Numbers 5:21

¹⁹ And the priest shall charge her by an oath, and say unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou hast not gone aside to uncleanness with another instead of thy husband, be thou free from this bitter water that causeth the curse:

²⁰ But if thou hast gone aside to another instead of thy husband, and if thou be defiled, and some man have lain with thee beside thine husband:

Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;

²² And this water that causeth the curse shall go into thy bowels, to make thy belly to swell, and thy thigh to rot: And the woman shall say, Amen, amen.

²³ And the priest shall write these curses in a book, and he shall blot them out with the bitter water:

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: and the priest shall have the woman swear under the oath of the curse—‘then may the LORD make you an attested curse among your people by making your thigh shrivel and your belly swell.
KJV: Then the priest shall charge the woman with an oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, The LORD make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when the LORD doth make thy thigh to rot, and thy belly to swell;
WEB: then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall tell the woman, “May the LORD make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the LORD allows your thigh to fall away, and your body to swell;
ASV: then the priest shall cause the woman to swear with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman, Jehovah make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when Jehovah doth make thy thigh to fall away, and thy body to swell;
DARBY: then the priest shall adjure the woman with the oath of cursing, and the priest shall say unto the woman: Jehovah make thee a curse and an oath among thy people, when Jehovah doth make thy thigh to shrink, and thy belly to swell;
BLB: then the priest shall put the woman under the curse of the oath—and the priest shall say to the woman, ‘YHWH will make you an oath and a curse in the midst of your people, when YHWH makes your thigh to rot and your belly to swell.

ÅB: - nå skal presten lese opp forbannelses-eden for kvinnen og si til henne: - så gjøre Herren deg til en forbannelse og til en ed blant ditt folk; han la dine hofter svinne inn og din buk hovne opp;
OTB: da skal presten la kvinnen sverge en ed av forbannelse, og han skal si til henne: "må Herren gjøre deg til en forbannelse blant ditt folk når han får din livmor til å abortere og din mage til å svulme.
B1930: - nu skal presten lese op forbannelses-eden for kvinnen og si til henne: - så gjøre Herren dig til en forbannelse og til en ed blandt ditt folk; han la dine hofter svinne inn og din buk hovne op;

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Nehemiah 10:29
They clave to their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse, and into an oath, to walk in God’s law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and his judgments and his statutes;
Read in context
1 Samuel 14:24
And the men of Israel were distressed that day: for Saul had adjured the people, saying, Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies. So none of the people tasted any food.
Read in context
Joshua 6:26
And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.
Read in context
Jeremiah 29:22
And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;
Read in context
Proverbs 10:7
The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
Read in context
Matthew 26:74
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
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2 Chronicles 21:15
And thou shalt have great sickness by disease of thy bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the sickness day by day.
Read in context
Isaiah 65:15
And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord GOD shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
Read in context