The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 12 -

Then Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married, for he had taken a Cushite wife.

“Does the LORD speak only through Moses?” they said. “Does He not also speak through us?” And the LORD heard this.

Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.

And suddenly the LORD said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “You three, come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three went out,

and the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them had stepped forward,

He said, “Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, will reveal Myself to him in a vision; I will speak to him in a dream.

But this is not so with My servant Moses; he is faithful in all My house.(a)

I speak with him face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you unafraid to speak against My servant Moses?”

So the anger of the LORD burned against them, and He departed.

As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous,(b) white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous,

and said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed.

Please do not let her be like a stillborn infant whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.”

So Moses cried out to the LORD, “O God, please heal her!”

But the LORD answered Moses, “If her father had but spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”

So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until she was brought in again.

After that, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

Footnotes

(a)12:7 Cited in Hebrews 3:5

(b)12:10 The Hebrew word traditionally translated as leprous was used for various skin diseases; see Leviticus 13.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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?”

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

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.

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.

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.”

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

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.”

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

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