Numbers 12

1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of his wife, an Ethiopian,

2 They said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only with Moses? Has not he spoken also with us?” And the LORD heard it.

and they said: “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not also spoken similarly to us?” And when the Lord had heard this,

3 Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were on the surface of the earth.

(for Moses was a man exceedingly meek, beyond all the men who were living upon the earth)

4 The LORD spoke suddenly to Moses, to Aaron, and to Miriam, “You three come out to the Tent of Meeting!” The three of them came out.

immediately he spoke to him, and to Aaron and Miriam, “Go out, you three only, to the tabernacle of the covenant.” And when they had gone out,

5 The LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward.

the Lord descended in a column of cloud, and he stood at the entrance of the tabernacle, calling to Aaron and Miriam. And when they had advanced,

6 He said, “Now hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream.

he said to them: “Listen to my words. If there will be among you a prophet of the Lord, I will appear to him in a vision, or I will speak to him through a dream.

7 My servant Moses is not so. He is faithful in all my house.

But it is not so with my servant Moses, who is the most faithful in all my house.

8 With him, I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see the LORD’s form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”

For I speak with him mouth to mouth, and plainly. And not through enigmas and figures does he perceive the Lord. Therefore, why were you not afraid to disparage my servant Moses?”

9 The LORD’s anger burned against them; and he departed.

And being angry against them, he went away.

10 The cloud departed from over the Tent; and behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

Likewise, the cloud which was over the tabernacle withdrew. And behold, Miriam appeared to be white with a leprosy, like snow. And when Aaron had looked upon her, and he had seen the spreading of the leprosy,

11 Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, please do not count this sin against us, in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned.

he said to Moses: “I beg you, my lord, not to impose upon us this sin, which we have committed foolishly.

12 Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”

Do not let this one be like one who is dead, or like an abortion that has been cast from the womb of her mother. Behold, half of her flesh is already consumed by leprosy.”

13 Moses cried to the LORD, saying, “Heal her, God, I beg you!”

And Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “O God, I beg you: heal her.”

14 The LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should not she be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut up outside of the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.”

And the Lord answered him: “If her father had spit on her face, should she not have been filled with shame for at least seven days? Let her be separated, outside the camp, for seven days, and after that, she will be called back.”

15 Miriam was shut up outside of the camp seven days, and the people did not travel until Miriam was brought in again.

And so Miriam was excluded from the camp for seven days. And the people did not move from that place, until Miriam was called back.

16 Afterward the people traveled from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

And the people set out from Hazeroth, and they pitched their tents in the desert of Paran.