₂There in the desert they all complained to Moses and Aaron ₃and said to them, “We wish that the LORD had killed us in Egypt. There we could at least sit down and eat meat and as much other food as we wanted. But you have brought us out into this desert to starve us all to death.”

₄The LORD said to Moses, “Now I am going to make food rain down from the sky for all of you. The people must go out every day and gather enough for that day. In this way I can test them to find out if they will follow my instructions.

₉Moses said to Aaron, “Tell the whole community to come and stand before the LORD, because he has heard their complaints.” ₁₀As Aaron spoke to the whole community, they turned towards the desert, and suddenly the dazzling light of the LORD appeared in a cloud. ₁₁The LORD said to Moses, ₁₂“I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them that at twilight they will have meat to eat, and in the morning they will have all the bread they want. Then they will know that I, the LORD, am their God.”

₁₃In the evening a large flock of quails flew in, enough to cover the camp, and in the morning there was dew all round the camp. ₁₄When the dew evaporated, there was something thin and flaky on the surface of the desert. It was as delicate as frost. ₁₅When the Israelites saw it, they didn't know what it was and asked each other, “What is it?”

Moses said to them, “This is the food that the LORD has given you to eat.