Numbers 5 - Prayer Tents

Purity in Israel’s Camp

5The LORD gave these instructions to Moses.H3068H1696H4872H559 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.H6680H1121H3478H7971H4264H6879H2100H2931H5315 3This command applies to men and women alike. Remove them so they will not defile the camp in which I live among them."H2145H5347H7971H2351H4264H7971H2930H4264H8432H834H7931 4So the Israelites did as the LORD had commanded Moses and removed such people from the camp.H1121H3478H6213H7971H2351H4264H3068H1696H4872H6213H1121H3478 5Then the LORD said to Moses,H3068H1696H4872H559 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.H1696H1121H3478H376H802H6213H2403H120H4603H4604H3068H5315H816 7They 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.H3034H2403H6213H7725H817H7218H3254H2549H5414H816 8But 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.H376H1350H7725H817H817H7725H3068H3548H352H3725H3722 9All the sacred offerings that the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him.H8641H6944H1121H3478H7126H3548 10Each priest may keep all the sacred donations that he receives."H376H6944H376H5414H3548

Protecting Marital Faithfulness

11And the LORD said to Moses,H3068H1696H4872H559 12"Give the following instructions to the people of Israel."Suppose a man's wife goes astray, and she is unfaithful to her husbandH1696H1121H3478H559H376H376H802H7847H4603H4604 13and 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.H376H7901H7902H2233H5956H5869H376H5641H2930H5707H8610 14If her husband becomes jealous and is suspicious of his wife and needs to know whether or not she has defiled herself,H7307H7068H5674H7065H802H2930H7307H7068H5674H7065H802H2930 15the 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.H376H935H802H3548H935H7133H6224H374H8184H7058H3332H8081H5414H3828H4503H7068H4503H2146H2142H5771H2142 16"The priest will then present her to stand trial before the LORD.H3548H7126H5975H6440H3068 17He must take some holy water in a clay jar and pour into it dust he has taken from the Tabernacle floor.H3548H3947H6918H4325H2789H3627H6083H7172H4908H3548H3947H5414H4325 18When 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.H3548H5975H802H6440H3068H6544H802H7218H5414H4503H2146H3709H7068H4503H3548H3027H4751H4325H779 19The 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.H3548H7650H559H802H376H7901H7847H2932H376H5352H4751H4325H779 20But if you have gone astray by being unfaithful to your husband, and have defiled yourself by having sex with another man—'H7847H376H2930H376H5414H7903H1107H376 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.H3548H7650H802H7621H423H3548H559H802H3068H5414H423H7621H8432H5971H3068H5414H3409H5307H990H6639 22Now 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.'H4325H779H935H4578H990H6638H3409H5307H802H559H543H543 23And the priest will write these curses on a piece of leather and wash them off into the bitter water.H3548H3789H423H5612H4229H4751H4325 24He 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.H802H8248H4751H4325H779H4325H779H935H4751 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.H3548H3947H7068H4503H802H3027H5130H4503H6440H3068H7126H4196 26He 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.H3548H7061H4503H234H6999H4196H310H802H8248H4325 27If 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.H8248H4325H2930H4603H4604H376H4325H779H935H4751H990H6638H3409H5307H802H423H7130H5971 28But if she has not defiled herself and is pure, then she will be unharmed and will still be able to have children.H802H2930H2889H5352H2232H2233 29"This is the ritual law for dealing with suspicion. If a woman goes astray and defiles herself while under her husband's authority,H8451H7068H802H7847H376H2930 30or 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.H7307H7068H5674H376H7065H802H5975H802H6440H3068H3548H6213H8451 31The husband will be innocent of any guilt in this matter, but his wife will be held accountable for her sin."H376H5352H5771H1931H802H5375H5771