Numbers 12
Lexham English Bible
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); 2 and they said, “Has Yahweh spoken only through Moses? Has not Yahweh also spoken through us?” And Yahweh heard it. 3 Now the man, Moses, was more humble than any other person on the face of the earth, 4 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. 5 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, 6 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]
7 Not so with my servant Moses;
in all my house he is faithful.
8 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?”
9 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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 12:6 Hebrew “the dream”
- Numbers 12:9 Literally “And the nose of Yahweh became hot”
- Numbers 12:10 The precise meaning is uncertain; many modern translations suggest “leprosy”
- Numbers 12:13 Literally “Please heal please her”
Numbers 12
International Standard Version
Aaron and Miriam Rebel
12 Miriam and Aaron rebelled against Moses on account of the Cushite woman that he had married. 2 They asked, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”
But the Lord heard it.
3 Now the man Moses was very humble—more than any person on earth. 4 All of a sudden, the Lord told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “The three of you are to come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. So both of them went forward.
6 Then he told the two of them: “Pay attention to what I have to say! When there is a prophet among you, won’t I, the Lord, reveal myself to him in a vision? Won’t I speak with him in a dream? 7 But that’s not how it is with my servant Moses, since he has been entrusted with my entire household! 8 I speak to him audibly[a] and in visions, not in mysteries.[b] If he can gaze at the image of the Lord, why aren’t you afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 Because the Lord was very angry with them, he left, 10 but when the cloud ascended from the tent, Miriam had become leprous, as white as snow! Aaron turned toward Miriam, and she had leprosy!
11 Aaron begged Moses, “I pray my lord, please don’t hold this sin against us, since we’ve acted foolishly and sinned in doing so. 12 Please don’t let her be like one of the living dead, who is born with a congenital skin disease.”[c]
13 So Moses prayed to the Lord: “O Lord, please heal her.”
14 But the Lord told Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she be humiliated? She is to be placed in isolation for seven days. After that, she may be brought in.” 15 So Miriam was isolated outside the camp for seven days and the people didn’t travel until Miriam was brought in. 16 After that, the people traveled from Hazeroth and encamped in the Wilderness of Paran.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 12:8 Lit. mouth to mouth
- Numbers 12:8 Lit. dark speeches
- Numbers 12:12 Lit. with half his skin consumed
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