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And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

Command thou to the sons of Israel, that they cast out of the tents each leprous man, and that floweth out the seed, and that is defouled upon a dead body; (Command thou to the Israelites, that they throw out of the tents, that is, out of the camp, any person who is leprous, and he who floweth out the seed, and anyone who is defiled by contact with a dead body;)

cast ye out of the tents, as well a male as a female, lest they defoul those, when they dwell with you. (throw ye out of the camp, a female as well as a male, lest they defile all the tents, where I live among you.)

And the sons of Israel did so (And the Israelites did so); and they putted them out of the tents, as the Lord spake to Moses.

And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

Speak thou to the sons of Israel (Say thou to the Israelites), When a man either a woman hath done any of all (of) the sins that be wont to fall to men, and have broken by negligence the behest of the Lord, and have trespassed,

they shall acknowledge their sin, and they shall yield that head, or debt, and (add) the fifth part above (it), (and give it) to him against whom they (have) sinned.

But if none there is that shall receive that, they shall give it to the Lord, and it shall be the priest’s part, besides the ram that is offered for cleansing, that it be a quemeful sacrifice. (But if there is no one who can receive that payment, then they shall give it to the Lord, and it shall be the priest’s portion, besides the ram for making amends, which is offered to make amends for them.)

Also all the first fruits, which the sons of Israel offer (which the Israelites offer), pertain to the priest;

10 and whatever thing is offered of each man in the saintuary, which a man hallowed, and gave to the hands of the priest, it shall be the priest’s part. (and whatever thing is offered by anyone in the sanctuary, which a person hath dedicated, and put into the hands of the priest, it shall be the priest’s portion.)

11 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said,

12 Speak thou to the sons of Israel (Speak thou to the Israelites), and thou shalt say to them, If a man’s wife hath erred, and hath despised her husband,

13 and hath slept with another man, and the husband may not take, either prove this, but the adultery is hid, and may not be proved by witnesses, for she is not found in lechery; (and hath slept with another man, but her husband cannot prove it, for the adultery is hidden, or is done in secret, and so cannot be proved by witnesses, for she was not found in lechery;)

14 (or) if the spirit of jealousy stirreth the husband against his wife, which is either defouled, either she is impeached by false suspicion, (or if the spirit of jealousy stirreth a husband against his wife, and she is either truly defiled, or is impeached by false suspicion,)

15 the man shall bring her to the priest, and he shall offer an offering for her, the tenth part of a measure called (a) saton of barley meal; he shall not pour oil thereupon, neither he shall put incense thereto, for it is the sacrifice of jealousy, and an offering inquiring (about) adultery. (the husband shall bring her to the priest, and he shall offer an offering for her, the tenth of a measure called a seah of barley meal, that is, the tenth of an ephah; he shall not pour oil on it, nor shall he put incense on it, for it is an offering for jealousy, and an offering to inquire about adultery.)

16 Therefore the priest shall offer her, and shall set her before the Lord; (And so the priest shall bring her forth, and shall put her before the Lord;)

17 and he shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and he shall put into it a little earth of the pavement of the tabernacle. (and he shall pour some holy water into an earthen, or a clay, vessel, and he shall put into it a little dust, or a little dirt, from the floor of the Tabernacle, to make the water bitter.)

18 And when the woman standeth in the sight of the Lord, the priest shall uncover her head, and he shall put upon her hands the sacrifice of remembering, and the offering of jealousy. Soothly he shall hold (in his hand) the most bitter waters, in which he hath gathered together curses with cursing. (And when the woman standeth before the Lord, the priest shall uncover her head, and he shall put in her hands the offering of remembrance, which is the offering for jealousy. And he shall hold in his hand this most bitter water, into which he shall gather together curses.)

19 And he shall conjure her, and say, If an alien man slept not with thee, and if thou art not defouled in forsaking the bed of thine husband, these bitter waters shall not harm thee, into which I have gathered together curses; (And he shall adjure her, and say, If thou hath not slept with a stranger, and if thou art not defiled by forsaking thy husband’s bed, then this most bitter water, into which I shall gather together curses, shall not harm thee;)

20 else if thou bowedest away from thine husband, and art defouled, and hast lain with another man, (but if thou hast turned away from thy husband, and art defiled, and hast lain with another man,)

21 thou shalt be subject to these cursings; the Lord give thee into cursing, and into ensample of all men in his people; the Lord make thine hip to wax rotten, and thy womb (to) swell, and be it broken; (then thou shalt be subject to these curses; yea, let the Lord make thee a curse, and an example to all among his people; and may the Lord make thy hip to grow rotten, and thy womb to swell, and let it be broken;)

22 (yea, let) these cursed waters enter into thy womb, and while thy womb swelleth, thine hip wax rotten. And the woman shall answer, Amen! amen!

