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N U MBERS 6
must be given to the priest. Those who are guilty
must also bring a ram as a sacrifice, and they
will be purified and made right with the Lord.*
9 All the sacred offerings that the Israelites bring
to a priest will belong to him. 10 Each priest may
keep all the sacred donations that he receives.”
Protecting Marital Faithfulness
11 And the Lord said to Moses, 12 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.
“Suppose a man’s wife goes astray, and she
is unfaithful to her husband 13 and has sex with
another man, but neither her husband nor anyone else knows about it. She has defiled herself,
even though there was no witness and she was
not caught in the act. 14 If her husband becomes
jealous and is suspicious of his wife and needs
to know whether or not she has defiled herself,
15 the husband must bring his wife to the priest.
He must also bring an offering of two quarts*
of barley flour to be presented on her behalf.
Do not mix it with olive oil or frankincense, for
it is a jealousy offering—an offering to prove
whether or not she is guilty.
16 “The priest will then present her to stand
trial before the Lord. 17 He must take some holy
water in a clay jar and pour into it dust he has
taken from the Tabernacle floor. 18 When the
priest has presented the woman before the
Lord, he must unbind her hair and place in her
hands the offering of proof—the jealousy offering to determine whether her husband’s suspicions are justified. The priest will stand before
her, holding the jar of bitter water that brings
a curse to those who are guilty. 19 The priest
will then put the woman under oath and say to
her, ‘If no other man has had sex with you, and
you have not gone astray and defiled yourself
while under your husband’s authority, may you
be immune from the effects of this bitter water
that brings on the curse. 20 But if you have gone
astray by being unfaithful to your husband,
and have defiled yourself by having sex with
another man—’
21 “At this point the priest must put the
woman under oath by saying, ‘May the people
know that the Lord’s curse is upon you when
he makes you infertile, causing your womb
to shrivel* and your abdomen to swell. 22 Now
may this water that brings the curse enter your
body and cause your abdomen to swell and your
womb to shrivel.*’ And the woman will be required to say, ‘Yes, let it be so.’ 23 And the priest
will write these curses on a piece of leather and
wash them off into the bitter water. 24 He will
make the woman drink the bitter water that
brings on the curse. When the water enters her
body, it will cause bitter suffering if she is guilty.
25 “The priest will take the jealousy offering
from the woman’s hand, lift it up before the
Lord, and carry it to the altar. 26 He will take
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a handful of the flour as a token portion and
burn it on the altar, and he will require the
woman to drink the water. 27 If she has defiled
herself by being unfaithful to her husband,
the water that brings on the curse will cause
bitter suffering. Her abdomen will swell and
her womb will shrink,* and her name will become a curse among her people. 28 But if she
has not defiled herself and is pure, then she
will be unharmed and will still be able to have
children.
29 “This is the ritual law for dealing with
suspicion. If a woman goes astray and defiles
herself while under her husband’s authority,
30 or if a man becomes jealous and is suspicious
that his wife has been unfaithful, the husband
must present his wife before the Lord, and the
priest will apply this entire ritual law to her.
31 The husband will be innocent of any guilt in
this matter, but his wife will be held accountable for her sin.”
Nazirite Laws
Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel.
“If any of the people, either men or women,
take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the Lord in a special way, 3 they
must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks.
They must not use vinegar made from wine
or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not
drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat
grapes or raisins. 4 As long as they are bound by
their Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to eat or
drink anything that comes from a grapevine—
not even the grape seeds or skins.
5 “They must never cut their hair throughout
the time of their vow, for they are holy and set
apart to the Lord. Until the time of their vow
has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow
long. 6 And they must not go near a dead body
during the entire period of their vow to the
Lord. 7 Even if the dead person is their own father, mother, brother, or sister, they must not
defile themselves, for the hair on their head is
the symbol of their separation to God. 8 This requirement applies as long as they are set apart
to the Lord.
9 “If someone falls dead beside them, the hair
they have dedicated will be defiled. They must
wait for seven days and then shave their heads.
Then they will be cleansed from their defilement. 10 On the eighth day they must bring two
turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest
at the entrance of the Tabernacle.* 11 The priest
will offer one of the birds for a sin offering and
the other for a burnt offering. In this way, he
6
5:8 Or bring a ram for atonement, which will make atonement for
them. 5:15 Hebrew 1 ⁄10 of an ephah [2.2 liters]. 5:21 Hebrew
when he causes your thigh to waste away. 5:22 Hebrew and your
thigh to waste away. 5:27 Hebrew and her thigh will waste away.
6:10 Hebrew the Tent of Meeting; also in 6:13, 18.