Numbers 12
1 [Moses’/My older sister] Miriam and [his/my older brother] Aaron were saying this: “Is Moses the only one to whom Yahweh has spoken messages to tell to us [RHQ]? Does Yahweh not speak messages to us two also?” [They told people that] they were saying that because Moses/I had married a woman who was a descendant of the Cush people-group, [but they were really saying that because they (were jealous/did not want Moses/me to be the only leader of the Israeli people)]. But Yahweh heard what they were saying.
And Mariam and Aaron spoke against Moses, because of the Ethiopian woman whom Moses took; for he had taken an Ethiopian woman.
And they said, Has the Lord spoken to Moses only? has he not also spoken to us? and the Lord heard it.
3 [The truth was that] Moses/I was very humble. He/I was more humble than anyone else on the earth [and Moses/I had not appointed himself/myself to be their leader].
And the man Moses was very meek beyond all the men that were upon the earth.
4 So immediately Yahweh spoke to Moses/me and to Aaron and Miriam. He said, “All three of you must go and stand at the Sacred Tent.” So they/we did that.
And the Lord said immediately to Moses and Aaron and Mariam, Come forth all three of you to the tabernacle of witness.
5 Then Yahweh descended to the entrance of the tent in a cloud [that resembled a huge white] pillar. He told Aaron and Miriam to step forward, so they did.
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.
6 Then he said to them, “Listen to me! When a prophet is among you, I [usually] reveal myself to him by allowing him to see visions, and I speak to him in dreams.
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.
7 But that is not the way I speak to my servant Moses. I trust that he will lead my people [well].
My servant Moses [is] not so; he is faithful in all my house.
8 So I talk to him face-to-face. I speak to him (clearly/using words that he will understand easily), not using parables. He has even seen what I look like. So you should be afraid to criticize my servant Moses!”
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?
9 Yahweh was very angry with Miriam and Aaron, and he left.
And the great anger of the Lord [was] upon them, and he departed.
10 When the cloud rose up from the Sacred Tent, Aaron looked at Miriam, and he saw that her skin was [as white] as snow, because she now had leprosy.
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.
11 Aaron said to Moses/me, “My master, please do not punish us for this sin that we have foolishly committed.
And Aaron said to Moses, I beseech you, my lord, do not lay sin upon us, for we were ignorant wherein we sinned.
12 Do not allow Miriam to be like a baby that is already dead when it is born, whose flesh is already half decayed!”
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.
13 So Moses/I cried out to Yahweh, saying, “God, I plead with you to heal her!”
And Moses cried to the Lord, saying, O God, I beseech you, heal her.
14 But Yahweh replied, “If her father had [rebuked her for doing something wrong by] spitting in her face, she would have been ashamed for seven days. [She should be ashamed because of what she has done]. So send her outside the camp for seven days. Then [she will not have leprosy any more, and] she may return to the camp.”
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.
15 So they sent her outside the camp for seven days. (The people/We) did not move [to another location] until she returned.
And Mariam was separated without the camp seven days; and the people moved not forward till Mariam was cleansed.
16 But after [she returned], they/we left Hazeroth and moved [north] in the Paran Desert and set up their/our tents there.
And afterwards the people set forth from Aseroth, and encamped in the wilderness of Pharan.
