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12 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman. And they said, Hath Jehovah indeed spoken only [a]with Moses? hath he not spoken also [b]with us? And Jehovah heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men that were upon the face of the earth.

And Jehovah spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tent of meeting. And they three came out. And Jehovah came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: if there be a prophet among you, I Jehovah will make myself known unto him in a vision, I will speak with him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so; he is faithful in all my house: with him will I speak mouth to mouth, even manifestly, and not in dark speeches; and the form of Jehovah shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?

And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against them; and he departed. 10 And the cloud removed from over the Tent; and, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said unto Moses, Oh, my lord, lay not, I pray thee, sin upon us, for that we have done foolishly, and for that we have sinned. 12 Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. 13 And Moses cried unto Jehovah, saying, Heal her, O God, I beseech thee. 14 And Jehovah said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut up without the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again. 15 And Miriam was shut up without the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

16 And afterward the people journeyed from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:2 Or, by
  2. Numbers 12:2 Or, by

Aaron and Miriam Murmur Against Moses

12 And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he took (because he took a Cushite wife); and they said, “Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has not Yahweh also spoken through us?” And Yahweh heard it. Now the man, Moses, was more humble than any other person on the face of the earth, and Yahweh said suddenly to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Go out, you three, to the tent of assembly.” So the three of them when out. And Yahweh went down in a column of cloud and stood at the doorway of the tent, and he called Aaron and Miriam, and the two of them went, and he said,

“Please hear my words:
    If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh,
will make myself known to him in a vision.
    I will speak to him in a dream.[a]
Not so with my servant Moses;
    in all my house he is faithful.
I will speak to him mouth to mouth,
    in clearness, not in riddles;
and he will look at the form of Yahweh.

Why were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”

And Yahweh became very angry[b] with them, and he went away. 10 And the cloud departed from on the tent, and behold, Miriam was infected with a skin disease[c] white like snow; when Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was afflicted with a skin disease. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Please, my lord, please do not put on us this sin in which we were foolish and in which we have sinned. 12 Please do not let her be like the dead, whose flesh is half consumed when coming out from the womb of its mother.” 13 And Moses cried to Yahweh, saying, “God, please heal her!”[d] 14 But Yahweh said to Moses, “If her father had surely spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be confined for seven days to an outside place of the camp, and afterward she may be gathered.” 15 So Miriam was confined to the outside place of the camp seven days, and the people did not set out until Miriam was gathered. 16 And afterward the people set out from Hazeroth, and they encamped in the desert of Paran.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:6 Hebrew “the dream”
  2. Numbers 12:9 Literally “And the nose of Yahweh became hot”
  3. Numbers 12:10 The precise meaning is uncertain; many modern translations suggest “leprosy”
  4. Numbers 12:13 Literally “Please heal please her”