They set out from Elim, and the children of Israel went to the desert of Sin, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left Egypt. The children of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron in the desert and said, “we wished that the Lord had killed us in Egypt, and we could sit down and eat as much as we wanted. But you have brought us out to this desert to starve us all to death.”
The Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will send bread down from heaven. The people shall go and gather enough food for that day. I will test them if they follow My instructions. On the sixth day, the people will bring twice as much and prepare it.” Moses and Aaron said to the Israelites and the whole community came to the desert. The light of the Lord appeared in the cloud and said to Moses, “I heard the Israelites’ complaints and gave them meat to eat at twilight. In the morning, you will eat as much bread as you want. They will know that I, the Lord, am their God.”
In the evening, a flock of quails flew by to cover the camp, and there was dew all around it. When the dew evaporated, a small substance lay there as frost on the ground. Moses said to them, “This is the food that the Lord has given you to eat. Gather as much as you need, but don’t keep any of it until tomorrow.” On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much food for the holy day of rest which was dedicated to the Lord.
On the seventh day, some people went out to gather food, but they found none. Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will your people refuse to obey my commands? I, the Lord, have given you a day of rest. That is why on the sixth day I will give you enough food for two days. Everyone will stay where He is on the seventh day and not leave his home.” The people of Israel called the food manna. It was like a small white coriander seed and tasted like tiny cakes made with honey. Moses told Aaron to take a jar and put two quarts of manna in it and place it before the covenant box so that it could be kept for their descendants. The Israelites ate manna for the next 40 years until they settled in the land of Canaan.