Numbers 5:11-31
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11And the Lord said to Moses,12Say to the Israelites, If any man's wife goes astray and commits an offense of guilt against him,
13And a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and it is kept secret though she is defiled, and there is no witness against her nor was she taken in the act,
14And if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife who has defiled herself--or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife though she has not defiled herself--
15Then shall the man bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal; but he shall pour no oil upon it nor put frankincense on it [symbols of favor and joy], for it is a cereal offering of jealousy and suspicion, a memorial offering bringing iniquity to remembrance.
16And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord.
17And the priest shall take holy water [probably from the sacred laver] in an earthen vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.
18And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and let the hair of the woman's head hang loose, and put the meal offering of remembrance in her hands, which is the jealousy and suspicion offering. And the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings the curse.
19Then the priest shall make her take an oath, and say to the woman, If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness with another instead of your husband, then be free from any effect of this water of bitterness which brings the curse.
20But if you have gone astray and you are defiled, some man having lain with you beside your husband,
21Then the priest shall 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.
22May this water that brings the curse go into your bowels and make your body swell and your thigh fall away. And the woman shall say, So let it be, so let it be.
23The priest shall then write these curses in a book and shall wash them off into the water of bitterness;
24And he shall cause the woman to drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her [to try her] bitterly.
25Then the priest shall take the cereal offering of jealousy and suspicion out of the woman's hand and shall wave the offering before the Lord and offer it upon the altar.
26And the priest shall take a handful of the cereal offering as the memorial portion of it and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
27And when he has made her drink the water, then if she is defiled and has committed a trespass against her husband, the curse water which she drank shall be bitterness and cause her body to swell and her thigh to fall away, and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
28But if the woman is not defiled and is clean, then she shall be free [from the curse] and be able to have children.
29This is the law of jealousy and suspicion when a wife goes aside to another instead of her husband and is defiled,
30Or when the spirit of jealousy and suspicion comes upon a man and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife; then shall he set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute on her all this law.
31The [husband] shall be free from iniquity and guilt, and that woman [if guilty] shall bear her iniquity.
13And a man lies with her carnally, and it is hidden from the eyes of her husband and it is kept secret though she is defiled, and there is no witness against her nor was she taken in the act,
14And if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife who has defiled herself--or if the spirit of jealousy comes upon him and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife though she has not defiled herself--
15Then shall the man bring his wife to the priest, and he shall bring the offering required of her, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal; but he shall pour no oil upon it nor put frankincense on it [symbols of favor and joy], for it is a cereal offering of jealousy and suspicion, a memorial offering bringing iniquity to remembrance.
16And the priest shall bring her near and set her before the Lord.
17And the priest shall take holy water [probably from the sacred laver] in an earthen vessel and take some of the dust that is on the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.
18And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord, and let the hair of the woman's head hang loose, and put the meal offering of remembrance in her hands, which is the jealousy and suspicion offering. And the priest shall have in his hand the water of bitterness that brings the curse.
19Then the priest shall make her take an oath, and say to the woman, If no man has lain with you and if you have not gone astray to uncleanness with another instead of your husband, then be free from any effect of this water of bitterness which brings the curse.
20But if you have gone astray and you are defiled, some man having lain with you beside your husband,
21Then the priest shall 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.
22May this water that brings the curse go into your bowels and make your body swell and your thigh fall away. And the woman shall say, So let it be, so let it be.
23The priest shall then write these curses in a book and shall wash them off into the water of bitterness;
24And he shall cause the woman to drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her [to try her] bitterly.
25Then the priest shall take the cereal offering of jealousy and suspicion out of the woman's hand and shall wave the offering before the Lord and offer it upon the altar.
26And the priest shall take a handful of the cereal offering as the memorial portion of it and burn it on the altar, and afterward shall cause the woman to drink the water.
27And when he has made her drink the water, then if she is defiled and has committed a trespass against her husband, the curse water which she drank shall be bitterness and cause her body to swell and her thigh to fall away, and the woman shall be a curse among her people.
28But if the woman is not defiled and is clean, then she shall be free [from the curse] and be able to have children.
29This is the law of jealousy and suspicion when a wife goes aside to another instead of her husband and is defiled,
30Or when the spirit of jealousy and suspicion comes upon a man and he is jealous and suspicious of his wife; then shall he set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute on her all this law.
31The [husband] shall be free from iniquity and guilt, and that woman [if guilty] shall bear her iniquity.
I have a note in my Bible regarding Numbers 5:11-31, “Seems so unfair, Lord.” There are many things in the Bible, that seem that way. But, could it be I just don’t understand it? It’s one of the many heaven questions I have for Jesus.
I trust You, Lord, even if I don't understand Your ways!
1 comment:
I used to think I'd have a lot of questions to ask my Lord when I get Home but since, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13, that we shall "know as we are known", then I'll either simply know the answer when I get there, or it just won't be an issue any more. :o)
And that may not be right, either...so I just leave it to my Lord.
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