Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses

12 Miriam^(A) and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife,^(B) for he had married a Cushite. ² “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”^(C) And the Lord heard this.^(D)

³ (Now Moses was a very humble man,^(E) more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

⁴ At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. ⁵ Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud;^(F) he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, ⁶ he said, “Listen to my words:

⁹ The anger of the Lord burned against them,^(O) and he left them.^(P)

¹⁰ When the cloud lifted from above the tent,^(Q) Miriam’s skin was leprous^[a]—it became as white as snow.^(R) Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,^{(S) 11} and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.^{(T) 12} Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”

¹³ So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!^(U)”

¹⁴ The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face,^(V) would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp^(W) for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” ¹⁵ So Miriam was confined outside the camp^(X) for seven days,^(Y) and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

¹⁶ After that, the people left Hazeroth^(Z) and encamped in the Desert of Paran.^(AA)

11 ¹ Follow my example,^(A) as I follow the example of Christ.^(B)

On Covering the Head in Worship

² I praise you^(C) for remembering me in everything^(D) and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you.^{(E) 3} But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ,^(F) and the head of the woman is man,^[a](G) and the head of Christ is God.^{(H) 4} Every man who prays or prophesies^(I) with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵ But every woman who prays or prophesies^(J) with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved.^{(K) 6} For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

⁷ A man ought not to cover his head,^[b] since he is the image^(L) and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;^{(M) 9} neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.^{(N) 10} It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own^[c] head, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.^(O)

¹³ Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴ Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵ but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.^(P)