The Seventy Elders

16 So the Lord said to Moses: “Gather to Me vseventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and wofficers over them; bring them to the tabernacle of meeting, that they may stand there with you. 17 Then I will come down and talk with you there. xI will take of the Spirit that is upon you and will put the same upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, that you may not bear it yourself alone. 18 Then you shall say to the people, 6‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept yin the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. 19 You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, 20 zbut for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have adespised the Lord who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, b“Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?” ’ ”

21 And Moses said, c“The people whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, ‘I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.’ 22 dShall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for them, to provide enough for them?”

23 And the Lord said to Moses, e“Has 7the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether fwhat I say will happen to you or not.”

24 So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord, and he ggathered the seventy men of the elders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. 25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, hwhen the Spirit rested upon them, that ithey prophesied, 8although they never did so again.

26 But two men had remained in the camp: the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other Medad. And the Spirit rested upon them. Now they were among those listed, but who jhad not gone out to the tabernacle; yet they prophesied in the camp. 27 And a young man ran and told Moses, and said, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.”

28 So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, “Moses my lord, kforbid them!”

29 Then Moses said to him, “Are you 9zealous for my sake? lOh, that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit upon them!” 30 And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.