New American Bible, Revised Edition

Numbers 5:7-20 New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE)

7. that person shall confess the wrong that has been done, make restitution in full, and in addition give one fifth of its value to the one that has been wronged.

8. However, if there is no next of kin, one to whom restitution can be made, the restitution shall be made to the Lord and shall fall to the priest; this is apart from the ram of atonement with which the priest makes atonement for the guilty individual.

9. Likewise, every contribution among the sacred offerings that the Israelites present to the priest will belong to him.

10. Each shall possess his own sacred offerings; what is given to a priest shall be his.

11. The Lord said to Moses:

12. Speak to the Israelites and tell them: If a man’s wife goes astray and becomes unfaithful to him

13. by virtue of a man having intercourse with her in secret from her husband and she is able to conceal the fact that she has defiled herself for lack of a witness who might have caught her in the act;

14. or if a man is overcome by a feeling of jealousy that makes him suspect his wife, and she has defiled herself; or if a man is overcome by a feeling of jealousy that makes him suspect his wife and she has not defiled herself—

15. then the man shall bring his wife to the priest as well as an offering on her behalf, a tenth of an ephah of barley meal. However, he shall not pour oil on it nor put frankincense over it, since it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of remembrance which recalls wrongdoing.

16. The priest shall first have the woman come forward and stand before the Lord.

17. In an earthen vessel he shall take holy water, as well as some dust from the floor of the tabernacle and put it in the water.

18. Making the woman stand before the Lord, the priest shall uncover her head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, that is, the grain offering of jealousy, while he himself shall hold the water of bitterness that brings a curse.

19. Then the priest shall adjure the woman, saying to her, “If no other man has had intercourse with you, and you have not gone astray by defiling yourself while under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse.

20. But if you have gone astray while under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had intercourse with you”—