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.
| ותדבר מרים ואהרן במשה על אדות האשה הכשית אשר לקח כי אשה כשית לקח |
| ויאמרו הרק אך במשה דבר יהוה--הלא גם בנו דבר וישמע יהוה |
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].
| והאיש משה ענו מאד--מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה |
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.
| ויאמר יהוה פתאם אל משה ואל אהרן ואל מרים צאו שלשתכם אל אהל מועד ויצאו שלשתם |
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.
| וירד יהוה בעמוד ענן ויעמד פתח האהל ויקרא אהרן ומרים ויצאו שניהם |
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.
| ויאמר שמעו נא דברי אם יהיה נביאכם--יהוה במראה אליו אתודע בחלום אדבר בו |
7 But that is not the way I speak to my servant Moses. I trust that he will lead my people [well].
| לא כן עבדי משה בכל ביתי נאמן הוא |
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!”
| פה אל פה אדבר בו ומראה ולא בחידת ותמנת יהוה יביט ומדוע לא יראתם לדבר בעבדי במשה |
9 Yahweh was very angry with Miriam and Aaron, and he left.
| ויחר אף יהוה בם וילך |
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.
| והענן סר מעל האהל והנה מרים מצרעת כשלג ויפן אהרן אל מרים והנה מצרעת |
11 Aaron said to Moses/me, “My master, please do not punish us for this sin that we have foolishly committed.
| ויאמר אהרן אל משה בי אדני--אל נא תשת עלינו חטאת אשר נואלנו ואשר חטאנו |
12 Do not allow Miriam to be like a baby that is already dead when it is born, whose flesh is already half decayed!”
| אל נא תהי כמת אשר בצאתו מרחם אמו ויאכל חצי בשרו |
13 So Moses/I cried out to Yahweh, saying, “God, I plead with you to heal her!”
| ויצעק משה אל יהוה לאמר אל נא רפא נא לה |
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.”
| ויאמר יהוה אל משה ואביה ירק ירק בפניה--הלא תכלם שבעת ימים תסגר שבעת ימים מחוץ למחנה ואחר תאסף |
15 So they sent her outside the camp for seven days. (The people/We) did not move [to another location] until she returned.
| ותסגר מרים מחוץ למחנה שבעת ימים והעם לא נסע עד האסף מרים |
16 But after [she returned], they/we left Hazeroth and moved [north] in the Paran Desert and set up their/our tents there.
| ואחר נסעו העם מחצרות ויחנו במדבר פארן |
