your grouching ye have put away the Lord, which is in the midst of you, and ye wept before him, and said, Why went we out of Egypt? (but for a whole month of days, until it go out of your nostrils, and it turn loathsome to you; for by your grumbling ye have rejected the Lord, who is in the midst of you, and ye have cried before him, and have said, Why did we go out of Egypt?) 21And Moses said to the Lord, Six hundred thousand of footmen be of this people, and thou sayest, I shall give them to eat flesh an whole month. (And Moses said to the Lord, Six hundred thousand footmen be among these people, and thou sayest, I shall give all of them flesh to eat for a whole month?) 22Whether the multitude of sheep and of oxen shall be able to be slain, that it may suffice (to) this people to meat (that it can suffice for enough food for these people), either whether all the fishes of the sea shall be gathered together, that those [ful]fill them? 23To whom the Lord answered, Whether the Lord’s hand is unmighty? right now thou shalt see, whether my word shall be fulfilled in work. (To whom the Lord answered, Is the Lord’s hand unmighty, or without power? thou shalt see right now, if my word shall be fulfilled in work, or not.)

24Therefore Moses came, and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy men of the elders of Israel, which he made (to) stand about the tabernacle. 25And the Lord came down by a cloud, and spake to Moses, and took away of the spirit that was in Moses, and gave (it) to the seventy men; and when the spirit had rested in them, they prophesied, and moreover they ceased not. (And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spoke to Moses, and then took away some of the spirit that was on Moses, and gave it to the seventy men; and when the spirit had rested on them, they prophesied, and they did not cease.)

26Forsooth two men dwelled still in the tents, of which men one was called Eldad, and the tother Medad, on which the spirit rested; for also they were described, or ordained/or chosen, and they went not out to the tabernacle. And when they prophesied in the tents, (But two men still remained in the tents, one of whom was called Eldad, and the other Medad, and the spirit also rested on them; for they were also chosen, but they did not go out to the Tabernacle. And when they prophesied in the tents,) 27a young man ran, and told to Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad prophesy in the tents. 28Anon Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, and chosen of many, said, My lord Moses, forbid thou them. (At once Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, and chosen out of many, said, My lord Moses, forbid thou them.) 29And Moses said, What, hast thou envy for me? who giveth, whether not God, that all the people prophesy, and that God give his spirit to them? (And Moses said, Why, hast thou envy for me? O that God would give his spirit to everyone, and make all the people prophesy!) 30And Moses turned again, and the elder men in birth of Israel, into the tents. (And then Moses, and the elders of Israel, returned to the camp.)

31Forsooth a wind went forth from the Lord, and it took (hold of a multitude of) curlews, and brought them over the sea, and he left them in the tents, in journey, as much as may be performed in one day, by each part of the tents by compass; and they flew in the air by two cubits in height above the earth. (And a wind went forth from the Lord, and it took hold of a multitude of curlews, or of quails, and brought them over the sea, and it left them about the camp, as much as can be performed in one day’s journey, by each part of the camp all around; and they flew in the air by two cubits in height above the ground.) 32Therefore the people rose (up) in all that day, and (all) that night, and into the tother day, and gathered a multitude of curlews; he that gathered little, gathered ten cors; and they dried those curlews by compass of the tents (and they dried those quails all around the tents). 33Yet (while the) flesh was in their teeth, and such meat failed them not; and lo! the wrath of the Lord was raised against his people, and he smote it with a full great vengeance (and he struck them with a very great plague). 34And that place was called The Sepulchres of Covetousness, or Lust, for there they buried the people that desired flesh. (And so that place was called Kibrothhattaavah, for they buried the people there who lusted after flesh.) 35Soothly they went forth from The Sepulchres of Covetousness, or Lust, and came into Hazeroth, and dwelled there. (Then they went forth from Kibrothhattaavah, and came to Hazeroth, and stayed there.)

WYCLIFFE’S BIBLE

Comprising of
Wycliffe’s Old Testament

and

Wycliffe’s New Testament
(Revised Edition)


Translated by

JOHN WYCLIFFE
and JOHN PURVEY


A modern-spelling edition of their
14TH century Middle English translation,
the first complete English vernacular version,
with an Introduction by

TERENCE P. NOBLE

Used by Permission

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