Miriam and Aaron Criticize Moses

1 Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses about the Cushite woman he had married. That Cushite woman was Zipporah, Moses’ wife. Just as a Cushite woman is different in body from every other person, Zipporah, Moses’ wife, was beautiful in form and lovely in appearance, and distinguished in her good deeds from all the women of that generation. 2 They said, “Has the Lord spoken only with Moses? Has he not also spoken with us?” It was heard before the Lord. 3 The man Moses was very humble, more than any other human being on the face of the earth. 4 The Lord suddenly said to Moses, Aaron, ⟨and Miriam, “Go out, the three of you, to the tent of meeting.”⟩ The three of them went out. 5 The Glory of the Shekinah of the Lord was revealed in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tabernacle. He called Aaron and Miriam, and the two of them went out. 6 He said, “Please hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, will be revealed to him in visions, and I will speak with him in dreams. 7 My servant Moses is unlike any other prophet. He is faithful in the whole world I created. 8 ⟨I spoke⟩ with him speech to speech, in visions and not in appearances, and he would look at a likeness from before the Lord. Why, then, were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

Miriam’s Skin Disease and Recovery

9 The Lord’s anger grew strong against them, and he departed. 10 The cloud moved away from over the tabernacle, and Miriam had a defiling skin disease ⟨like snow. Aaron looked at Miriam, and she had a defiling skin disease⟩. 11 Aaron said to Moses, “Please, my master, do not hold against us the offense we foolishly committed and the sin we committed. 12 Please do not let Miriam remain unclean in the tent like a dead person. She is like a child that spent nine months in its mother’s womb, in water and fire, unharmed, but when the time came to enter the world, half its flesh was consumed. So it was when we were enslaved in Egypt and driven through the wilderness: our sister saw us in our slavery. Now that the time has come to possess the land, why should she be kept from us? Pray for the dead flesh on her, so that it may live. Why should ⟨we lose⟩ her merit?” 13 Moses prayed before the Lord and said, “I appeal to the mercy before you, Lord, gracious and merciful God: heal her.” 14 The Lord said to Moses, “If her father had scolded her harshly, it would be right for her to be humbled before him for seven days.⁠a Confine her outside the camp for seven days, and afterward she will be healed.” 15 Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not travel until Miriam was healed. 16 Although Miriam the prophetess was condemned to have a defiling skin disease, there is much teaching here for the wise and for those who keep the Law: for even a small commandment a person performs, he receives a great reward. Since Miriam stood on the riverbank to learn what would finally happen to Moses, Israel became 600,000, a total of eighty legions. The clouds of Glory and the well did not move or travel from their places until Miriam the prophetess was healed of her skin disease. ⟨After Miriam the prophetess was healed of her skin disease⟩, the people traveled from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.