Numbers 12

1 And Mariam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of the Ethiopian woman whom Moses took; for he had taken an Ethiopian woman.

Miriam and Aaron were critical of Moses because of his Ethiopian wife—he'd married an Ethiopian woman.

2 And they said, Has the Lord spoken to Moses only? has he not also spoken to us? and the Lord heard it.

“Is it only through Moses that the Lord speaks?” they asked. “Doesn't he speak through us too?” The Lord heard all this.

3 And the man Moses was very meek beyond all the men that were upon the earth.

Moses was a very humble man, more than anyone else on earth.

4 And the Lord said immediately to Moses and Aaron and Mariam, Come forth all three of you to the tabernacle of witness.

All of a sudden the Lord called for Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, telling them, “The three of you, come to the Tent of Meeting.” The three of them did so.

5 And the three came forth to the tabernacle of witness; and the Lord descended in a pillar of a cloud, and stood at the door of the tabernacle of witness; and Aaron and Mariam were called; and both came forth.

The Lord came down in a pillar of cloud and stood in the entrance to the Tent. He called Aaron and Miriam and they came forward.

6 And he said to them, Hear my words: If there should be of you a prophet to the Lord, I will be made known to him in a vision, and in sleep will I speak to him.

“Now listen to my words, he told them. If you had prophets, I the Lord would reveal myself to them in visions; I would communicate with them in dreams.

7 My servant Moses [is] not so; he is faithful in all my house.

But it's not like this with my servant Moses, who of all my people is the one who is faithful.

8 I will speak to him mouth to mouth apparently, and not in dark speeches; and he has seen the glory of the Lord; and why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

I talk to him personally, face to face. I speak plainly, not in riddles. He sees the likeness of the Lord. So why weren't you afraid when you criticized my servant Moses?”

9 And the great anger of the Lord [was] upon them, and he departed.

The Lord was angry with them, and he left.

10 And the cloud departed from the tabernacle; and, behold, Mariam was leprous, [white] as snow; and Aaron looked upon Mariam, and, behold, she [was] leprous.

As the cloud rose above the Tent, Miriam's skin suddenly turned white with leprosy. Aaron turned to look and saw that she had leprosy.

11 And Aaron said to Moses, I beseech you, my lord, do not lay sin upon us, for we were ignorant wherein we sinned.

He said to Moses, “My lord, please don't punish us for this sin that we've so stupidly committed.

12 Let her not be as it were like death, as an abortion coming out of his mother's womb, when [the disease] devours the half of the flesh.

Please don't let her become like a stillborn baby whose flesh is already decaying when they're born!”

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

Moses called out to the Lord, “God, please heal her!”

14 And the Lord said to Moses, If her father had only spit in her face, would she not be ashamed seven days? let her be set apart seven days without the camp, and afterwards she shall come in.

But the Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face wouldn't she have been disgraced for seven days? Keep her in isolation outside the camp for seven days, and then she can be taken back in.”

15 And Mariam was separated without the camp seven days; and the people moved not forward till Mariam was cleansed.

Miriam was kept in isolation outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on until she was taken back in.

16 And afterwards the people set forth from Aseroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Pharan.

Then the people left Hazeroth and set up camp in the Desert of Paran.