Making the Camp Pure
1The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 2“Tell the Israelites that certain people must be sent away from the camp. Command them to send away anyone who has a skin disease. They must send away all those who have liquid waste coming from their bodies. And they must send away those who are ‘unclean’ because they have touched a dead body. 3That applies to men and women alike. Send them out of the camp. They must not make their camp ‘unclean.’ That is where I live among them.” 4So the Israelites did what the Lord commanded. They sent out of the camp those who were “unclean.” They did just as the Lord had directed Moses.
Sins Against Others Must Be Paid For
5The Lord said to Moses, 6“Speak to the Israelites. Say to them, ‘Suppose a man or woman does something wrong to someone else. Then that person is not being faithful to the Lord. People like that are guilty. 7They must admit they have committed a sin. They must pay in full for what they did wrong. And they must add a fifth of the value to it. Then they must give all of it to the person they have sinned against. 8But suppose that person has died. And suppose that person does not have a close relative who can be paid for the sin that was committed. Then what is paid belongs to the Lord. It must be given to the priest. A ram must be given along with it. The ram must be sacrificed to the Lord to pay for the sin. 9All the sacred gifts the Israelites bring to a priest will belong to him. 10Sacred gifts belong to their owners. But what they give to the priest will belong to the priest.’ ”
The Test for an Unfaithful Wife
11Then the Lord spoke to Moses again. He said, 12“Speak to the Israelites. Say to them, ‘Suppose a man’s wife goes astray. And suppose she is not faithful to her husband. 13Suppose another man has sex with her. And suppose this is hidden from her husband. No one knows she is not “clean.” So there is no witness against her. And she has not been caught in the act. 14Suppose her husband becomes jealous. He does not trust his wife, and she is really “unclean.” Or suppose he does not trust her even though she is “clean.” 15Then he must take his wife to the priest. He must also bring an offering. It must be eight cups of barley flour. The offering is for his wife. He must not pour olive oil on it. And he must not put incense on it. It is a grain offering for being jealous. It calls attention to the wrong thing a person has done.
16“ ‘The priest must have her stand in front of the Lord. 17He must pour some holy water into a clay jar. He must get some dust from the floor of the holy tent. And he must put it into the water. 18The priest must have the woman stand in front of the Lord. Then he must untie her hair. He must place in her hands the offering that calls attention to the wrong thing a person has done. It is the grain offering for being jealous. The priest must keep the bitter water with him. It is the water that brings a curse. 19Then the priest must have the woman give her word. He must say to her, “Suppose no other man has had sex with you. And suppose you haven’t gone astray. You have kept yourself pure while you are married to your husband. Then may the bitter water that brings a curse not harm you. 20But suppose you have gone astray while you are married to your husband. You have made yourself ‘unclean.’ You have had sex with a man who isn’t your husband.” 21At that point the priest must put the woman under the curse that will come if she breaks her word. He must say, “May the Lord cause you to become a curse among your people. You will become a curse when the Lord makes your body unable to have children. 22May this water that brings a curse enter your body. May it make your body unable to have children.”
“ ‘Then the woman must say, “Amen. Let it happen.”
23“ ‘The priest must write the curses on a scroll. He must wash them off in the bitter water. 24It is the water he will make the woman drink. It is bitter water that brings a curse. It will enter her body. And it will cause her to suffer bitterly. 25The priest must take from her hands the grain offering for being jealous. He must lift it up and wave it in front of the Lord. He must bring it to the altar. 26Then the priest must take a handful of the grain offering. It is the offering that calls attention to the wrong thing a person has done. The priest must burn it on the altar. After that, he must have the woman drink the water. 27Suppose she has made herself “unclean.” She has not been faithful to her husband. And she has drunk the water that brings a curse. Then it will go into her body. It will cause her to suffer bitterly. It will make her body unable to have children. She will become a curse. 28Suppose the woman has not made herself “unclean.” But suppose she is “clean.” Then she will be free of guilt. And she will be able to have children.
