Numbers 12

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

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

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

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

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

4 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.

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 cloud and stood in the entrance to the Tent. He called Aaron and Miriam and they came forward.

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 “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.

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

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

8 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?”

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 The Lord was angry with them, and he left.

And being angry with them he went away:

10 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.

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

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

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

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

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

14 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.”

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 after wards she shall be called again.

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

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

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

And the people marched from Haseroth, and pitched their tents in the desert of Pharan.