The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Miryam and Aharon began criticizing Moshe on account of the Ethiopian woman he had married, for he had in fact married an Ethiopian woman.
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Now Miriam and Aaron said evil against Moses, because of the Cushite woman to whom he was married, for he had taken a Cushite woman as his wife.
2 They said, "Is it true that ADONAI has spoken only with Moshe? Hasn't he spoken with us too?"ADONAI heard them.
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And they said, Have the words of the Lord been given to Moses only? have they not come to us? And the Lord took note of it.
3 Now this man Moshe was very humble, more so than anyone on earth.
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Now the man Moses was more gentle than any other man on earth.
4 Suddenly ADONAI told Moshe, Aharon and Miryam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting."The three of them went out.
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And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and Aaron and Miriam, Come out, you three, to the Tent of meeting. And the three of them went out.
5 ADONAI came down in a column of cloud and stood at the entrance to the tent. He summoned Aharon and Miryam, and they both went forward.
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And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, taking his place at the door of the Tent, and made Aaron and Miriam come before him.
6 He said, "Listen to what I say: when there is a prophet among you, I, ADONAI, make myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream.
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And he said, Now give ear to my words: if there is a prophet among you I will give him knowledge of myself in a vision and will let my words come to him in a dream.
7 But it isn't that way with my servant Moshe. He is the only one who is faithful in my entire household.
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My servant Moses is not so; he is true to me in all my house:
8 With him I speak face to face and clearly, not in riddles; he sees the image of ADONAI. So why weren't you afraid to criticize my servant Moshe?"
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With him I will have talk mouth to mouth, openly and not in dark sayings; and with his eyes he will see the form of the Lord: why then had you no fear of saying evil against my servant Moses?
9 The anger of ADONAI flared up against them, and he left.
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And burning with wrath against them, the Lord went away.
10 But when the cloud was removed from above the tent, Miryam had tzara'at, as white as snow. Aharon looked at Miryam, and she was as white as snow.
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And the cloud was moved from over the Tent; and straight away Miriam became a leper, as white as snow: and Aaron, looking at Miriam, saw that she was a leper.
11 Aharon said to Moshe, "Oh, my lord, please don't punish us for this sin we committed so foolishly.
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Then Aaron said to Moses, O my lord, let not our sin be on our heads, for we have done foolishly and are sinners.
12 Please don't let her be like a stillborn baby, with its body half eaten away when it comes out of its mother's womb!"
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Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half wasted when he comes out from the body of his mother.
13 Moshe cried to ADONAI, "Oh God, I beg you, please, heal her!"
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And Moses, crying to the Lord, said, Let my prayer come before you, O God, and make her well.
14 ADONAI answered Moshe, "If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she hide herself in shame for seven days? So let her be shut out of the camp for seven days; after that, she can be brought back in."
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And the Lord said to Moses, If her father had put a mark of shame on her, would she not be shamed for seven days? Let her be shut up outside the tent-circle for seven days, and after that she may come in again.
15 Miryam was shut out of the camp seven days, and the people did not travel until she was brought back in.
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So Miriam was shut up outside the tent-circle for seven days: and the people did not go forward on their journey till Miriam had come in again.
16 Afterwards, the people went on from Hatzerot and camped in the Pa'ran Desert.
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After that, the people went on from Hazeroth and put up their tents in the waste land of Paran.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.