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Numbers 12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Numbers 12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 12
Jealousy of Aaron and Miriam. 1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses on the pretext of the Cushite woman he had married; for he had in fact married a Cushite woman.[a] 2 They complained,[b] “Is it through Moses alone that the Lord has spoken? Has he not spoken through us also?” And the Lord heard this. 3 (A)Now the man Moses was very humble, more than anyone else on earth. 4 So at once the Lord said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam: Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting. And the three of them went. 5 Then the Lord came down in a column of cloud, and standing at the entrance of the tent, called, “Aaron and Miriam.” When both came forward, 6 the Lord said: Now listen to my words:
If there are prophets among you,
in visions I reveal myself to them,
in dreams I speak to them;
7 Not so with my servant Moses!
Throughout my house he is worthy of trust:[c](B)
8 face to face I speak to him,(C)
plainly and not in riddles.
The likeness of the Lord he beholds.
Why, then, do you not fear to speak against my servant Moses? 9 And so the Lord’s wrath flared against them, and he departed.
Miriam’s Punishment. 10 Now the cloud withdrew from the tent, and there was Miriam,(D) stricken with a scaly infection, white as snow![d] When Aaron turned toward Miriam and saw her stricken with snow-white scales, 11 he said to Moses, “Ah, my lord! Please do not charge us with the sin that we have foolishly committed! 12 Do not let her be like the stillborn baby that comes forth from its mother’s womb with its flesh half consumed.” 13 Then Moses cried to the Lord, “Please, not this! Please, heal her!” 14 But the Lord answered Moses: Suppose her father had spit in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; afterwards she may be brought back. 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not start out again until she was brought back.
16 After that the people set out from Hazeroth and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.
Footnotes
- 12:1 Cushite woman: apparently Zipporah, the Midianite, is meant; cf. Ex 2:21.
- 12:2 The apparent reason for Miriam’s and Aaron’s quarrel with their brother Moses was jealousy of his authority; his Cushite wife served only as an occasion for the dispute.
- 12:7 Worthy of trust: the text is open to a variety of interpretations. Thus, the word of Moses may be relied upon by Israel because God speaks to him directly; or, Moses alone is worthy of God’s trust in God’s household (heavenly or earthly). An alternative translation, however, is: “with all my house he is entrusted.”
- 12:10 Stricken with a scaly infection, white as snow: see note on Lv 13:1–14:47. The point of the simile lies either in the flakiness or the whiteness of snow.
Numbers 12
New International Version
Numbers 12
New International Version
Miriam and Aaron Oppose Moses
12 Miriam(A) and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife,(B) for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”(C) And the Lord heard this.(D)
3 (Now Moses was a very humble man,(E) more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)
4 At once the Lord said to Moses, Aaron and Miriam, “Come out to the tent of meeting, all three of you.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud;(F) he stood at the entrance to the tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When the two of them stepped forward, 6 he said, “Listen to my words:
“When there is a prophet among you,
I, the Lord, reveal(G) myself to them in visions,(H)
I speak to them in dreams.(I)
7 But this is not true of my servant Moses;(J)
he is faithful in all my house.(K)
8 With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;(L)
he sees the form of the Lord.(M)
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?”(N)
9 The anger of the Lord burned against them,(O) and he left them.(P)
10 When the cloud lifted from above the tent,(Q) Miriam’s skin was leprous[a]—it became as white as snow.(R) Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease,(S) 11 and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed.(T) 12 Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.”
13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, “Please, God, heal her!(U)”
14 The Lord replied to Moses, “If her father had spit in her face,(V) would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp(W) for seven days; after that she can be brought back.” 15 So Miriam was confined outside the camp(X) for seven days,(Y) and the people did not move on till she was brought back.
16 After that, the people left Hazeroth(Z) and encamped in the Desert of Paran.(AA)
Footnotes
- Numbers 12:10 The Hebrew for leprous was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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