¹ Maria ed Aaronne parlarono contro Mosè a cagione della moglie Cuscita che avea preso; poiché avea preso una moglie Cuscita.

² E dissero: "L’Eterno ha egli parlato soltanto per mezzo di Mosè? non ha egli parlato anche per mezzo nostro?" E L’Eterno l’udì.

³ Or Mosè era un uomo molto mansueto, più d’ogni altro uomo sulla faccia della terra.

⁴ E l’Eterno disse a un tratto a Mosè, ad Aaronne e a Maria: "Uscite voi tre, e andate alla tenda di convegno". E uscirono tutti e tre.

⁵ E l’Eterno scese in una colonna di nuvola, si fermò all’ingresso della tenda, e chiamò Aaronne e Maria; ambedue si fecero avanti.

⁶ E l’Eterno disse: "Ascoltate ora le mie parole; se v’è tra voi alcun profeta, io, l’Eterno, mi faccio conoscere a lui in visione, parlo con lui in sogno.

⁷ Non così coi mio servitore Mosè, che è fedele in tutta la mia casa.

⁸ Con lui io parlo a tu per tu, facendomi vedere, e non per via d’enimmi; ed egli contempla la sembianza dell’Eterno. Perché dunque non avete temuto di parlar contro il mio servo, contro Mosè?"

⁹ E l’ira dell’Eterno s’accese contro loro, ed egli se ne andò,

¹⁰ e la nuvola si ritirò di sopra alla tenda; ed ecco che Maria era lebbrosa, bianca come neve; Aaronne guardò Maria, ed ecco era lebbrosa.

¹¹ E Aaronne disse a Mosè: "Deh, signor mio, non ci far portare la pena di un peccato che abbiamo stoltamente commesso, e di cui siamo colpevoli.

¹² Deh, ch’ella non sia come il bimbo nato morto, la cui carne è già mezzo consumata quand’esce dal seno materno!"

¹³ E Mosè gridò all’Eterno dicendo: "Guariscila, o Dio, te ne prego!"

¹⁴ E l’Eterno rispose a Mosè: "Se suo padre le avesse sputato in viso, non ne porterebbe ella la vergogna per sette giorni? Stia dunque rinchiusa fuori del campo sette giorni; poi, vi sarà di nuovo ammessa".

¹⁵ Maria dunque fu rinchiusa fuori del campo sette giorni; e il popolo non si mise in cammino finché Maria non fu riammessa al campo.

¹⁶ Poi il popolo partì da Hatseroth, e si accampò nel deserto di Paran.

¹ I am the man that has seen affliction by the rod of his wrath.

² He has led me and caused me to walk in darkness, and not in light.

³ Surely against me he turns his hand again and again all the day.

⁴ My flesh and my skin has he made old; he has broken my bones.

⁵ He has built against me, and surrounded me with gall and travail.

⁶ He has made me to dwell in dark places, as those that have been long dead.

⁷ He has walled me about, that I can't go forth; he has made my chain heavy.

⁸ Yes, when I cry, and call for help, he shuts out my prayer.

⁹ He has walled up my ways with cut stone; he has made my paths crooked.

¹⁰ He is to me as a bear lying in wait, as a lion in secret places.

¹¹ He has turned aside my ways, and pulled me in pieces; he has made me desolate.

¹² He has bent his bow, and set me as a mark for the arrow.

¹³ He has caused the shafts of his quiver to enter into my kidneys.

¹⁴ I am become a derision to all my people, and their song all the day.

¹⁵ He has filled me with bitterness, he has sated me with wormwood.

¹⁶ He has also broken my teeth with gravel stones; he has covered me with ashes.

¹⁷ You have removed my soul far off from peace; I forgot prosperity.

¹⁸ I said, My strength is perished, and my expectation from Yahweh.

¹⁹ Remember my affliction and my misery, the wormwood and the gall.

²⁰ My soul still remembers them, and is bowed down within me.

²¹ This I recall to my mind; therefore have I hope.

²² [It is of] Yahweh's loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn't fail.

²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

²⁴ Yahweh is my portion, says my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

²⁵ Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him.

²⁶ It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of Yahweh.

²⁷ It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

²⁸ Let him sit alone and keep silence, because he has laid it on him.

²⁹ Let him put his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

³⁰ Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled full with reproach.

³¹ For the Lord will not cast off forever.

³² For though he cause grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses.

³³ For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.

³⁴ To crush under foot all the prisoners of the earth,

³⁵ To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the Most High,

³⁶ To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord doesn't approve.

³⁷ Who is he who says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord doesn't command it?

³⁸ Doesn't evil and good come out of the mouth of the Most High?

³⁹ Why does a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?

⁴⁰ Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to Yahweh.

⁴¹ Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens.

⁴² We have transgressed and have rebelled; you have not pardoned.

⁴³ You have covered with anger and pursued us; you have killed, you have not pitied.

⁴⁴ You have covered yourself with a cloud, so that no prayer can pass through.

⁴⁵ You have made us an off-scouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples.

⁴⁶ All our enemies have opened their mouth wide against us.

⁴⁷ Fear and the pit are come on us, devastation and destruction.

⁴⁸ My eye runs down with streams of water, for the destruction of the daughter of my people.

⁴⁹ My eye pours down, and doesn't cease, without any intermission,

⁵⁰ Until Yahweh look down, and see from heaven.

⁵¹ My eye affects my soul, because of all the daughters of my city.

⁵² They have chased me relentlessly like a bird, those who are my enemies without cause.

⁵³ They have cut off my life in the dungeon, and have cast a stone on me.

⁵⁴ Waters flowed over my head; I said, I am cut off.

⁵⁵ I called on your name, Yahweh, out of the lowest dungeon.

⁵⁶ You heard my voice; don't hide your ear at my breathing, at my cry.

⁵⁷ You drew near in the day that I called on you; you said, Don't be afraid.

⁵⁸ Lord, you have pleaded the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life.

⁵⁹ Yahweh, you have seen my wrong. Judge my cause.

⁶⁰ You have seen all their vengeance and all their devices against me.

⁶¹ You have heard their reproach, Yahweh, and all their devices against me,

⁶² The lips of those that rose up against me, and their device against me all the day.

⁶³ You see their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.

⁶⁴ You will render to them a recompense, Yahweh, according to the work of their hands.

⁶⁵ You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.

⁶⁶ You will pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of Yahweh.