Numbers 5 (UDB)

1Yahweh said to Moses,Then the LORD said to Moses,

2"Tell this to the Israelite people: 'You must send away from your camp 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.“Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone with a skin disease, anyone who has a bodily discharge, and anyone who is defiled by a dead body.

3Send them away 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.'"You must send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.”

4So the Israelite people obeyed what Yahweh commanded Moses.So the Israelites did this, sending such people outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses.

5Yahweh also told Moses,And the LORD said to Moses,

6"Tell this to the Israelite people: 'If someone commits a crime against another person, I consider that that person has done wrong to me.“Tell the Israelites that when a man or woman acts unfaithfully against the LORD by committing any sin against another, that person is guilty

7That 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 payment for what he has done, and he must pay an extra 20 percent.and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution, add a fifth to its value, and give all this to the one he has wronged.

8If 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.But if the man has no 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 of atonement, by which the atonement is made for him.

9All the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to me by bringing them to the priest will belong to the priest.Every sacred contribution the Israelites bring to the priest shall belong to him.

10The priest can keep those gifts.'"Each man’s sacred gifts are his own, but whatever he gives to the priest will belong to the priest.”

11Yahweh also said this to Moses:Then the LORD said to Moses,

12"Tell this to the Israelite people: 'Suppose a man thinks that his wife has not always slept faithfully only with him.“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if any man’s wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him

13Suppose he thinks that she has slept with another man, but he does not know if this is true or not, because he did not see her do it. She was not caught in the act and the fact that she broke her vow to her husband could not be proved because no one saw her doing that.by sleeping with another man, and it is concealed from her husband and her impurity is undetected (since there is no witness against her and she was not caught in the act),

14But if the woman's husband is jealous, and if he suspects that she has committed adultery, and he would want to know whether that is true or not, then there is a test whether she had been impure.and if a feeling of jealousy comes over her husband and he suspects his wife who has defiled herself—or if a feeling of jealousy comes over him and he suspects her even though she has not defiled herself—

15To test whether she had committed adultery, he should take his wife to the priest. He must take along as an offering two 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. It is an offering to find out if she is guilty or not.then he is to bring his wife to the priest. He must also bring for her an offering of a tenth of an ephah of barley flour. He is not to pour oil over it or put frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, an offering of memorial as a reminder of iniquity.

16The priest must tell the woman to stand in front of the altar in my presence.The priest is to bring the wife forward and have her stand before the LORD.

17He 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.Then he is to take some holy water in a clay jar and put some of the dust from the tabernacle floor into the water.

18He must untie the woman's hair. Then he must put in her hands the flour offering 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 if she is guilty.After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse.

19The priest must require her to solemnly declare that she will tell the truth. He must say to her, "Has another man slept 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.And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.

20But if you have slept with another man, Yahweh will curse you.But if you have gone astray while under your husband’s authority and have defiled yourself and lain carnally with a man other than your husband’—

21Your 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."and the priest shall have the woman swear under the oath of the curse—‘then may the LORD make you an attested curse among your people by making your thigh shrivel and your belly swell.

23Then the priest must write with ink on a small scroll these curses and then wash the ink off into the bitter water.And the priest shall write these curses on a scroll and wash them off into the bitter water.

24The priest must take from her the offering of barley flour that she is holding; he must lift it up to dedicate it to me. Then he must put it on the altarHe is to have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and may cause her bitter suffering.

26and burn part of it as a sacrifice. Then the woman must drink the bitter water.Then the priest is to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar; after that he is to have the woman drink the water.

27If the woman has committed adultery instead of faithfully sleeping only with her husband, 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 will curse her.When he has made her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, her thigh will shrivel, and she will become accursed among her people.

28But if she is innocent, her body will not be harmed, and she will still be able to give birth to children.But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will be unaffected and able to conceive children.

29That is the ritual that must be performed when a woman who is married has sinned by committing adultery,This is the law of jealousy when a wife goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband’s authority,

30or when a man is jealous and suspects that his wife has slept with another man. The priest must tell that woman to stand at the altar in my presence and obey these instructions.or when a feeling of jealousy comes over a husband and he suspects his wife. He is to have the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest is to apply to her this entire law.

31Even if the woman has not done what the husband suspected, he will not be punished for doing something wrong by bringing his wife to the priest. But if his wife is guilty, she will suffer as a result.'"The husband will be free from guilt, but the woman shall bear her iniquity.”

Numbers 5

Cleansing the Camps

Confession and Restitution

The Adultery Test

You’ve read Numbers 5

Go Deeper

Numbers 5

Cleansing the Camps

Confession and Restitution

The Adultery Test

You’ve read Numbers 5

Go Deeper