Numbers 5 summary meaning ai explained commentary

Numbers 5 meaning explained in AI Summary

Ritual Cleanliness and Restitution

Maintaining Purity: This chapter addresses various situations that could cause ritual impurity within the camp, such as skin diseases or touching a dead body. Specific procedures are outlined for cleansing and restoring purity.
Confession, Compensation, and Oaths: The chapter also deals with situations of dishonesty and broken oaths. It emphasizes the importance of confession, compensation for wronged parties, and the seriousness of making oaths before God.

Chapter 5 of the Book of Numbers deals with ritual purity and handling offenses within the Israelite community. It can be divided into three main sections:

1. Exclusion from the Camp (Verses 1-4):

God instructs Moses that anyone with a contagious skin disease (likely *tzaraath*, often mistranslated as leprosy), a discharge, or who has become ritually impure through contact with a corpse, must be excluded from the camp.
This exclusion emphasizes the importance of ritual purity, especially concerning the tabernacle, which represented God's presence among the Israelites.

2. The Law of Suspected Adultery (Verses 5-31):

This section details the procedure for dealing with a husband who suspects his wife of infidelity.
The suspected woman undergoes a ritual involving holy water, dust from the tabernacle floor, and an oath before the priest.
If guilty, she would experience physical suffering; if innocent, she would be cleared and able to bear children.
This ritual highlights the seriousness of adultery and the importance of truth and justice within the community.

3. The Law of Jealousy Offering (Verses 11-31):

This section expands on the previous one, offering an alternative procedure for a husband suspicious of his wife's fidelity.
The husband could bring his wife to the priest and provide a grain offering.
The priest would then perform a ritual involving a written curse and the woman drinking bitter water.
Similar to the previous ritual, if guilty, she would suffer physically; if innocent, she would remain unharmed.
This law emphasizes the husband's responsibility in addressing his suspicions and seeking resolution through divinely ordained means.

Overall, Numbers Chapter 5 emphasizes the importance of:

Ritual purity: Maintaining a state of holiness, particularly concerning the tabernacle and God's presence.
Justice and truth: Addressing offenses like adultery and suspicion through divinely ordained rituals.
Community order: Providing clear procedures for handling disputes and maintaining harmony within the Israelite camp.

It's important to note that these laws reflect the social and religious context of the time and should be interpreted within that framework.

Numbers 5 bible study ai commentary

Numbers chapter 5 establishes the principle that the holiness of God dwelling in Israel's midst requires the corresponding holiness of the community. This holiness is maintained through three distinct legal procedures: the separation of the ritually impure to preserve the camp's sanctity, a law for making full restitution for sin to restore broken relationships with God and man, and a unique divine ordeal to resolve cases of suspected adultery, thereby purging relational impurity and upholding the sanctity of marriage. The unifying theme is the absolute necessity of purity—ritual, moral, and relational—for a people in covenant with a holy God.

Numbers 5 Context

The laws in Numbers 5 are given to Israel at Mount Sinai after the Tabernacle, God's dwelling place, has been erected and consecrated. The camp is now organized Tribe by Tribe around this central, holy sanctuary. This physical proximity to God's manifest presence elevates the requirement for purity beyond previous standards. The context is that of a holy nation-in-formation, a community whose laws and social structures must reflect the character of the God who lives among them. These laws are distinct from those of surrounding Ancient Near Eastern (ANE) cultures, which often relied on magic, divination, or brutal physical tests for judgment. Israel's laws, by contrast, ground justice and purity in the direct judgment and authority of Yahweh himself.

Numbers 5:1-4

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

In-depth-analysis

This instruction deals with ritual impurity, not necessarily sin or moral failing. The three categories represent serious, and often prolonged, states of uncleanness.
Leprous: The Hebrew tsaraath refers to various chronic skin diseases, not just modern leprosy. It symbolized a state of living death.
Discharge: Refers to abnormal genital discharges for both men and women, representing a loss of "life fluid."
Unclean through contact with the dead: Contact with a human corpse was the most potent source of ritual impurity.
"In the midst of which I dwell": This is the theological foundation for the law. God's holy presence cannot coexist with ritual impurity, which is symbolically linked to decay and death. Expulsion was not a punishment but a quarantine to protect the sanctity of the community-sanctuary.
The command applies equally to "male and female," highlighting the universal nature of these purity principles within the covenant community.

Bible references

Leviticus 13:45-46: 'The leprous person... shall cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ ...he shall dwell alone; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.' (The direct law being referenced).
Leviticus 15:2, 31: 'When any man has a discharge from his body, he is unclean... Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, lest they die.' (The law on discharges and its purpose).
2 Corinthians 6:17: 'Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing.' (A spiritual application of the principle of separation for NT believers).
Revelation 21:27: 'But nothing unclean will ever enter it [the new Jerusalem], nor anyone who does what is detestable or false.' (The ultimate fulfillment of a perfectly holy community).

