The In-Dept Study of the Bible
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 Yahweh indeed spoken
only with Moses? Hasn’t he spoken also
with us?” And Yahweh heard it.
3 Now the man Moses was very humble,
more than all the men who were on the
surface of the earth.
4 Yahweh 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 Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud,
andstoodatthedoor oftheTent, andcalled
Aaron and Miriam; and they both came
forward.
6 He said, “Now hear my words. If there
is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, 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 Yahweh’s form. Why then were
you not afraid to speak against my servant,
against Moses?”
9 Yahweh’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 Yahweh, saying, “Heal
her, God, I beg you!”
14 Yahweh 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.