Numbers 5

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

2 “Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever is unclean by a corpse.

“Order the Israelites to expel from the camp anyone who has a skin disease, or who has a discharge, or who is unclean from touching a dead body.

3 You shall put both male and female outside of the camp so that they don’t defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell.”

Whether male or female, you must expel them so they won't make their camp unclean, for that is where I live with them.”

4 The children of Israel did so, and put them outside of the camp; as Yahweh spoke to Moses, so the children of Israel did.

The Israelites followed these instructions, and expelled such people from the camp. They did what the Lord had told Moses they should do.

5 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

6 “Speak to the children of Israel: ‘When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit, so as to trespass against Yahweh, and that soul is guilty,

“Tell the Israelites that when a man or woman is unfaithful to the Lord by sinning against someone else, they are guilty

7 then he shall confess his sin which he has done; and he shall make restitution for his guilt in full, add to it the fifth part of it, and give it to him in respect of whom he has been guilty.

and must confess their sin. They have to pay the full amount of compensation plus one fifth of its value, and give this to the person they have wronged.

8 But if the man has no kinsman to whom restitution may be made for the guilt, the restitution for guilt which is made to Yahweh shall be the priest’s, in addition to the ram of the atonement, by which atonement shall be made for him.

However, if that person doesn't have a relative who can be paid the compensation, it belongs to the Lord and shall be given to the priest, together with a sacrificial ram by which the guilty person is set right.

9 Every heave offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they present to the priest, shall be his.

All holy offerings that the Israelites bring to the priest belong to him.

10 Every man’s holy things shall be his; whatever any man gives the priest, it shall be his.’”

Your holy offerings belong to you, but once you give them to the priest they belong to him.”

11 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

12 “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘If any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him,

“Tell the Israelites that these are the instructions to follow if a man's wife has an affair, being unfaithful to him

13 and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and this is kept concealed, and she is defiled, there is no witness against her, and she isn’t taken in the act;

by sleeping with someone else. It may be that her husband doesn't find out and her unclean act wasn't witnessed—she wasn't caught out.

14 and the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife and she is defiled; or if the spirit of jealousy comes on him, and he is jealous of his wife and she isn’t defiled;

But if her husband becomes jealous and suspicious of his wife, whether she's guilty or not,

15 then the man shall bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring her offering for her: one tenth of an ephah of barley meal. He shall pour no oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a meal offering of jealousy, a meal offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to memory.

he is to take her before the priest. He is also to take with him on her behalf an offering of one tenth of an ephath of barley flour. He must also bring for her an offering of an ephah of barley flour. He's not to pour olive oil over it or put frankincense on it, since it's a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder offering to remind people about sin.

16 The priest shall bring her near, and set her before Yahweh.

The priest is to lead the wife forward and have her stand before the Lord.

17 The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel; and the priest shall take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.

Then he shall fill a clay jar with holy water in a clay jar and sprinkle on it some dust from the floor of the Tabernacle.

18 The priest shall set the woman before Yahweh, and let the hair of the woman’s head go loose, and put the meal offering of memorial in her hands, which is the meal offering of jealousy. The priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings a curse.

Once the priest has had the woman stand before the Lord, he shall let her hair loose and have her hold the reminder grain offering—the grain offering used in cases of jealousy. The priest shall hold the bitter water that curses.

19 The priest shall cause her to take an oath and shall tell the woman, “If no man has lain with you, and if you haven’t gone aside to uncleanness, being under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings a curse.

He shall place the woman under oath and tell her, ‘If no one else has slept with you and you have not been unfaithful and become unclean while married to your husband, may you not be harmed by this bitter water that curses.

20 But if you have gone astray, being under your husband’s authority, and if you are defiled, and some man has lain with you besides your husband—”

But if you have been unfaithful while married to your husband and have become unclean and have had sex with someone else…”

21 then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall tell the woman, “May Yahweh make you a curse and an oath among your people, when Yahweh allows your thigh to fall away, and your body to swell;

(Here the priest shall place the woman under the oath of the curse as follows.) “May the Lord place a curse on you that everyone knows about by having your thighs shrink and your belly swell up.

22 and this water that brings a curse will go into your bowels, and make your body swell, and your thigh fall away.” The woman shall say, “Amen, Amen.”

May this water that curses go into your stomach and make your belly swell up and your thighs shrink.” The woman is to answer, “I agree, I agree.”

23 “‘The priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall wipe them into the water of bitterness.

The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water.

24 He shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that causes the curse; and the water that causes the curse shall enter into her and become bitter.

He shall make the woman drink the bitter water that curses, and it will cause her bitter pain if she is guilty.

25 The priest shall take the meal offering of jealousy out of the woman’s hand, and shall wave the meal offering before Yahweh, and bring it to the altar.

The priest shall take back from her the grain offering for jealousy, wave it before the Lord, and take it to the altar.

26 The priest shall take a handful of the meal offering, as its memorial portion, and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall make the woman drink the water.

Then the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as a reminder portion and burn it on the altar, and make the woman drink the water.

27 When he has made her drink the water, then it shall happen, if she is defiled and has committed a trespass against her husband, that the water that causes the curse will enter into her and become bitter, and her body will swell, and her thigh will fall away; and the woman will be a curse among her people.

After he has made her drink the water, if she has made herself unclean and has been unfaithful to her husband, then the water that curses will cause her bitter pain. Her belly will swell up and her thighs will shrink. She will become a cursed woman among her people.

28 If the woman isn’t defiled, but is clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive offspring.

But if the woman has not made herself unclean by being unfaithful and is clean, she will not experience this punishment and she will still be able to have children.

29 “‘This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, being under her husband, goes astray, and is defiled,

This is the rule to follow in cases of jealousy when a wife has an affair and makes herself unclean while married to her husband,

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

or when a husband starts feeling jealous and becomes suspicious of his wife. He shall have his wife stand before the Lord, and the priest is to carry out every part of this rule.

31 The man shall be free from iniquity, and that woman shall bear her iniquity.’”

If she is found guilty, her husband will not be held responsible. But the woman will bear the consequences of her sin.