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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); (B)and they said, “Has Yahweh indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us as well?” And Yahweh heard it. (Now the man Moses was (C)very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth.) 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. (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, and He said,

“Hear now My words:
If there is a prophet among you,
I, Yahweh, shall make Myself known to him in a (E)vision.
I shall speak with him in a (F)dream.
Not so, with (G)My servant Moses,
(H)He is faithful in all My household;
(I)With him I speak mouth to mouth,
Indeed clearly, and not in riddles,
And he beholds (J)the form of Yahweh.
Why then were you not afraid
To speak against My servant, against Moses?”

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.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 12:5 Or “Aaron and Miriam!”

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.

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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”