Numbers 5:11-6:27

New International Version

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^(A) and is unfaithful to him ¹³ so that another man has sexual relations with her,^(B) 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^(C) 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^[a](D) of barley flour^(E) on her behalf. He must not pour olive oil on it or put incense on it, because it is a grain offering for jealousy,^(F) a reminder-offering^(G) 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^(H) and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy,^(I) while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse.^{(J) 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^(K) and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse^(L) not harm you. ²⁰ But if you have gone astray^(M) 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^(N)—“may the Lord cause you to become a curse^[b] among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell. ²² May this water^(O) that brings a curse^(P) enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.”

“‘Then the woman is to say, “Amen. So be it.^(Q)”

²³ “‘The priest is to write these curses on a scroll^(R) 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^(S) and bring it to the altar. ²⁶ The priest is then to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial^[c] offering^(T) 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.^{(U) 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^(V) and makes herself impure while married to her husband, ³⁰ or when feelings of jealousy^(W) 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^(X) of her sin.’”

The Nazirite

6 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow^(Y), a vow of dedication^(Z) to the Lord as a Nazirite,^{(AA) 3} they must abstain from wine^(AB) and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar^(AC) made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes^(AD) or raisins. ⁴ As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

⁵ “‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor^(AE) may be used on their head.^(AF) They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.

⁶ “‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body.^{(AG) 7} Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean^(AH) on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. ⁸ Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.

⁹ “‘If someone dies suddenly in the Nazirite’s presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication,^(AI) they must shave their head on the seventh day—the day of their cleansing.^{(AJ) 10} Then on the eighth day^(AK) they must bring two doves or two young pigeons^(AL) to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^{(AM) 11} The priest is to offer one as a sin offering^[d](AN) and the other as a burnt offering^(AO) to make atonement^(AP) for the Nazirite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. ¹² They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb^(AQ) as a guilt offering.^(AR) The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.

¹³ “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over.^(AS) They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting.^{(AT) 14} There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect^(AU) for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering,^(AV) a ram^(AW) without defect for a fellowship offering,^{(AX) 15} together with their grain offerings^(AY) and drink offerings,^(AZ) and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast—thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.^(BA)

¹⁶ “‘The priest is to present all these^(BB) before the Lord^(BC) and make the sin offering and the burnt offering.^{(BD) 17} He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering^(BE) to the Lord, together with its grain offering^(BF) and drink offering.^(BG)

¹⁸ “‘Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication.^(BH) They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

¹⁹ “‘After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast.^{(BI) 20} The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering;^(BJ) they are holy^(BK) and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented.^(BL) After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.^(BM)

²¹ “‘This is the law of the Nazirite^(BN) who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows^(BO) they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite.’”

The Priestly Blessing

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless^(BP) the Israelites. Say to them:

²⁷ “So they will put my name^(BW) on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”