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Numbers 12

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman. They said, 'Has the Lord really spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us as well?' And the Lord heard it. Now Moses was a very humble man — more so than anyone else on the face of the earth. Suddenly the

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Miriam and Aaron speak against Moses

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman. They said, 'Has the Lord really spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us as well?' And the Lord heard it. Now Moses was a very humble man — more so than anyone else on the face of the earth. Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, 'All three of you, come out to the tent of meeting.' So the three of them went out. The Lord came down in the pillar of cloud, stood at the door of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam. They both stepped forward. He said, 'Hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision and speak to him in a dream.' 'That is not how it is with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.' 'With him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in dark sayings, and he sees the similitude of the Lord. So why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?' The Lord's anger burned against them, and he went away. When the cloud moved away from over the tent, Miriam was leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned towards Miriam and saw that she was leprous. Aaron said to Moses, 'Please, my lord, do not hold this sin against us. We have acted foolishly and we have sinned.' 'Do not let her be like a dead child, coming from its mother's womb with half its flesh consumed.' Moses cried to the Lord, 'Heal her now, O God, I beg you.' The Lord said to Moses, 'If her father had merely spat in her face, wouldn't she be ashamed for seven days? Shut her out of the camp for seven days, and after that let her be received again.' So Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought back in. Afterwards the people left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he'd married. Because he'd married a Cushite woman. And they said: Has the Lord only spoken through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us too? And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all the men on the face of the earth. And the Lord spoke suddenly to Moses and to Aaron and to 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 in the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both came out. And he said: Listen to my words now. If there's a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision. I'll speak to him in a dream. My servant Moses isn't like that. He's faithful in all my house. With him I'll speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in riddles. And he'll see the shape of the Lord. So why weren't you frightened to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was lit against them, and he went. And the cloud went off the tent. And there was Miriam, turned white with disease like snow. And Aaron looked at Miriam, and there she was, white with disease. And Aaron said to Moses: Please, my lord, don't lay this sin on us, that we've done so stupidly and sinned. Don't let her be like a dead thing, with its flesh half eaten away when it comes out of its mother's womb. And Moses cried out to the Lord: Heal her now, God, please. And the Lord said to Moses: If her father had only spat in her face, wouldn't she be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and after that let her be brought in again. And Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days. And the people didn't set out till Miriam was brought in again. And after that the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it. (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother’s womb. And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again. And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.

1

Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

Plain English

And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman he'd married. Because he'd married a Cushite woman.

King James Version, 1611

And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman.

2

They said, 'Has the Lord really spoken only through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us as well?' And the Lord heard it.

Plain English

And they said: Has the Lord only spoken through Moses? Hasn't he spoken through us too? And the Lord heard it.

King James Version, 1611

And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.

3

Now Moses was a very humble man — more so than anyone else on the face of the earth.

Plain English

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

King James Version, 1611

(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.)

4

Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, 'All three of you, come out to the tent of meeting.' So the three of them went out.

Plain English

And the Lord spoke suddenly to Moses and to Aaron and to Miriam: Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting. And the three of them came out.

King James Version, 1611

And the LORD spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out.

5

The Lord came down in the pillar of cloud, stood at the door of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam. They both stepped forward.

Plain English

And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood in the door of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam. And they both came out.

King James Version, 1611

And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.

6

He said, 'Hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision and speak to him in a dream.'

Plain English

And he said: Listen to my words now. If there's a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a vision. I'll speak to him in a dream.

King James Version, 1611

And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream.

7

'That is not how it is with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.'

Plain English

My servant Moses isn't like that. He's faithful in all my house.

King James Version, 1611

My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

8

'With him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in dark sayings, and he sees the similitude of the Lord. So why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?'

Plain English

With him I'll speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in riddles. And he'll see the shape of the Lord. So why weren't you frightened to speak against my servant Moses?

King James Version, 1611

With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

9

The Lord's anger burned against them, and he went away.

Plain English

And the anger of the Lord was lit against them, and he went.

King James Version, 1611

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed.

10

When the cloud moved away from over the tent, Miriam was leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned towards Miriam and saw that she was leprous.

Plain English

And the cloud went off the tent. And there was Miriam, turned white with disease like snow. And Aaron looked at Miriam, and there she was, white with disease.

King James Version, 1611

And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous.

11

Aaron said to Moses, 'Please, my lord, do not hold this sin against us. We have acted foolishly and we have sinned.'

Plain English

And Aaron said to Moses: Please, my lord, don't lay this sin on us, that we've done so stupidly and sinned.

King James Version, 1611

And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned.

12

'Do not let her be like a dead child, coming from its mother's womb with half its flesh consumed.'

Plain English

Don't let her be like a dead thing, with its flesh half eaten away when it comes out of its mother's womb.

King James Version, 1611

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

13

Moses cried to the Lord, 'Heal her now, O God, I beg you.'

Plain English

And Moses cried out to the Lord: Heal her now, God, please.

King James Version, 1611

And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee.

14

The Lord said to Moses, 'If her father had merely spat in her face, wouldn't she be ashamed for seven days? Shut her out of the camp for seven days, and after that let her be received again.'

Plain English

And the Lord said to Moses: If her father had only spat in her face, wouldn't she be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp seven days, and after that let her be brought in again.

King James Version, 1611

And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again.

15

So Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until Miriam was brought back in.

Plain English

And Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days. And the people didn't set out till Miriam was brought in again.

King James Version, 1611

And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again.

16

Afterwards the people left Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Plain English

And after that the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

King James Version, 1611

And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in the wilderness of Paran.