Cross references

Lev 22:3-6 (priestly purity), Num 19:11-13 (defilement by the dead), Num 12:14-15 (Miriam put outside the camp), Haggai 2:13 (defilement by contact).

Numbers 5:5-10

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel, 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, he shall confess his sin that he has committed. 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 the wrong shall go to the Lord for the priest, in addition to the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him. And every contribution, all the holy things of the people of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.”

In-depth-analysis

This section transitions from ritual purity to moral and relational integrity.
"Breaking faith (maal) with the Lord": This phrase frames all sin against a neighbor as a simultaneous trespass against God. The horizontal (human-to-human) and vertical (human-to-God) dimensions of sin are inseparable.
Three-step process for restoration:
1. Confession (hitvaddah): A verbal acknowledgment of the specific sin.
2. Restitution: Repaying the principal amount of the harm/theft plus a penalty of one-fifth (20%). This restores the wronged party.
3. Atonement: Offering a guilt offering (asham), a "ram of atonement," to restore the relationship with God.
No next of kin (goel): If the wronged party is deceased and has no relative to receive restitution, the debt is not cancelled. It is paid to God, represented by the priest. This ensures that justice is always served.
Verses 9-10 affirm the general principle that sacred contributions (terumah) given to the Lord belong to the priests for their sustenance.

Bible references

Leviticus 6:2-5: 'If anyone sins... and has stolen... he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs...' (The foundational law for the guilt offering).
Luke 19:8: 'And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”' (An example of restitution going beyond the legal requirement).
1 John 1:9: 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' (The NT emphasis on confession for forgiveness).
Matthew 5:23-24: 'So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift... First be reconciled to your brother.' (Jesus affirms that reconciliation with others is a prerequisite for acceptable worship).

Cross references

Ex 22:1-15 (restitution laws), Lev 5:14-16 (guilt offering), Lev 7:7 (priest's portion), Ezek 33:15 (restitution as evidence of repentance), Num 18:8-9 (priestly provisions).

Numbers 5:11-31

Verses 11-31 describe the 'Law of Jealousy' (Hebrew: torat ha-qana'ot), a ritual for a wife (sotah) suspected of adultery when there are no witnesses.

In-depth-analysis

The Problem (vv. 11-14): A "spirit of jealousy" (ruach qin'ah) comes upon a husband. The text explicitly states this can happen whether the wife is defiled or is not defiled. This law is for resolving suspicion and restoring trust, not just punishing guilt.
The Offering (v. 15): The husband brings his wife to the priest with an offering of barley meal. It has no oil or frankincense, symbolizing a stark, unpleasant situation and a "remembrance of iniquity."
The Ritual (vv. 16-22):
- Holy Water (mayim qedoshim): Water from the laver in an earthen vessel, symbolizing purity.
- Dust from the Tabernacle floor: Symbolizes humanity's humble origin (Gen 2:7) and the sacred ground where God judges.
- Unbound Hair: A sign of distress, mourning, or shame.
- The Oath (shevu'ah): The priest makes the woman swear an oath, calling a divine curse upon herself if guilty. Her response, "Amen, Amen," is a solemn agreement, making her a participant in her own trial.
- The Curses (arur) Written and Washed: The priest writes the curses on a scroll and washes the ink into the water. This symbolically transfers the text of the curse into the liquid. The power is not in the ink, but in the Word of God that it represents.
The Test and Verdict (vv. 23-28): The woman drinks the "water of bitterness" (mei ha-marim).
- If Guilty: The curse takes effect. Her "belly will swell and her thigh will fall away" (ESV). This is interpreted as a collapse of her reproductive system (e.g., prolapsed uterus, miscarriage, or induced sterility), a direct consequence (lex talionis) for her adulterous act. She becomes a curse among her people.
- If Innocent: She suffers no harm and "shall be free and shall conceive children." She is publicly vindicated, her reputation restored, and her fertility affirmed by God.
The Conclusion (vv. 29-31): This is a summary statement. The law holds the woman accountable for her actions while freeing the husband from guilt for initiating this divinely-ordained process. He is not free to engage in vigilante justice.

Polemics

This law is a direct polemic against ANE "trial by ordeal" practices (e.g., the Code of Hammurabi, where an accused wife was thrown into a river). Those were often fatal regardless of guilt and based on superstition. Israel's ritual is unique:

God is the Judge: It is a direct appeal for divine revelation, not a naturalistic test of endurance or a magical potion.
Symbolic, not Magical: The ingredients (water, dust, ink) have no inherent power to harm. The effect is entirely supernatural.
Protects the Woman: It provided the only way for a woman to clear her name against a husband's consuming suspicion in a patriarchal society. It prevented private violence or summary divorce by forcing the issue into a sacred, public, and divinely adjudicated space.
Vindication is the Goal: The ritual is designed to produce a clear outcome, either conviction or—just as importantly—public exoneration.

