Numbers 5

King James Version

5 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

²Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one that hath an issue, and whosoever is defiled by the dead:

³Both male and female shall ye put out, without the camp shall ye put them; that they defile not their camps, in the midst whereof I dwell.

⁴And the children of Israel did so, and put them out without the camp: as the Lord spake unto Moses, so did the children of Israel.

⁵And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

⁶Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty;

⁷Then they shall confess their sin which they have done: and he shall recompense his trespass with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth part thereof, and give it unto him against whom he hath trespassed.

⁸But if the man have no kinsman to recompense the trespass unto, let the trespass be recompensed unto the Lord, even to the priest; beside the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement shall be made for him.

⁹And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.

¹⁰And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.

¹¹And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

¹²Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,

¹³And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;

¹⁴And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

¹⁵Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.

¹⁶And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the Lord:

¹⁷And the priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and of the dust that is in the floor of the tabernacle the priest shall take, and put it into the water:

¹⁸And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which is the jealousy offering: and the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that causeth the curse:

¹⁹And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:

²⁰But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:

²¹Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;

²²And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

²³And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:

²⁴And he shall cause the woman to drink the bitter water that causeth the curse: and the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter.

²⁵Then the priest shall take the jealousy offering out of the woman's hand, and shall wave the offering before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar:

²⁶And the priest shall take an handful of the offering, even the memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.

²⁷And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

²⁸And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.

²⁹This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;

³⁰Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law.

³¹Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

Numbers 5

New International Version

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) ³Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.^(E)” ⁴The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had instructed Moses.

Restitution for Wrongs

⁵The 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) ⁷and 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. ⁸But 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) ⁹All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him.^(L) ¹⁰Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.^(M)’”

The Test for an Unfaithful Wife

¹¹Then 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 ¹³so 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), ¹⁴and 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— ¹⁵then 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. ¹⁷Then he shall take some holy water in a clay jar and put some dust from the tabernacle floor into the water. ¹⁸After 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) ¹⁹Then 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. ²⁰But 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”— ²¹here 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. ²²May 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. ²⁴He 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. ²⁵The priest is to take from her hands the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the Lord^(AF) and bring it to the altar. ²⁶The 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. ²⁷If 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) ²⁸If, 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, ³⁰or 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. ³¹The husband will be innocent of any wrongdoing, but the woman will bear the consequences^(AK) of her sin.’”

Footnotes

Numbers 5:2 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
Numbers 5:6 Or woman who commits any wrong common to mankind
Numbers 5:15 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
Numbers 5:21 That is, may he cause your name to be used in cursing (see Jer. 29:22); or, may others see that you are cursed; similarly in verse 27.
Numbers 5:26 Or representative

Numbers 5

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

5 The Lord said to Moses,

²Command the Israelites that they put outside the camp every leper and everyone who has a discharge, and whoever is defiled by [coming in contact with] the dead.

³Both male and female you shall put out; without the camp you shall put them, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.

⁴The Israelites did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord said to Moses, so the Israelites did.

⁵And the Lord said to Moses,

⁶Say to the Israelites, When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person is guilty,

⁷Then he shall confess the sin which he has committed, and he shall make restitution for his wrong in full, and add a fifth to it, and give it to him whom he has wronged.

⁸But if the man [wronged] has no kinsman to whom the restitution may be made, let it be given to the Lord for the priest, besides the ram of atonement with which atonement shall be made for the offender.

⁹And every offering of all the holy things of the Israelites which they bring to the priest shall be his.

¹⁰And every man’s hallowed things shall be the priest’s; whatever any man gives the priest shall be his.

¹¹And the Lord said to Moses,

¹²Say to the Israelites, If any man’s wife goes astray and commits an offense of guilt against him,

¹³And a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and it is kept secret though she is defiled, and there is no witness against her nor was she taken in the act,

¹⁴And if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife who has defiled herself—or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife though she has not defiled herself—

¹⁵Then shall the man bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal; but he shall pour no oil upon it nor put frankincense on it [symbols of favor and joy], for it is a cereal offering of jealousy and suspicion, a memorial offering bringing iniquity to remembrance.

¹⁶And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord.

¹⁷And the priest shall take holy water [probably from the sacred laver] in an earthen vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.

¹⁸And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and let the hair of the woman’s head hang loose, and put the meal offering of remembrance in her hands, which is the jealousy and suspicion offering. And the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings the curse.

¹⁹Then the priest shall make her take an oath, and say to the woman, If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness with another instead of your husband, then be free from any effect of this water of bitterness which brings the curse.

²⁰But if you have gone astray and you are defiled, some man having lain with you beside your husband,

²¹Then the priest shall make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman, The Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people when the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell.

