Numbers 11:30-12:16

Complete Jewish Bible

(vii) ³⁰Moshe and the leaders of Isra’el went back into the camp; ³¹and Adonai sent out a wind which brought quails from across the sea and let them fall near the camp, about a day’s trip away on each side of the camp and all around it, covering the ground to a depth of three feet. ³²The people stayed up all that day, all night and all the next day gathering the quails — the person gathering the least collected ten heaps; then they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. ³³But while the meat was still in their mouth, before they had chewed it up, the anger of Adonai flared up against the people, and Adonai struck the people with a terrible plague. ³⁴Therefore that place was named Kivrot-HaTa’avah [graves of greed], because there they buried the people who were so greedy.

³⁵From Kivrot-HaTa’avah the people traveled to Hatzerot, and they stayed at Hatzerot.

12 Miryam and Aharon began criticizing Moshe on account of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had in fact married an Ethiopian woman. ²They said, “Is it true that Adonai has spoken only with Moshe? Hasn’t he spoken with us too?” Adonai heard them. ³Now this man Moshe was very humble, more so than anyone on earth. ⁴Suddenly Adonai told Moshe, Aharon and Miryam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” The three of them went out.

⁵Adonai came down in a column of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent. He summoned Aharon and Miryam, and they both went forward. ⁶He said, “Listen to what I say: when there is a prophet among you, I, Adonai, make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. ⁷But it isn’t that way with my servant Moshe. He is the only one who is faithful in my entire household. ⁸With him I speak face to face and clearly, not in riddles; he sees the image of Adonai. So why weren’t you afraid to criticize my servant Moshe?” ⁹The anger of Adonai flared up against them, and he left.

¹⁰But when the cloud was removed from above the tent, Miryam had tzara‘at, as white as snow. Aharon looked at Miryam, and she was as white as snow. ¹¹Aharon said to Moshe, “Oh, my lord, please don’t punish us for this sin we committed so foolishly. ¹²Please don’t let her be like a stillborn baby, with its body half eaten away when it comes out of its mother’s womb!” ¹³Moshe cried to Adonai, “Oh God, I beg you, please, heal her!” (Maftir) ¹⁴Adonai answered Moshe, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she hide herself in shame for seven days? So let her be shut out of the camp for seven days; after that, she can be brought back in.” ¹⁵Miryam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not travel until she was brought back in. ¹⁶Afterwards, the people went on from Hatzerot and camped in the Pa’ran Desert.