Numbers 12

¹ Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman.

² They said, “Has the LORD indeed spoken only with Moses? Hasn’t he spoken also with us?” And the LORD heard it.

³ Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men who were on the surface of the earth.

⁴ The LORD spoke suddenly to Moses, to Aaron, and to Miriam, “You three come out to the Tent of Meeting!” The three of them came out.

⁵ 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.

⁶ He said, “Now hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak with him in a dream.

⁷ My servant Moses is not so. He is faithful in all my house.

⁸ With him, I will speak mouth to mouth, even plainly, and not in riddles; and he shall see the LORD’s form. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant, against Moses?”

⁹ The LORD’s anger burned against them; and he departed.

¹⁰ The cloud departed from over the Tent; and behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

¹¹ Aaron said to Moses, “Oh, my lord, please don’t count this sin against us, in which we have done foolishly, and in which we have sinned.

¹² Let her not, I pray, be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”

¹³ Moses cried to the LORD, saying, “Heal her, God, I beg you!”

¹⁴ The LORD said to Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, shouldn’t she be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut up outside of the camp seven days, and after that she shall be brought in again.”

¹⁵ Miriam was shut up outside of the camp seven days, and the people didn’t travel until Miriam was brought in again.

¹⁶ Afterward the people traveled from Hazeroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

¹ AAnd Mary and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of his wife the Ethiopian,

² And they said: Hath the Lord spoken by Moses only? Hath he not also spoken to us in like manner? And when the Lord heard this,

³ (For Moses was a man exceeding meek above all men that dwelt upon earth)

⁴ Immediately he spoke to him, and to Aaron and Mary: Come out you three only to the tabernacle of the covenant. And when they were come out,

⁵ The Lord came down in a pillar of the cloud, and stood in the entry of the tabernacle calling to Aaron and Mary. And when they were come,

⁶ He said to them: Hear my words: if there be among you a prophet of the Lord, I will appear to him in a vision, or I will speak to him in a dream.

⁷ But it is not so with my servant Moses who is most faithful in all my house:

⁸ For I speak to him mouth to mouth: and plainly, and not by riddles and figures doth he see the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak ill of my servant Moses?

⁹ And being angry with them he went away:

¹⁰ The cloud also that was over the tabernacle departed: and behold Mary appeared white as snow with a leprosy. And when Aaron had looked on her, and saw her all covered with leprosy,

¹¹ He said to Moses: I beseech thee, my lord, lay not upon us this sin, which we have foolishly committed:

¹² Let her not be as one dead, and as an abortive that is cast forth from the mother’s womb. Lo, now one half of her flesh is consumed with the leprosy.

¹³ And Moses cried to the Lord, saying O God, I beseech thee heal her.

¹⁴ And the Lord answered him: If her father had spitten upon her face, ought she not to have been ashamed for seven days at least? Let her be separated seven days without the camp, and afterwards she shall be called again.

¹⁵ Mary therefore was put out of the camp seven days: and the people moved not from that place until Mary was called again.