²²May this water that brings the curse go into your bowels and make your body swell and your thigh fall away. And the woman shall say, So let it be, so let it be.

²³The priest shall then write these curses in a book and shall wash them off into the water of bitterness;

²⁴And he shall cause the woman to drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her [to try her] bitterly.

²⁵Then the priest shall take the cereal offering of jealousy and suspicion out of the woman’s hand and shall wave the offering before the Lord and offer it upon the altar.

²⁶And the priest shall take a handful of the cereal offering as the memorial portion of it and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.

²⁷And when he has made her drink the water, then if she is defiled and has committed a trespass against her husband, the curse water which she drank shall be bitterness and cause her body to swell and her thigh to fall away, and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

²⁸But if the woman is not defiled and is clean, then she shall be free [from the curse] and be able to have children.

²⁹This is the law of jealousy and suspicion when a wife goes aside to another instead of her husband and is defiled,

³⁰Or when the spirit of jealousy and suspicion comes upon a man and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife; then shall he set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute on her all this law.

³¹The [husband] shall be free from iniquity and guilt, and that woman [if guilty] shall bear her iniquity.

Numbers 5

New Century Version

Rules About Cleanliness

5 The Lord said to Moses, ²“Command the Israelites to send away from camp anyone with a harmful skin disease. Send away anyone who gives off body fluid or who has become unclean by touching a dead body. ³Send both men and women outside the camp so that they won’t spread the disease there, where I am living among you.” ⁴So Israel obeyed the Lord’s command and sent those people outside the camp. They did just as the Lord had told Moses.

Paying for Doing Wrong

⁵The Lord said to Moses, ⁶“Tell the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman does something wrong to another person, that is really sinning against the Lord. That person is guilty ⁷and must admit the wrong that has been done. The person must fully pay for the wrong that has been done, adding one-fifth to it, and giving it to the person who was wronged. ⁸But if that person is dead and does not have any close relatives to receive the payment, the one who did wrong owes the Lord and must pay the priest. In addition, the priest must sacrifice a male sheep to remove the wrong so that the person will belong to the Lord. ⁹When an Israelite brings a holy gift, it should be given to the priest. ¹⁰No one has to give these holy gifts, but if someone does give them, they belong to the priest.’”

Suspicious Husbands

¹¹Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹²“Tell the Israelites: ‘A man’s wife might be unfaithful to him ¹³and have sexual relations with another man. Her sin might be kept hidden from her husband so that he does not know about the wrong she did. Perhaps no one saw it, and she wasn’t caught. ¹⁴But if her husband has feelings of jealousy and suspects she has sinned—whether she has or not— ¹⁵he should take her to the priest. The husband must also take an offering for her of two quarts of barley flour. He must not pour oil or incense on it, because this is a grain offering for jealousy, an offering of remembrance. It is to find out if she is guilty.

¹⁶“‘The priest will bring in the woman and make her stand before the Lord. ¹⁷He will take some holy water in a clay jar, and he will put some dirt from the floor of the Holy Tent into the water. ¹⁸The priest will make the woman stand before the Lord, and he will loosen her hair. He will hand her the offering of remembrance, the grain offering for jealousy; he will hold the bitter water that brings a curse. ¹⁹The priest will make her take an oath and ask her, “Has another man had sexual relations with you? Have you been unfaithful to your husband? If you haven’t, this bitter water that brings a curse won’t hurt you. ²⁰But if you have been unfaithful to your husband and have had sexual relations with a man besides him”— ²¹the priest will then put on her the curse that the oath will bring—“the Lord will make the people curse and reject you. He will make your stomach get big, and he will make your body unable to give birth to another baby. ²²This water that brings a curse will go inside you and make your body unable to give birth to another baby.”

“‘The woman must say, “I agree.”

²³“‘The priest should write these curses on a scroll, wash the words off into the bitter water, ²⁴and make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse. If she is guilty, the water will make her sick. ²⁵Then the priest will take the grain offering for jealousy from her. He will present it before the Lord and bring it to the altar. ²⁶He will take a handful of the grain, which is a memorial offering, and burn it on the altar. After that he will make the woman drink the water ²⁷to see if she is not pure and if she has sinned against her husband. When it goes into her, if her stomach gets big and she is not able to have another baby, her people will reject her. ²⁸But if the woman has not sinned, she is pure. She is not guilty, and she will be able to have babies.

²⁹“‘So this is the teaching about jealousy. This is what to do when a woman does wrong and is unfaithful while she is married to her husband. ³⁰It also should be done if the man gets jealous because he suspects his wife. The priest will have her stand before the Lord, and he will do all these things, just as the teaching commands. ³¹In this way the husband can be proven correct, and the woman will suffer if she has done wrong.’”

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

New International Version (NIV)

Numbers 5

King James Version