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Numbers 12:1-16

1 Now Mir´i·am and Aaron began to speak against Moses on account of the Cush´ite wife whom he had taken, because it was a Cush´ite wife he had taken. 2 And they kept saying: “Is it just by Moses alone that Jehovah has spoken? Is it not by us also that he has spoken?” And Jehovah was listening. 3 And the man Moses was by far the meekest of all the men who were upon the surface of the ground.

4 Then Jehovah suddenly said to Moses and Aaron and Mir´i·am: “Go out, the three of YOU, to the tent of meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 After that Jehovah came down in the pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Mir´i·am. At this both of them went out. 6 And he went on to say: “Hear my words, please. If there came to be a prophet of YOURS for Jehovah, it would be in a vision I would make myself known to him. In a dream I would speak to him. 7 Not so my servant Moses! He is being entrusted with all my house. 8 Mouth to mouth I speak to him, thus showing him, and not by riddles; and the appearance of Jehovah is what he beholds. Why, then, did YOU not fear to speak against my servant, against Moses?”

9 And Jehovah’s anger got to be hot against them, and he went his way. 10 And the cloud turned away from over the tent, and, look! Mir´i·am was struck with leprosy as white as snow. Then Aaron turned toward Mir´i·am, and, look! she was struck with leprosy. 11 Immediately Aaron said to Moses: “Excuse me, my lord! Do not, please, attribute to us the sin in which we have acted foolishly and which we have committed! 12 Please, do not let her continue like someone dead, whose flesh at the time of his coming out of his mother’s womb is half eaten off!” 13 And Moses began to cry out to Jehovah, saying: “O God, please! Heal her, please!”

14 Then Jehovah said to Moses: “Were her father to spit directly in her face, would she not be humiliated seven days? Let her be quarantined seven days outside the camp, and afterward let her be received in.” 15 Accordingly Mir´i·am was quarantined outside the camp seven days, and the people did not pull away until Mir´i·am was received in. 16 And afterward the people pulled away from Ha·ze´roth and took up camping in the wilderness of Pa´ran.