Miriam and Aaron Speak Against Moses

12 Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had taken as a wife (for he had taken a ^(A)Cushite woman); ^2 (B)and they said, “Has Yahweh indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And Yahweh heard it. ³ (Now the man Moses was ^(C)very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) ⁴ Suddenly Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron and to Miriam, “You three come out to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them came out. ^5 (D)Then Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and He called ^[a]Aaron and Miriam. And then both came forward, ⁶ and He said,

⁹ So the anger of Yahweh burned against them, and ^(K)He went away. ¹⁰ But the cloud withdrew from over the tent, and behold, ^(L)Miriam was leprous, as ^(M)white as snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. ¹¹ Then Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, I beg you, ^(N)do not place this sin on us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. ¹² Oh, do not let her be like one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes from his mother’s womb!” ¹³ And Moses cried out to Yahweh, saying, “O God, ^(O)heal her, I pray!” ¹⁴ But Yahweh said to Moses, “If her father had but ^(P)spit in her face, would she not bear her dishonor for seven days? Let her be shut up for seven days ^(Q)outside the camp, and afterward she may be received again.” ¹⁵ So ^(R)Miriam was shut up outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not set out until Miriam was received again.

¹⁶ Afterward, however, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.