1Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had married an Ethiopian woman.
2They said, "Has the LORD really spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it.
3(Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all the men on the face of the earth.)
4Suddenly the LORD spoke to Moses, to Aaron, and to Miriam, "You three, come out to the tent of meeting." So the three of them came out.
5The LORD came down in the pillar of cloud and stood at the door of the tent. He called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.
6He said, "Listen now to my words. If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak to him in a dream."
7"My servant Moses is not like this. He is faithful in all my house."
8"With him I will speak mouth to mouth, plainly, and not in riddles. He will see the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"
9The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he went away.
10The cloud went up from the tent, and look, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. Aaron looked at Miriam, and she was leprous.
11Aaron said to Moses, "Alas, my lord, I beg you, do not lay this sin on us. We have acted foolishly, and we have sinned."
12"Do not let her be like one who is dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb."
13Moses cried out to the LORD, "Heal her now, O God, I beg you."
14The LORD said to Moses, "If her father had only spit in her face, would she not be ashamed for seven days? Let her be shut out of the camp for seven days, and after that let her be brought in again."
15So Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days, and the people did not travel on until Miriam was brought in again.
16After that the people moved on from Hazeroth and camped in the wilderness of Paran.