23 And the priest shall write these curses in a little book, and he shall do away those curses with the bitterest waters (and then he shall wash them off into this most bitter water),

24 into which he gathered (those) curses, and he shall give to her the waters to drink. And when she hath drunk those waters, (into which he shall gather together these curses, and then he shall give her this water to drink. And when she hath drunk the water,)

25 the priest shall take (out) of her hand the sacrifice of jealousy (the priest shall take from her hand the offering for jealousy), and he shall raise it [up] before the Lord, and he shall put it on the altar;

26 so only that he take before an handful of that sacrifice that is offered, and burn it upon the altar, and so give (for to) drink to the woman the most bitter waters. (so only that first he take a handful of the offering that is offered, and burn it on the altar, and then afterward give the woman this most bitter water to drink.)

27 And when she hath drunk those waters, if she is defouled, and is guilty of adultery, for her husband is despised of her (for her husband was despised by her), the waters of cursing shall pass through her, and while her womb is swollen, her hip shall wax rotten, and the woman shall be into cursing and into ensample to all the people.

28 That if she is not defouled, she shall be harmless, and shall bring forth free children. (But if she is not defiled, she shall be without harm, and shall bring forth children.)

29 This is the law of jealousy, if a woman boweth away from her husband, and is defouled, (This is the law of jealousy, when a woman turneth away from her husband, and is defiled,)

30 and the husband is stirred with the spirit of jealousy, and bringeth her into the sight of the Lord, and the priest doeth to her by all things that be written (here), (or when her husband is stirred with the spirit of jealousy, or of suspicion, and he bringeth her before the Lord, and the priest doeth to her by all the things that be written here;)

31 the husband shall be without sin, and she shall receive her wickedness. (then the husband shall be without sin, and she, if guilty, shall bear her wickedness.)

The Purity of the Camp

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

Restitution for Wrongs

The Lord said to Moses, “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) 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. 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) 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.’”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 5:2 The Hebrew word for defiling skin disease, traditionally translated “leprosy,” was used for various diseases affecting the skin.
  2. Numbers 5:6 Or woman who commits any wrong common to mankind
  3. Numbers 5:15 That is, probably about 3 1/2 pounds or about 1.6 kilograms
  4. 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.
  5. Numbers 5:26 Or representative

Unclean People

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel that they (A)put out of the camp everyone who is leprous[a] or has (B)a discharge and everyone who is (C)unclean through contact with the dead. You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, (D)in the midst of which I dwell.” And the people of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the Lord said to Moses, so the people of Israel did.

Confession and Restitution

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, (E)When a man or woman commits any of the sins that people commit by breaking faith with the Lord, and that person realizes his guilt, (F)he shall confess his sin that he has committed.[b] (G)And he shall make full restitution for his wrong, adding a fifth to it and giving it to him to whom he did the wrong. But if the man has no next of kin to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to (H)the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him. And (I)every contribution, all the holy donations of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his. 10 Each one shall keep his holy donations: whatever anyone gives to the priest shall be his.”

A Test for Adultery

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 12 “Speak to the people of Israel, If any man's wife goes astray and breaks faith with him, 13 if a man (J)lies with her sexually, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her, (K)since she was not taken in the act, 14 and if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife who has defiled herself, or if the spirit of jealousy comes over him and he is jealous of his wife, though she has not defiled herself, 15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest and bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah[c] of barley flour. (L)He shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance, (M)bringing iniquity to remembrance.

16 “And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord. 17 And the priest shall take holy water in an earthenware vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water. 18 And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord and (N)unbind the hair of the woman's head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And in his hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the curse. 19 Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband's authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse. 20 But if you have gone astray, though you are under your husband's authority, and if you have defiled yourself, and some man other than your husband has lain with you, 21 then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) (O)‘the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell. 22 May this water that brings the curse (P)pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.’ And the woman shall say, (Q)‘Amen, Amen.’

23 “Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness. 24 And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain. 25 And the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy out of the woman's hand (R)and shall wave the grain offering before the Lord and bring it to the altar. 26 And the priest (S)shall take a handful of the grain offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water. 27 And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman (T)shall become a curse among her people. 28 But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, then she shall be free and shall conceive children.

29 “This is the law in cases of jealousy, when a wife, (U)though under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself, 30 or when the spirit of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife. Then he shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall carry out for her all this law. 31 The man shall be free from iniquity, but the woman (V)shall bear her iniquity.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 5:2 Leprosy was a term for several skin diseases; see Leviticus 13
  2. Numbers 5:7 Hebrew they shall confess their sin that they have committed
  3. Numbers 5:15 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters