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Murmuración contra Moisés

12 Entonces Miriam y Aarón hablaron contra Moisés por causa de la mujer cusita con quien se había casado, pues se había casado con una mujer cusita(A); y dijeron: «¿Es cierto que el Señor ha hablado solo mediante Moisés? ¿No ha hablado también mediante nosotros(B)?». Y el Señor lo oyó. Moisés era un hombre muy humilde(C), más que cualquier otro hombre sobre la superficie de la tierra. Y el Señor de repente les dijo a Moisés, a Aarón y a Miriam: «Salgan ustedes tres a la tienda de reunión». Y salieron los tres. Entonces el Señor descendió en una columna de nube(D) y se puso a la puerta de la tienda; y llamó a Aarón y a Miriam. Y cuando los dos se adelantaron, Él dijo:

«Oigan ahora Mis palabras:
Si entre ustedes hay profeta,
Yo, el Señor, me manifestaré a él en visión(E).
Hablaré con él en sueños(F).
-»No así con Mi siervo Moisés(G);
En toda Mi casa él es fiel(H).
-»Cara a cara hablo con él(I),
Abiertamente y no en dichos oscuros,
Y él contempla la imagen del Señor(J).
¿Por qué, pues, no temieron
Hablar contra Mi siervo, contra Moisés?».

Y se encendió la ira del Señor contra ellos, y Él se fue(K). 10 Pero cuando la nube se retiró de sobre la tienda, vieron que Miriam estaba leprosa(L), blanca como la nieve(M). Y cuando Aarón se volvió hacia Miriam, vio que estaba leprosa. 11 Entonces Aarón dijo a Moisés: «Señor mío, te ruego que no nos cargues este pecado, en el cual hemos obrado neciamente y con el cual hemos pecado(N). 12 No permitas que ella sea como quien nace muerto, que cuando sale del vientre de su madre su carne ya está medio consumida». 13 Y Moisés clamó al Señor y dijo: «Oh Dios, sánala ahora(O), te ruego». 14 Pero el Señor le respondió a Moisés: «Si su padre le hubiera escupido a ella en el rostro(P), ¿no llevaría su vergüenza por siete días? Que sea echada fuera del campamento por siete días(Q), y después puede ser admitida de nuevo». 15 Miriam(R) fue confinada fuera del campamento por siete días y el pueblo no se puso en marcha hasta que Miriam volvió.

16 Después el pueblo salió de Hazerot y acampó en el desierto de Parán.

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. “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”(C) And the Lord heard this.(D)

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

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. 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, he said, “Listen to my words:

“When there is a prophet among you,
    I, the Lord, reveal(G) myself to them in visions,(H)
    I speak to them in dreams.(I)
But this is not true of my servant Moses;(J)
    he is faithful in all my house.(K)
With him I speak face to face,
    clearly and not in riddles;(L)
    he sees the form of the Lord.(M)
Why then were you not afraid
    to speak against my servant Moses?”(N)

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)

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:10 The Hebrew for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.

Dissension of Aaron and Miriam

12 Then (A)Miriam and Aaron [a]spoke (B)against Moses because of the [b]Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for (C)he had married an Ethiopian woman. So they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through (D)Moses? (E)Has He not spoken through us also?” And the Lord (F)heard it. (Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.)

(G)Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tabernacle of meeting!” So the three came out. (H)Then the Lord came down in the pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both went forward. Then He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, make Myself known to him (I)in a vision;
I speak to him (J)in a dream.
Not so with (K)My servant Moses;
(L)He is faithful in all (M)My house.
I speak with him (N)face to face,
Even (O)plainly,[c] and not in [d]dark sayings;
And he sees (P)the form of the Lord.
Why then (Q)were you not afraid
To speak against My servant Moses?”

So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them, and He departed. 10 And when the cloud departed from above the tabernacle, (R)suddenly Miriam became (S)leprous, as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Miriam, and there she was, a leper. 11 So Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord! Please (T)do not lay [e]this sin on us, in which we have done foolishly and in which we have sinned. 12 Please (U)do not let her be as one dead, whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb!”

13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please (V)heal her, O God, I pray!”

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but (W)spit in her face, would she not be shamed seven days? Let her be (X)shut[f] out of the camp seven days, and afterward she may be received again. 15 (Y)So Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not journey till Miriam was brought in again. 16 And afterward the people moved from (Z)Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:1 criticized
  2. Numbers 12:1 Cushite
  3. Numbers 12:8 appearing
  4. Numbers 12:8 riddles
  5. Numbers 12:11 the penalty for this
  6. Numbers 12:14 exiled

Aaron and Miriam Jealous of Moses

12 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman; and they said, “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all men that were on the face of the earth. And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.” And the three of them came out. And 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. And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in dark speech; and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and he departed; 10 and when the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. And Aaron turned towards Miriam, and behold, she was leprous. 11 And Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, do not[a] punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned. 12 Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” 13 And Moses cried to the Lord, “Heal her, O God, I beseech thee.” 14 But the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut up outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again.” 15 So Miriam was shut up outside the camp seven days; and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again. 16 After that the people set out from Haze′roth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:11 Heb lay not sin upon us

12 One day Miriam and Aaron were criticizing Moses because his wife was a Cushite woman,[a] and they said, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he spoken through us, too?”

But the Lord heard them. 3-4 Immediately he summoned Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to the Tabernacle: “Come here, you three,” he commanded. So they stood before the Lord. (Now Moses was the humblest man on earth.)

Then the Lord descended in the Cloud and stood at the entrance of the Tabernacle. “Aaron and Miriam, step forward,” he commanded; and they did. And the Lord said to them, “Even with a prophet, I would communicate by visions and dreams; 7-8 but that is not how I communicate with my servant Moses. He is completely at home in my house! With him I speak face-to-face! And he shall see the very form of God! Why then were you not afraid to criticize him?”

Then the anger of the Lord grew hot against them, and he departed. 10 As the Cloud moved from above the Tabernacle, Miriam suddenly became white with leprosy. When Aaron saw what had happened, 11 he cried out to Moses, “Oh, sir, do not punish us for this sin; we were fools to do such a thing. 12 Don’t let her be as one dead, whose body is half rotted away at birth.”

13 And Moses cried out to the Lord, “Heal her, O God, I beg you!”

14 And the Lord said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face she would be defiled seven days. Let her be banished from the camp for seven days, and after that she can come back again.”

15 So Miriam was excluded from the camp for seven days, and the people waited until she was brought back in before they traveled again. 16 Afterwards they left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:1 Cushite woman, literally, “because of the Cushite woman he had married.” Apparently they were referring to his wife Zipporah, the Midianite daughter of Reuel (Exodus 2:21); for the land of Midian from which she came was sometimes called Cush. But areas of Ethiopia and Babylon were also known as Cush, so it is possible that the reference is to a second wife of Moses. It is indeterminate from the text whether she was criticized for being a Gentile, or (if she was a Cushite from Ethiopia) because of her color.