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TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 12

Translation and Transliteration of 

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1Miriam and Aharon spoke against Moshe because of the Cushite woman he had married: “He married a Cushite woman!”

אוַתְּדַבֵּר מִרְיָם וְאַהֲרֹן בְּמֹשֶׁה עַל־אֹדוֹת הָאִשָּׁה הַכֻּשִׁית אֲשֶׁר לָקָח כִּי־אִשָּׁה כֻשִׁית לָקָח׃

2They said, “Has Hashem spoken only through Moshe? Has He not spoken through us as well?” Hashem heard it.

בוַיֹּאמְרוּ הֲרַק אַךְ־בְּמֹשֶׁה דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה הֲלֹא גַּם־בָּנוּ דִבֵּר וַיִּשְׁמַע יְהֹוָה׃

3Now Moshe was a very humble man, more so than any other man on earth.

גוְהָאִישׁ מֹשֶׁה ענו [עָנָיו] מְאֹד מִכֹּל הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

4Suddenly Hashem called to Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam, “Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three of them went out.

דוַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה פִּתְאֹם אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל־אַהֲרֹן וְאֶל־מִרְיָם צְאוּ שְׁלָשְׁתְּכֶם אֶל־אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד וַיֵּצְאוּ שְׁלָשְׁתָּם׃

5Hashem came down in a pillar of cloud, stopped at the entrance of the Tent, and called out, “Aharon and Miriam!” The two of them came forward;

הוַיֵּרֶד יְהֹוָה בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן וַיַּעֲמֹד פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל וַיִּקְרָא אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם וַיֵּצְאוּ שְׁנֵיהֶם׃

6and He said, “Hear these My words: When a navi of Hashem arises among you, I make Myself known to him in a vision, I speak with him in a dream.

ווַיֹּאמֶר שִׁמְעוּ־נָא דְבָרָי אִם־יִהְיֶה נְבִיאֲכֶם יְהֹוָה בַּמַּרְאָה אֵלָיו אֶתְוַדָּע בַּחֲלוֹם אֲדַבֶּר־בּוֹ׃

7Not so with My servant Moshe; he is trusted throughout My household.

זלֹא־כֵן עַבְדִּי מֹשֶׁה בְּכָל־בֵּיתִי נֶאֱמָן הוּא׃

8With him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in riddles, and he beholds the likeness of Hashem. How then did you not shrink from speaking against My servant Moshe!”

PEH el PEH a-da-bayr BO u-mar-EH v'-LO v'-khee-DOT ut-mu-NAT a-do-NAI ya-BEET u-ma-DU-a LO y'-ray-TEM l'-da-BAYR b'-av-DEE v'-mo-SHEH

חפֶּה אֶל־פֶּה אֲדַבֶּר־בּוֹ וּמַרְאֶה וְלֹא בְחִידֹת וּתְמֻנַת יְהֹוָה יַבִּיט וּמַדּוּעַ לֹא יְרֵאתֶם לְדַבֵּר בְּעַבְדִּי בְמֹשֶׁה׃

12:8   With him I speak mouth to mouth

The prophecy of Moshe was qualitatively different than that of any other prophet to have ever lived. According to Jewish teachings, prophets generally received their prophecy in a dream or trance, and were given a message that they needed to decode before they could deliver it to the people. They expressed and wrote these messages in their own words, though the messages themselves were divine. Moshe’s prophecy, though, was different. As the verse indicates, he spoke to God, as it were, “face to face.” When receiving his prophecy, Moshe was fully conscious, and he heard Hashem’s messages word for word. It is through this level of prophecy that the Five Books of Moshe were written; not only are the messages of the books divine, but the words themselves were given directly by Hashem.

 

9Still incensed with them, Hashem departed.

טוַיִּחַר אַף יְהֹוָה בָּם וַיֵּלַךְ׃

10As the cloud withdrew from the Tent, there was Miriam stricken with snow-white scales! When Aharon turned toward Miriam, he saw that she was stricken with scales.

יוְהֶעָנָן סָר מֵעַל הָאֹהֶל וְהִנֵּה מִרְיָם מְצֹרַעַת כַּשָּׁלֶג וַיִּפֶן אַהֲרֹן אֶל־מִרְיָם וְהִנֵּה מְצֹרָעַת׃

11And Aharon said to Moshe, “O my lord, account not to us the sin which we committed in our folly.

יאוַיֹּאמֶר אַהֲרֹן אֶל־מֹשֶׁה בִּי אֲדֹנִי אַל־נָא תָשֵׁת עָלֵינוּ חַטָּאת אֲשֶׁר נוֹאַלְנוּ וַאֲשֶׁר חָטָאנוּ׃

12Let her not be as one dead, who emerges from his mother's womb with half his flesh eaten away.”

יבאַל־נָא תְהִי כַּמֵּת אֲשֶׁר בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵרֶחֶם אִמּוֹ וַיֵּאָכֵל חֲצִי בְשָׂרוֹ׃

13So Moshe cried out to Hashem, saying, “O Hashem, pray heal her!”

יגוַיִּצְעַק מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהֹוָה לֵאמֹר אֵל נָא רְפָא נָא לָהּ׃

14But Hashem said to Moshe, “If her father spat in her face, would she not bear her shame for seven days? Let her be shut out of camp for seven days, and then let her be readmitted.”

ידוַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה וְאָבִיהָ יָרֹק יָרַק בְּפָנֶיהָ הֲלֹא תִכָּלֵם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תִּסָּגֵר שִׁבְעַת יָמִים מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְאַחַר תֵּאָסֵף׃

15So Miriam was shut out of camp seven days; and the people did not march on until Miriam was readmitted.

טווַתִּסָּגֵר מִרְיָם מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים וְהָעָם לֹא נָסַע עַד־הֵאָסֵף מִרְיָם׃

16After that the people set out from Hazeroth and encamped in the wilderness of Paran.

טזוְאַחַר נָסְעוּ הָעָם מֵחֲצֵרוֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּמִדְבַּר פָּארָן׃