במדבר 12

1 ותדבר מרים ואהרן במשה על אדות האשה הכשית אשר לקח כי אשה כשית לקח

[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.

2 ויאמרו הרק אך במשה דבר יהוה--הלא גם בנו דבר וישמע יהוה

3 והאיש משה ענו מאד--מכל האדם אשר על פני האדמה

[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].

4 ויאמר יהוה פתאם אל משה ואל אהרן ואל מרים צאו שלשתכם אל אהל מועד ויצאו שלשתם

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.

5 וירד יהוה בעמוד ענן ויעמד פתח האהל ויקרא אהרן ומרים ויצאו שניהם

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.

6 ויאמר שמעו נא דברי אם יהיה נביאכם--יהוה במראה אליו אתודע בחלום אדבר בו

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.

7 לא כן עבדי משה בכל ביתי נאמן הוא

But that is not the way I speak to my servant Moses. I trust that he will lead my people [well].

8 פה אל פה אדבר בו ומראה ולא בחידת ותמנת יהוה יביט ומדוע לא יראתם לדבר בעבדי במשה

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!”

9 ויחר אף יהוה בם וילך

Yahweh was very angry with Miriam and Aaron, and he left.

10 והענן סר מעל האהל והנה מרים מצרעת כשלג ויפן אהרן אל מרים והנה מצרעת

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.

11 ויאמר אהרן אל משה בי אדני--אל נא תשת עלינו חטאת אשר נואלנו ואשר חטאנו

Aaron said to Moses/me, “My master, please do not punish us for this sin that we have foolishly committed.

12 אל נא תהי כמת אשר בצאתו מרחם אמו ויאכל חצי בשרו

Do not allow Miriam to be like a baby that is already dead when it is born, whose flesh is already half decayed!”

13 ויצעק משה אל יהוה לאמר אל נא רפא נא לה

So Moses/I cried out to Yahweh, saying, “God, I plead with you to heal her!”

14 ויאמר יהוה אל משה ואביה ירק ירק בפניה--הלא תכלם שבעת ימים תסגר שבעת ימים מחוץ למחנה ואחר תאסף

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.”

15 ותסגר מרים מחוץ למחנה שבעת ימים והעם לא נסע עד האסף מרים

So they sent her outside the camp for seven days. (The people/We) did not move [to another location] until she returned.

16 ואחר נסעו העם מחצרות ויחנו במדבר פארן

But after [she returned], they/we left Hazeroth and moved [north] in the Paran Desert and set up their/our tents there.