29“ ‘This is the law about being jealous. It applies to a woman who has gone astray. She has made herself “unclean” while she is married to her husband. 30And it applies to a man who becomes jealous. He has doubts about his wife. The priest must have her stand in front of the Lord. He must apply the entire law to her. 31The husband will not be guilty of doing anything wrong. But the woman will be punished for her sin.’ ”
A pureza do acampamento
1São mais estas as instruções do Senhor a Moisés: 2“Informa o povo de Israel de que deverão pôr fora do acampamento todos os leprosos, todos os que tiveram um corrimento, ou que se tenham tornado impuros por terem tocado num morto. 3Isto aplica-se tanto a homens como a mulheres. Afastem-nos pois para que não contaminem o acampamento onde vivo no meio deles.” 4A estas instruções foi, portanto, dado cumprimento.
5Então o Senhor disse a Moisés: 6“Diz ao povo de Israel que quando alguém, homem ou mulher, transgredir contra o Senhor, faltando a um compromisso financeiro que tiver tomado, isso é um pecado. 7Terá de confessar o seu pecado e pagar à pessoa lesada a totalidade daquilo que defraudou, juntando ainda mais vinte por cento. 8E se esta última já tiver morrido, e não houver parentes próximos a quem a dívida seja paga, deverá entregar esse montante ao sacerdote, juntamente com o carneiro para a expiação da culpa. 9-10Aliás, sempre que o povo de Israel trouxer um donativo consagrado, este deverá ser sempre apresentado aos sacerdotes.”
O teste da culpa de uma mulher infiel
11Falou mais o Senhor a Moisés: 12“Diz ao povo de Israel que se uma mulher cometer adultério, 13-15mas se não houver provas nem testemunhas, e o seu marido tiver ciúmes e suspeitas dela, trará a sua mulher ao sacerdote com uma oferta por ela, de três litros de farinha de cevada sem azeite nem incenso misturado, porque se trata de uma oferta de suspeitas, a fim de trazer à luz a verdade, e ver se é realmente culpada.
16O sacerdote deverá trazê-la diante do Senhor; 17porá água santa num jarro, misturando-lhe pó apanhado do chão do tabernáculo. 18Depois desata-lhe os cabelos e põe-lhe a oferta nas mãos, a fim de verificar se as suspeitas do marido são ou não justificadas. O sacerdote ficará na frente dela, segurando no jarro de água amarga que traz consigo maldição. 19Mandá-la-á jurar que está inocente e dir-lhe-á: ‘Se mais nenhum homem dormiu contigo além do teu marido, ficarás livre dos efeitos desta água amarga que te trará maldição. 20-22Mas se na verdade cometeste adultério, então o Senhor fará de ti uma maldição entre o teu povo, porque o teu interior se estragará, e o teu corpo inchará.’ A mulher terá de responder: ‘Amém! Assim seja!’
23O sacerdote escreverá estas maldições num livro e as apagará com aquela água; 24água essa que, quando a mulher vier a bebê-la, lhe provocará amargos no interior. 25O sacerdote tomará a oferta de suspeitas das mãos dela e movê-la-á na presença do Senhor, levando-a depois para o altar. 26Tomará um punhado dessa farinha, fazendo queimar essa porção no altar, e nessa altura então dará a água a beber à mulher. 27Se esta se tiver manchado, cometendo adultério contra o seu marido, a água lhe fará amargos no interior, ficará com o corpo inchado e estéril; tornar-se-á uma maldição no meio do povo. 28Se pelo contrário estiver isenta de culpa e não tiver cometido adultério contra o seu esposo, não sofrerá incómodo algum e poderá vir a ter filhos.
29Esta é pois a lei respeitante a um marido que tenha suspeitas de que a sua mulher se tenha eventualmente conduzido levianamente, para determinar se lhe tem sido ou não infiel. 30Ele a trará diante do Senhor e o sacerdote fará aquilo que foi descrito acima. 31O seu marido nunca deverá ser julgado por causa da doença com que tiver sido amaldiçoada, porque só ela é responsável por tal coisa.”
