Study Desk

'And the priest shall have her take an oath and shall say to the woman, "If no man has had sexual relations with you and if you have not gone astray into uncleanness, as you are under the authority of your husband, be immune to this water of bitterness that brings a curse;

if, however, you have gone astray, though under the authority of your husband, and if you have defiled yourself and a man other than your husband has had sexual intercourse with you"

(then the priest shall have the woman swear with the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman), "may the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people by the LORD'S making your thigh shriveled and your belly swollen;

and this water that brings a curse shall go into your stomach, to make your belly swell up and your thigh shrivel." And the woman shall say, "Amen, Amen."

'The priest shall then write these curses on a scroll, and he shall wash them off into the water of bitterness.

'Then he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings a curse, so that the water which brings a curse will go into her and cause bitterness.

and the priest shall take a handful of the grain offering as its reminder offering and offer it up in smoke on the altar, and afterward he shall make the woman drink the water.

'When he has made her drink the water, then it will come about, if she has defiled herself and has been unfaithful to her husband, that the water which brings a curse will go into her and cause bitterness, and her belly will swell up and her thigh will shrivel, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

'This is the law of jealousy: when a wife, who is under the authority of her husband, goes astray and defiles herself,

or when an attitude of jealousy comes over a man and he is jealous of his wife, he shall then have the woman stand before the LORD, and the priest shall apply all of this law to her.

"Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, 'When a man or woman makes a special vow, namely, the vow of a Nazirite, to live as a Nazirite for the LORD,

'All the days of his vow of consecration no razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled which he lives as a Nazirite for the LORD; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.

'All the days of his life as a Nazirite for the LORD he shall not come up to a dead person.

'And the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him regarding his sin because of the dead person. And on that same day he shall consecrate his head,

and shall live his days of consecration as a Nazirite for the LORD, and shall bring a male lamb a year old as a guilt offering; but the preceding days will not count, because his consecration was defiled.

'And he shall present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb a year old without defect as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb a year old without defect as a sin offering, one ram without defect as a peace offering,

and a basket of unleavened loaves of fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers spread with oil, along with their grain offering and their drink offering.

'He shall also offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, together with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering.

'Then the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. It is holy for the priest, together with the breast offered as a wave offering, and the thigh offered as a contribution; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.'

When they brought their offering before the LORD, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders and an ox for each one, then they presented them in front of the tabernacle.