Bible references

Proverbs 6:34: 'For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.' (Highlights the danger of unchecked jealousy, which this law channels and contains).
John 8:4-5: 'They said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.”' (Shows the prescribed punishment when there are witnesses (Lev 20:10), contrasting with this law for suspicion only).
Ephesians 5:25-27: '...as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word...' (The church, the Bride of Christ, is cleansed by Christ, the living water and Word, presenting a typological contrast).
Galatians 3:13: 'Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...' (Jesus willingly drank the "cup" of God's wrath and curse, which his unfaithful people deserved).

Cross references

Lev 20:10 (death penalty for adultery), Deut 22:22 (death penalty), Mal 2:14-15 (God as witness to marital covenants), Heb 13:4 (marriage bed undefiled), 2 Cor 11:2 (spiritual jealousy for the church's purity).

Numbers 5 analysis

The Unifying Principle: God's holy presence requires a holy community. Ritual uncleanness (vv. 1-4), moral guilt (vv. 5-10), and relational breakdown (vv. 11-31) all defile the camp and must be purged or resolved. Holiness is not just about vertical piety but about horizontal integrity.
From Physical to Spiritual Adultery: The Old Testament's focus on physical marital fidelity becomes a primary metaphor in the Prophets and New Testament for spiritual fidelity to God. Israel is God's "unfaithful wife" (Hosea 1-3, Jeremiah 3). The Church is the "Bride of Christ" (Eph 5, Rev 19), called to be pure.
A Typological Picture of the Gospel: The sotah ritual contains a startling picture of Christ. The suspected woman is brought under the Law (the curse written on the scroll), which is dissolved in water (symbol of life/judgment) containing dust from God's dwelling. To be saved, she must take this curse into herself. In the gospel, Jesus Christ, the Living Water and the Word made flesh, comes from the presence of the Father (the true Tabernacle). He takes the curse of the Law (Gal 3:13), which His unfaithful bride (the church) deserves, into Himself on the cross, so that she might be vindicated, declared innocent, and made fruitful for God.
The Progression of Justice: The chapter shows a sophisticated legal structure. It moves from public, obvious defilement (leprosy) to confessed private sin (restitution) to unprovable, suspected sin (jealousy ordeal). God's law provides a means of resolution for every kind of community-threatening impurity.

Numbers 5 summary

The chapter outlines three legal instructions essential for maintaining the holiness of Israel's camp, where God dwells. First, the ritually unclean must be separated from the community. Second, sins against a neighbor require both full restitution to the person and an offering to God. Third, a divine ritual is established to resolve the crisis of a husband's jealousy, providing a path for either divine judgment upon the guilty or divine vindication for the innocent wife.

Numbers 4 AI Numbers 6 AI

Numbers 5 AI Image Audio and Video

Numbers chapter 5 kjv

¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
² Command 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:
³ Both 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.
⁴ And 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.
⁵ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
⁶ Speak 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;
⁷ Then 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.
⁸ But 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.
⁹ And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring unto the priest, shall be his.
¹⁰ And every man's hallowed things shall be his: whatsoever any man giveth the priest, it shall be his.
¹¹ And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
¹² Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him,
¹³ And 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;
¹⁴ And 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:
¹⁵ Then 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.
¹⁶ And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD:
¹⁷ And 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:
¹⁸ And 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:
¹⁹ And 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:
²⁰ But 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:
²¹ Then 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;
²² And 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.
²³ And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:
²⁴ And 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.
²⁵ Then 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:
²⁶ And 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.
²⁷ And 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.
²⁸ And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean; then she shall be free, and shall conceive seed.
²⁹ This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled;
³⁰ Or 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.
³¹ Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

