Numbers 5 - Good News Translation (GNT)

Unclean People

5 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the people of Israel to expel from the camp everyone with a dreaded skin disease or a bodily discharge and everyone who is unclean by contact with a corpse. 3 Send all these ritually unclean people out, so that they will not defile the camp, where I live among my people.” 4 The Israelites obeyed and expelled them all from the camp.

Repayment for Wrongs Done

5 (A)The Lord gave Moses 6 the following instructions for the people of Israel. When any of you are unfaithful to the Lord and commit a wrong against someone, 7 you must confess your sin and make full repayment, plus an additional 20 percent, to the person you have wronged. 8 But if that person has died and has no near relative to whom payment can be made, it shall be given to the Lord for the priest. This payment is in addition to the ram used to perform the ritual of purification for the guilty person. 9 Also every special contribution which the Israelites offer to the Lord belongs to the priest to whom they present it. 10 Each priest shall keep the offerings presented to him.

Cases of Wives with Suspicious Husbands

11 The Lord commanded Moses 12-14 to give the Israelites the following instructions. It may happen that a man becomes suspicious that his wife is unfaithful to him and has defiled herself by having intercourse with another man. But the husband may not be certain, for his wife may have kept it secret—there was no witness, and she was not caught in the act. Or it may happen that a husband becomes suspicious of his wife, even though she has not been unfaithful. 15 In either case the man shall take his wife to the priest. He shall also take the required offering of two pounds of barley flour, but he shall not pour any olive oil on it or put any incense on it, because it is an offering from a suspicious husband, made to bring the truth to light.

16 The priest shall bring the woman forward and have her stand in front of the altar. 17 He shall pour some holy water into a clay bowl and take some of the earth that is on the floor of the Tent of the Lord's presence and put it in the water to make it bitter. 18 Then he shall loosen the woman's hair and put the offering of flour in her hands. In his hands the priest shall hold the bowl containing the bitter water that brings a curse. 19 Then the priest shall make the woman agree to this oath spoken by the priest: “If you have not committed adultery, you will not be harmed by the curse that this water brings. 20 But if you have committed adultery, 21 may the Lord make your name a curse among your people. May he cause your genital organs to shrink and your stomach to swell up. 22 May this water enter your stomach and cause it to swell up and your genital organs to shrink.”

The woman shall respond, “I agree; may the Lord do so.”

23 Then the priest shall write this curse down and wash the writing off into the bowl of bitter water. 24 Before he makes the woman drink the water, which may then cause her bitter pain, 25 the priest shall take the offering of flour out of the woman's hands, hold it out in dedication to the Lord, and present it on the altar. 26 Then he shall take a handful of it as a token offering and burn it on the altar. Finally, he shall make the woman drink the water. 27 If she has committed adultery, the water will cause bitter pain; her stomach will swell up and her genital organs will shrink. Her name will become a curse among her people. 28 But if she is innocent, she will not be harmed and will be able to bear children.

29-30 This is the law in cases where a man is jealous and becomes suspicious that his wife has committed adultery. The woman shall be made to stand in front of the altar, and the priest shall perform this ritual. 31 The husband shall be free of guilt, but the woman, if guilty, must suffer the consequences.

Cross references

  1. Numbers 5:5 : Lev 6:1-Lev 6:7

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5 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 2 `Command the sons of Israel, and they send out of the camp every leper, and every one with an issue, and every one defiled by a body; 3 from male unto female ye do send out; unto the outside of the camp ye do send them; and they defile not their camps in ...
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5 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said, 2 Command thou to the sons of Israel, that they cast out of the tents each leprous man, and that floweth out the seed, and that is defouled upon a dead body; (Command thou to the Israelites, that they throw out of the tents, that is, out of the camp, any pers...
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Numbers 5 - World English Bible (WEB)

5 Yahweh 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 is unclean by a corpse. 3 You shall put both male and female outside of the camp so that they don’t defile their camp, in the midst of which I dwe...
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Numbers 5 - The Voice (VOICE)

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Numbers 5 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Purity in the Camp5 Adonai spoke to Moses saying, 2 “Command Bnei-Yisrael to send out from the camp everyone with tza’arat, who has some kind of discharge, or any contaminated by a dead body. 3 Whether male or female, you are to send them outside the camp so as not to defile the camp where I am dw...
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Numbers 5 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Unclean Persons5 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one having a discharge, and every one that is unclean through contact with the dead; 3 you shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may ...
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Numbers 5 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Unclean Persons5 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the people of Israel that they put out of the camp every leper, and every one having a discharge, and every one that is unclean through contact with the dead; 3 you shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp, that they may ...
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Numbers 5 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Unclean Persons5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Command the Israelites to put out of the camp everyone who is leprous,[a] or has a discharge, and everyone who is unclean through contact with a corpse; 3 you shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp; they must not defile...
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Numbers 5 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Unclean Persons5 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the Israelites to put out of the camp everyone who has a defiling skin disease or a discharge and everyone who is unclean through contact with a corpse;(A)3 you shall put out both male and female, putting them outside the camp; they must n...
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Numbers 5 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Purity in Israel’s Camp5 The Lord gave these instructions to Moses: 2 “Command the people of Israel to remove from the camp anyone who has a skin disease[a] 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...
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Numbers 5 - New Life Version (NLV)

People with a Bad Skin Disease5 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to send away from the tents every person with a bad skin disease, every one with a flow that is unclean, and every one who is unclean because of a dead person. 3 Send away both male and female. Send them away from...
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Numbers 5 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Ceremonially Unclean Persons Isolated(A)5 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “Command the children of Israel that they put out of the camp every (B)leper, everyone who has a (C)discharge, and whoever becomes (D)defiled [a]by a corpse. 3 You shall put out both male and female; you shall put the...
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Numbers 5 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

The purity of the camp5 The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease[a] 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 that th...
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Numbers 5 - New International Version (NIV)

The Purity of the Camp5 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Command the Israelites to send away from the camp anyone who has a defiling skin disease[a](A) or a discharge(B) of any kind, or who is ceremonially unclean(C) because of a dead body.(D) 3 Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp ...
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Numbers 5 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

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Numbers 5 - New English Translation (NET)

Separation of the Unclean5 [a] Then the Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Command the Israelites to expel[b] from the camp every leper,[c] everyone who has a discharge,[d] and whoever becomes defiled by a corpse.[e] 3 You must expel both men and women; you must put them outside the camp, so that[f] they wil...
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