Numbers 5
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Yahweh said to Moses/me,
2 “Instruct the sons of Israel to cast out of the camp every leper, and those who have a flow of seed, and those who have been polluted because of the dead;
“Tell this to the Israeli people: ‘You must send away from your (camp/area where you have your tents) any man or woman who has leprosy and anyone who has a discharge [of some fluid from his body], and anyone who has become unacceptable to God because of [having touched] a corpse.
3 cast out of the camp both male and female, lest they contaminate it while I am dwelling with you.”
Send them away from there in order that they will not [touch people in the camp area] where I live among you and cause them to become unacceptable to me.’”
4 And the sons of Israel did so, and they cast them out, beyond the camp, just as the Lord had spoken to Moses.
So [Moses/I told that to the Israeli people, and] the Israeli people obeyed what Yahweh commanded Moses/me.
5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Yahweh also told Moses/me,
6 “Say to the sons of Israel: A man or a woman, when they have done anything out of all the sins that often befall men, or if, by negligence, they have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and so have committed an offense,
“Tell this to the Israeli people: ‘If someone (commits a crime against/does something wrong to) another person, [I consider that] that person has done wrong to me.
7 they shall confess their sin, and they shall restore the principle itself, plus a fifth part above it, to any against whom they have sinned.
That person must confess that he or she is guilty, and he or she must pay to the person to whom wrong was done [what others consider to be a suitable/proper payment] for what he has done, and he must pay an extra 20 percent.
8 But if there would be no one to receive it, they shall give it to the Lord, and it shall be for the priest, except for the ram, which is offered for expiation, in order to be a pleasing victim.
If the person against whom the wrong was done [has died and] there is no relative to whom the money can be paid, then the money belongs to me, and it must be paid to the priest. In addition, the one who did the wrong must give a male sheep to the priest [to sacrifice] in order that (that person’s sin may be forgiven/I can forgive that person for his sin).
9 Likewise, all the first-fruits, which the sons of Israel offer, belong to the priest,
All the sacred offerings that the Israelis bring to the priest belong to the priest.
10 with whatever is offered by each one at the Sanctuary, and which is delivered into the hands of the priest; it shall be his.”
The priest can keep those gifts.’”
11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
Yahweh also said this to Moses/me:
12 “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: The man whose wife will have gone astray, and, disdaining her husband,
“Tell this to the Israeli people: ‘Suppose a man thinks that his wife has slept with another man,
13 will have slept with another man, and if her husband cannot discover it, but the adultery is secret, and if it cannot be proved by witnesses, because she was not caught in the shameful act,
but neither he nor anyone else knows if it is true or not, because no one saw her doing that.
14 if the spirit of jealousy stirs up the husband against his wife, who either has been polluted or is being assailed with a false suspicion,
But if the woman’s husband is jealous, and if he suspects that she has committed adultery, and he wants to know whether that is true or not,
15 he shall bring her to the priest, and he shall offer an oblation for her, a tenth part of native barley meal. He shall not pour oil over it, nor shall he place frankincense on it, because it is a sacrifice for jealousy, or an oblation investigating adultery.
he should take his wife to the priest. He must take along as an offering two quarts/liters of barley flour. The priest must not pour [olive] oil or incense on it, because this is an offering that the man has brought because he (is jealous/wants his wife to sleep only with him). It is an offering to find out if she is guilty or not. [Neither olive oil nor incense should be used because are associated with joy and this is not a time for joy.]
16 Therefore, the priest shall offer it, and he shall set it in the sight of the Lord.
The priest must tell the woman to stand [in front of the altar] in my presence.
17 And he shall take up holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall cast a little earth from the pavement of the tabernacle into it.
He must put some sacred water in a clay jar, and then he must put some dirt from the floor of the Sacred Tent into the water.
18 And while the woman stands before the Lord, he shall uncover her head, and he shall place over her hands the sacrifice of recollection and oblation of jealousy. But he shall take hold of the most bitter waters, in which he has gathered curses with loathing.
He must untie/unfasten the woman’s hair. Then he must put in her hands the grain that her jealous husband is offering to determine whether she has committed adultery or not. The priest must hold [the bowl that contains] bitter water that will cause (the woman to be cursed/bad things to happen to the woman) [if she is guilty].
19 And he shall bind her by an oath, and he shall say: ‘If another man has not slept with you, and if you have not been polluted by forsaking the bed of your husband, these most bitter waters, into which I have gathered curses, shall not harm you.
The priest must require her to solemnly declare [that she will tell the truth]. Then he must say to her, “Has another man had sex [EUP] with you? Have you faithfully [slept only with your husband] or not? If you have not slept with another man, nothing bad will happen to you if you drink the water.
20 But if you have turned away from your husband, and also have been defiled, and have lain together with another man,
But if you have had sex with another man, [Yahweh will curse you].
21 these curses shall be thrown upon you: May the Lord turn you into a curse and an example among all his people. May he cause your thigh to rot, and may your abdomen swell up and burst out.
Your womb will shrivel up and your stomach will swell up. You will never be able to give birth to children, and as a result, everyone will curse you and avoid you. If you have committed adultery, [when you drink] this water, that is what will happen to you.” Then the woman must answer, “[If I am guilty], I will not object if that happens.”
22 May the cursed waters enter into your stomach, and may your womb swell and your thigh rot.’ And the woman shall respond: ‘Amen, amen.’
23 And the priest shall write these curses in a little book, and then he shall erase them with the very bitter waters, into which he had gathered the curses,
‘Then the priest must write [with ink] on a small scroll these (curses/bad things that will happen to her if she is guilty) [and then wash the ink off into the bitter water].
24 and he shall give it to her to drink. And when she has emptied it,
The priest must take from her the offering of barley flour [that she is holding], and lift it up to dedicate it to me. Then he must put it on the altar
25 the priest shall take from her hand the sacrifice of jealousy, and he shall elevate it before the Lord, and he shall impose it upon the altar. Yet only after he first
26 takes a handful of the sacrifice from that which is offered, and burns it upon the altar, and then he may give the most bitter waters to the woman as a drink.
and burn part of it as a sacrifice. Then the woman must drink the bitter water.
27 And when she drinks it, if she has been defiled, and, having despised her husband, is guilty of adultery, the curse shall pass through her, and as her belly swells up, her thigh shall decay, and the woman shall become a curse and an example to all the people.
If the woman has committed adultery, the water will cause her to suffer greatly. Her stomach will swell up and her womb will shrink, [and she will be unable to give birth to children]. And then her (relatives/fellow Israelis) will curse her.
28 But if she has not been defiled, she shall be unharmed and she shall bear children.
But if she (is innocent/has not committed adultery), her body will not be harmed, and she will still be able to give birth to children.
29 This is the law for jealousy. If a woman has turned aside from her husband, and if she has been polluted,
‘That is the ritual that must be performed when a woman who is married has been unfaithful to her husband,
30 and if the husband, being stirred up by the spirit of jealousy, has brought her before the sight of the Lord, and the priest has acted toward her according to all that has been written:
or when a man is jealous and suspects that his wife [has had sex with another man]. The priest must tell that woman to stand [at the altar] in my presence and obey these instructions.
31 then the husband shall be without guilt, and she shall bear her iniquity.”
Even if the woman has not done what the husband suspected, he will not be punished [MTY] for doing something wrong [by bringing his wife to the priest]. But if his wife is guilty, she will suffer as a result.’”
