Numbers 5
1 And the Lord spak to Moises, and seide, Comaunde thou to the sones of Israel,
Yahweh said to Moses/me,
2 that thei caste out of the castels ech leprouse man, and that fletith out seed, and is defoulid on a deed bodi; caste ye out of the castels,
“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 as wel a male as a female, lest thei defoulen tho, whanne thei dwellen 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 sones of Israel diden so; and thei castiden hem out of the castels, as the Lord spak to Moises.
So [Moses/I told that to the Israeli people, and] the Israeli people obeyed what Yahweh commanded Moses/me.
5 And the Lord spak to Moises,
Yahweh also told Moses/me,
6 and seide, Speke thou to the sones of Israel, Whanne a man ethir a womman han do of alle synnes that ben wont to falle to men, and han broke bi necgligence the `comaundement of the Lord,
“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 and han trespassid, thei schulen knowleche her synne, and thei schulen yelde thilke heed, and the fyuethe part aboue, to hym ayens whom thei synneden.
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 noon is that schal resseyue thei schulen yyue to the Lord, and it schal be the preestis part, outakun the ram which is offrid for clensyng, that it be a quemeful sacrifice.
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 Also alle the firste fruytis, whiche the sones of Israel offren, perteynen to the preest;
All the sacred offerings that the Israelis bring to the priest belong to the priest.
10 and what euer thing is offrid of ech man in the seyntuarie, and is youun to the `hondis of the preest, it schal be the preestis part.
The priest can keep those gifts.’”
11 And the Lord spak to Moises,
Yahweh also said this to Moses/me:
12 and seide, Speke thou to the sones of Israel, and thou schalt seie to hem, If `the wijf of a man hath errid, and hath dispisid the hosebonde,
“Tell this to the Israeli people: ‘Suppose a man thinks that his wife has slept with another man,
13 and hath slept with another man, and the hosebonde may not take ether preue this, but the auowtrye is hid, and may not be preuyd bi witnessis, for sche is not foundun in leccherie;
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 gelousie stirith the housebonde ayens his wijf, which is ether defoulid, ethir is apechid bi fals suspecioun,
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 the man schal brynge hir to the preest, and he schal offre an offryng for hir `the tenthe part of a mesure clepid satum of barli meele; he schal not schede oyle ther onne, nethir he schal putte encense, for it is the sacrifice of gelousie, and an offryng enquerynge auowtrye.
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 Therfor the preest schal offre hir, and schal sette bifore the Lord;
The priest must tell the woman to stand [in front of the altar] in my presence.
17 and he schal take holi watir in `a vessel of erthe, and he schal putte in to it a litil of the erthe of the pawment of the tabernacle.
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 whanne the womman stondith in the siyt of the Lord, he schal diskyuere hir heed, and he schal putte `on the hondis of hir the sacrifice of remembryng, and the offryng of gelousie. Sotheli he schal holde moost bittir watris, in whiche he gaderide togidere cursis with cursyng.
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 schal conioure hir, and schal seie, If an alien man slepte not with thee, and if thou art not defoulid in the forsakyng the bed of the hosebonde, these bittereste watris schulen not anoye thee, in to whiche Y haue gaderid togidere cursis;
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 ellis if thou bowidst awei fro thin hosebonde, and art defoulid, and hast leyn with another man,
But if you have had sex with another man, [Yahweh will curse you].
21 thou schalt be suget to these cursyngys; the Lord yyue thee in to cursyng, and in to ensaumple of alle men in his puple; `the Lord make thin hipe to wexe rotun, and thi wombe swelle, and be brokun;
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 cursid watris entre in to thi wombe, and while the wombe swellith, thin hipe wexe rotun. And the womman schal answere, Amen! amen!
23 And the preest schal write thes cursis in a litil book, and he schal do awey tho cursis with bittereste watris, in to whiche he gaderide cursis,
‘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 schal yyue to hir to drynke. And whanne sche hath drunke tho watris,
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 preest schal take of hir hond the sacrifice of gelousie, and he schal reise it bifor the Lord, and he schal putte on the auter;
26 so oneli that he take bifore an handful of sacrifice `of that that is offrid, and brenne on the auter, and so yyue drynke to the womman the moost bittere watris.
and burn part of it as a sacrifice. Then the woman must drink the bitter water.
27 And whanne sche hath drunke tho watris, if sche is defoulid, and is gilti of auowtrie, for the hosebonde is dispisid, the watris of cursyng schulen passe thorouy hir, and while the wombe is bolnyd, the hipe schal wexe rotun, and the womman schal be in to cursyng and in to ensaumple to al the puple.
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 That if sche is not pollutid, sche schal be harmeles, and schal brynge forth fre 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 lawe of gelousie, if a womman bowith awei fro hir hosebonde, and is defoulid,
‘That is the ritual that must be performed when a woman who is married has been unfaithful to her husband,
30 and the hosebonde is stirid with the spirit of gelousye, and bryngith hir in to the `siyt of the Lord, and the preest doith to hir bi alle thingis that ben writun, the hosebonde schal be with out synne,
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 and sche schal resseyue hir wickidnesse.
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.’”
