The Purity of the Camp

5 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease^[a](A) or a discharge^(B) of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean^(C) because of a dead body.^{(D) 3} Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.^(E)” ⁴ The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

Restitution for Wrongs

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, ⁶ “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way^[b] and so is unfaithful^(F) to the Lord is guilty^{(G) 7} and must confess^(H) the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution^(I) for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged. ⁸ But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the Lord and must be given to the priest, along with the ram^(J) with which atonement is made for the wrongdoer.^{(K) 9} All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him.^{(L) 10} Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.^(M)’”

The Test for an Unfaithful Wife

¹¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man’s wife goes astray^(N) and is unfaithful to him ¹³ so that another man has sexual relations with her,^(O) and this is hidden from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she has not been caught in the act), ¹⁴ and if feelings of jealousy^(P) come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure—or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure— ¹⁵ then he is to take his wife to the priest. He must also take an offering of a tenth of an ephah^[c](Q) of barley flour^(R) on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy,^(S) a reminder-offering^(T) to draw attention to wrongdoing.

¹⁶ “‘The priest shall bring her and have her stand before the Lord. ¹⁷ Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. ¹⁸ After the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair^(U) and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy,^(V) while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse.^{(W) 19} Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, “If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray^(X) and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse^(Y) not harm you. ²⁰ But if you have gone astray^(Z) while married to your husband and you have made yourself impure by having sexual relations with a man other than your husband”— ²¹ here the priest is to put the woman under this curse^(AA)—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse^[d] among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. ²² May this water^(AB) that brings a curse^(AC) enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.”

“‘Then the woman is to say, “Amen. So be it.^(AD)”

²³ “‘The priest is to write these curses on a scroll^(AE) and then wash them off into the bitter water. ²⁴ He shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering will enter her. ²⁵ The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the Lord^(AF) and bring it to the altar. ²⁶ The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial^[e] offering^(AG) and burn it on the altar; after that, he is to have the woman drink the water. ²⁷ If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse.^{(AH) 28} If, however, the woman has not made herself impure, but is clean, she will be cleared of guilt and will be able to have children.

²⁹ “‘This, then, is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray^(AI) and makes herself impure while married to her husband, ³⁰ or when feelings of jealousy^(AJ) come over a man because he suspects his wife. The priest is to have her stand before the Lord and is to apply this entire law to her. ³¹ The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences^(AK) of her sin.’”

The Nazirite

6 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow^(AL), a vow of dedication^(AM) to the Lord as a Nazirite,^{(AN) 3} they must abstain from wine^(AO) and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar^(AP) made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes^(AQ) or raisins. ⁴ As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

⁵ “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor^(AR) may be used on their head.^(AS) They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.

⁶ “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body.^{(AT) 7} Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean^(AU) on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. ⁸ Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.

⁹ “‘If someone dies suddenly in the Nazirite’s presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication,^(AV) they must shave their head on the seventh day—the day of their cleansing.^{(AW) 10} Then on the eighth day^(AX) they must bring two doves or two young pigeons^(AY) to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^{(AZ) 11} The priest is to offer one as a sin offering^[f](BA) and the other as a burnt offering^(BB) to make atonement^(BC) for the Nazirite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. ¹² They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb^(BD) as a guilt offering.^(BE) The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.

¹³ “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over.^(BF) They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting.^{(BG) 14} There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect^(BH) for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering,^(BI) a ram^(BJ) without defect for a fellowship offering,^{(BK) 15} together with their grain offerings^(BL) and drink offerings,^(BM) and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast—thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.^(BN)

¹⁶ “‘The priest is to present all these^(BO) before the Lord^(BP) and make the sin offering and the burnt offering.^{(BQ) 17} He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering^(BR) to the Lord, together with its grain offering^(BS) and drink offering.^(BT)

¹⁸ “‘Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication.^(BU) They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

¹⁹ “‘After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast.^{(BV) 20} The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering;^(BW) they are holy^(BX) and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented.^(BY) After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.^(BZ)

²¹ “‘This is the law of the Nazirite^(CA) who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows^(CB) they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite.’”

The Priestly Blessing

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless^(CC) the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁷ “So they will put my name^(CJ) on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Psalm 22^[a]

For the director of music. To the tune of “The Doe of the Morning.” A psalm of David.

Paul Sails for Rome

27 When it was decided that we^(A) would sail for Italy,^(B) Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment.^{(C) 2} We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia,^(D) and we put out to sea. Aristarchus,^(E) a Macedonian^(F) from Thessalonica,^(G) was with us.

³ The next day we landed at Sidon;^(H) and Julius, in kindness to Paul,^(I) allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.^{(J) 4} From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.^{(K) 5} When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia^(L) and Pamphylia,^(M) we landed at Myra in Lycia. ⁶ There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship^(N) sailing for Italy^(O) and put us on board. ⁷ We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course,^(P) we sailed to the lee of Crete,^(Q) opposite Salmone. ⁸ We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.

⁹ Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement.^[a](R) So Paul warned them, ¹⁰ “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.”^{(S) 11} But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. ¹² Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete,^(T) facing both southwest and northwest.

The Storm

¹³ When a gentle south wind began to blow, they saw their opportunity; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. ¹⁴ Before very long, a wind of hurricane force,^(U) called the Northeaster, swept down from the island. ¹⁵ The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. ¹⁶ As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat^(V) secure, ¹⁷ so the men hoisted it aboard. Then they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Because they were afraid they would run aground^(W) on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor^[b] and let the ship be driven along. ¹⁸ We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard.^{(X) 19} On the third day, they threw the ship’s tackle overboard with their own hands. ²⁰ When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

²¹ After they had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: “Men, you should have taken my advice^(Y) not to sail from Crete;^(Z) then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. ²² But now I urge you to keep up your courage,^(AA) because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. ²³ Last night an angel^(AB) of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve^(AC) stood beside me^{(AD) 24} and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar;^(AE) and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’^{(AF) 25} So keep up your courage,^(AG) men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.^{(AH) 26} Nevertheless, we must run aground^(AI) on some island.”^(AJ)

The Shipwreck

²⁷ On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the Adriatic^[c] Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were approaching land. ²⁸ They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty feet^[d] deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was ninety feet^[e] deep. ²⁹ Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight. ³⁰ In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat^(AK) down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from the bow. ³¹ Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved.”^{(AL) 32} So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it drift away.

³³ Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. “For the last fourteen days,” he said, “you have been in constant suspense and have gone without food—you haven’t eaten anything. ³⁴ Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of you will lose a single hair from his head.”^{(AM) 35} After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it^(AN) and began to eat. ³⁶ They were all encouraged^(AO) and ate some food themselves. ³⁷ Altogether there were 276 of us on board. ³⁸ When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship by throwing the grain into the sea.^(AP)

³⁹ When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a bay with a sandy beach,^(AQ) where they decided to run the ship aground if they could. ⁴⁰ Cutting loose the anchors,^(AR) they left them in the sea and at the same time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the foresail to the wind and made for the beach. ⁴¹ But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of the surf.^(AS)

⁴² The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them from swimming away and escaping. ⁴³ But the centurion wanted to spare Paul’s life^(AT) and kept them from carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump overboard first and get to land. ⁴⁴ The rest were to get there on planks or on other pieces of the ship. In this way everyone reached land safely.^(AU)