A long, long time ago there lived a people who were called the Israelites. They had been treated cruelly for many years by a wicked king. God saw how unhappy they were, and he pitied them. He sent a brave man named Moses to lead them away to a much better country.

The road to that country led through a desert land where there was no food nor water. When the people grew thirsty, God sent them water to drink. And when they had eaten all the lunch in their baskets, God sent bread to them from heaven.

But after a while the Israelites grew tired of the food God was giving them to eat. They wanted something else. They said, "We wish we had stayed back in the wicked king's country. There we could eat meat, and here we have none."

God heard them finding fault about the food he was giving them, and he was not pleased. But he said, "I will give them meat." So he caused a strong wind to blow many birds, called quails, across the desert. The Israelites saw these birds and they hurried out to gather some for food. They ate of these quails for many days. But because they had found fault with God, and also because they ate way too much quail meat, many people died. -Numbers 11:4-34.