Numbers chapter 5 nkjv

¹ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:
² "Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, everyone who has a discharge, and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.
³ You shall put out both male and female; you shall put them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camps in the midst of which I dwell."
⁴ And the children of Israel did so, and put them outside the camp; as the LORD spoke to Moses, so the children of Israel did.
⁵ Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
⁶ "Speak to the children of Israel: 'When a man or woman commits any sin that men commit in unfaithfulness against the LORD, and that person is guilty,
⁷ then he shall confess the sin which he has committed. He shall make restitution for his trespass in full, plus one-fifth of it, and give it to the one he has wronged.
⁸ But if the man has no relative to whom restitution may be made for the wrong, the restitution for the wrong must go to the LORD for the priest, in addition to the ram of the atonement with which atonement is made for him.
⁹ Every offering of all the holy things of the children of Israel, which they bring to the priest, shall be his.
¹⁰ And every man's holy things shall be his; whatever any man gives the priest shall be his.' "
¹¹ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
¹² "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: 'If any man's wife goes astray and behaves unfaithfully toward him,
¹³ and a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband, and it is concealed that she has defiled herself, and there was no witness against her, nor was she caught?
¹⁴ if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, who has defiled herself; or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he becomes jealous of his wife, although she has not defiled herself?
¹⁵ then the man shall bring his wife to the priest. He shall bring the offering required for her, one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, because it is a grain offering of jealousy, an offering for remembering, for bringing iniquity to remembrance.
¹⁶ 'And the priest shall bring her near, and set her before the LORD.
¹⁷ The priest shall take holy water in an earthen vessel, and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it into the water.
¹⁸ Then the priest shall stand the woman before the LORD, uncover the woman's head, and put the offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And the priest shall have in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse.
¹⁹ And the priest shall put her under oath, and say to the woman, "If no man has lain with you, and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness while under your husband's authority, be free from this bitter water that brings a curse.
²⁰ But if you have gone astray while under your husband's authority, and if you have defiled yourself and some man other than your husband has lain with you"?
²¹ then the priest shall put the woman under the oath of the curse, and he shall say to the woman? "the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD makes your thigh rot and your belly swell;
²² and may this water that causes the curse go into your stomach, and make your belly swell and your thigh rot." ' Then the woman shall say, "Amen, so be it."
²³ 'Then the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall scrape them off into the bitter water.
²⁴ And he shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter her to become bitter.
²⁵ Then the priest shall take the grain offering of jealousy from the woman's hand, shall wave the offering before the LORD, and bring it to the altar;
²⁶ and the priest shall take a handful of the offering, as its memorial portion, burn it on the altar, and afterward make the woman drink the water.
²⁷ When he has made her drink the water, then it shall be, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, that the water that brings a curse will enter her and become bitter, and her belly will swell, her thigh will rot, and the woman will become a curse among her people.
²⁸ But if the woman has not defiled herself, and is clean, then she shall be free and may conceive children.
²⁹ 'This is the law of jealousy, when a wife, while under her husband's authority, goes astray and defiles herself,
³⁰ or when the spirit of jealousy comes upon a man, and he becomes jealous of his wife; then he shall stand the woman before the LORD, and the priest shall execute all this law upon her.
³¹ Then the man shall be free from iniquity, but that woman shall bear her guilt.' "

Numbers chapter 5 niv

¹ The LORD said to Moses,
² "Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease or a discharge of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean because of a dead body.
³ Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them."
⁴ The Israelites did so; they sent them outside the camp. They did just as the LORD had instructed Moses.
⁵ The LORD said to Moses,
⁶ "Say to the Israelites: 'Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD is guilty
⁷ and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged.
⁸ 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 with which atonement is made for the wrongdoer.
⁹ All the sacred contributions the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him.
¹⁰ Sacred things belong to their owners, but what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.'?"
¹¹ Then the LORD said to Moses,
¹² "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'If a man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him
¹³ so that another man has sexual relations with her, 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 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 of barley flour on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy, a reminder-offering 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 and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse.
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 and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you.
²⁰ But if you have gone astray 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?"may the LORD cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell.
²² May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries." "?'Then the woman is to say, "Amen. So be it."
²³ "?'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 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 and bring it to the altar.
²⁶ The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial offering 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.
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 and makes herself impure while married to her husband,
³⁰ or when feelings of jealousy 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 of her sin.'?"

Numbers chapter 5 esv

¹ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
² "Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp everyone who is leprous or has a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with the dead.
³ You shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may not defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwell."
⁴ 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.
⁵ And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
⁶ "Speak to the people of Israel, 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,
⁷ he shall confess his sin that he has committed. 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.
⁸ 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 the ram of atonement with which atonement is made for him.
⁹ And 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."
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 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, 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 of barley flour. 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, 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 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) '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 pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.' And the woman shall say, '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 and shall wave the grain offering before the LORD and bring it to the altar.
²⁶ And the priest 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 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, 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 shall bear her iniquity."

Numbers chapter 5 nlt

¹ The LORD gave these instructions to Moses:
² "Command the people of Israel to remove from the camp anyone who has a skin disease or a discharge, or who has become ceremonially unclean by touching a dead person.
³ This command applies to men and women alike. Remove them so they will not defile the camp in which I live among them."
⁴ So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses and removed such people from the camp.
⁵ Then the LORD said to Moses,
⁶ "Give the following instructions to the people of Israel: If any of the people ? men or women ? betray the LORD by doing wrong to another person, they are guilty.
⁷ They must confess their sin and make full restitution for what they have done, adding an additional 20 percent and returning it to the person who was wronged.
⁸ But if the person who was wronged is dead, and there are no near relatives to whom restitution can be made, the payment belongs to the LORD and 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."
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 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."