[Vision2020] Read the Whole Bible

Tue Mar 14 17:35:49 PST 2006

Houston (& Michael), we have a problem:

The translation of the bible given in the preceding post:

If a man suspects that his wife has had intercourse with another man -- and possibly has become pregnant -- he shall take her to the tabernacle, where the priest will mix holy water with dust off the floor, where animals are slaughtered for sacrifice, and force the woman to drink it. If she is guilty, her womb will discharge and her uterus will drop. In other words, she will have had an abortion (Numbers 5:11-21).

is quite different than the one from Young's Literal Translation of the Bible which appears appended below.

Notice that in the translation above the words "If a man suspects that his wife has had intercourse with another man -- and possibly has become pregnant..."

So, according to the above translation all that is necessary to force a woman to drink water with dust off the floor, where animals are slaughtered for sacrifice is suspicion and possibility.

Wonderful!  It is clear that the notion of due process did not originate here.  

Whether the woman is guilty or not, she will be forced to endure the above described ordeal.  But there is most likely a more harrowing ordeal in store for her:

When anyone drinks water as described above there is a large probability that amoebic dysentery will result, and/or not to mention some other kinds of virulent gastric disorders, other diseases, and infestations with parasites.  In the case of a pregnant woman, the horrid spasms attendant to amoebic dysentery alone are in many cases enough to induce a spontaneous abortion.  [Although I've never been pregnant, I have had amoebic dysentery while living in Africa.  Even with the medication available now, amoebic dysentery is a most unpleasant cramping, gripping, twisting experience.]

Doesn't the above ritual sound a lot like the witchcraft of Merry Old England were innocence or guilt was determined by all sorts of painful, sadistic ordeals?  Innocent or not, the accused is punished severely by the ritual which alleges to establish the "truth".

And some wonder why there are non-believers that question the mental health of those that claim to believe such archaic, barbaric religious rot!

Notice in the translation below that one of the differences between the two translations is the description of the testing waters:

"...and of the dust which is on the floor of the tabernacle doth the priest take, and hath put it into the water..."

Hmmm!

The careful reader will notice several significant differences between the two translations.  One highly suspects that the author(s) of the translation above might have a hidden agenda, and one that does not bode well for women.

Cheers,

Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com

PS to Michael:  What animals are sacrificed at the Wilson & Family's Cult & Cash Machine?  And what treatment are those women suspected of possibly being pregnant as a result of a suspected adulterous insemination?  I ask because Cultmaster Wilson mightily claims to believe in biblical inerrancy.  If so, does he then unhypocritically and faithfully practice that which is clearly and unequivocally mandated by the scriptural translation above?  If not, exactly what practice does he follow and what is the scriptural justification of that practice?

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Numbers 5:11 - 5:22

Young's Literal Translation of the Bible

11   And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying,

12   'Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, When any man's wife turneth aside, and hath committed against him a trespass,

13   and a man hath lain with her with the seed of copulation, and it hath been hid from the eyes of her husband, and concealed, and she hath been defiled, and there is no witness against her, and she hath not been caught,

14   and a spirit of jealousy hath passed over him, and he hath been jealous of his wife, and she hath been defiled;-or, a spirit of jealousy hath passed over him, and he hath been jealous of his wife, and she hath not been defiled-

15   'Then hath the man brought in his wife unto the priest, and he hath brought in her offering for her, a tenth of the ephah of barley meal, he doth not pour on it oil, nor doth he put on it frankincense, for it is a present of jealousy, a present of memorial, causing remembrance of iniquity.

16   And the priest hath brought her near, and hath caused her to stand before Jehovah,

17   and the priest hath taken holy water in an earthen vessel, and of the dust which is on the floor of the tabernacle doth the priest take, and hath put it into the water,

18   and the priest hath caused the woman to stand before Jehovah, and hath uncovered the woman's head, and hath given into her hands the present of the memorial, it is a present of jealousy, and in the hand of the priest are the bitter waters which cause the curse.

19   'And the priest hath caused her to swear, and hath said unto the woman, If no man hath lain with thee, and if thou hast not turned aside to uncleanness under thy husband, be free from these bitter waters which cause the curse;

20   and thou, if thou hast turned aside under thy husband, and if thou hast been defiled, and any man doth give his copulation to thee besides thy husband-

21   (then the priest hath caused the woman to swear with an oath of execration, and the priest hath said to the woman)-Jehovah doth give thee for an execration, and for a curse, in the midst of thy people, in Jehovah's giving thy thigh to fall, and thy belly to swell,

22   and these waters which cause the curse have gone into thy bowels, to cause the belly to swell, and the thigh to fall; and the woman hath said, Amen, Amen.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Michael 
To: vision2020 at moscow.com 
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:29 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] Read the Whole Bible

Ralph writes:

"2. Intentional abortion. If a man suspects that his wife has had intercourse with another man -- and possibly has become pregnant -- he shall take her to the tabernacle, where the priest will mix holy water with dust off the floor, where animals are slaughtered for sacrifice, and force the woman to drink it. If she is guilty, her womb will discharge and her uterus will drop. In other words, she will have had an abortion (Numbers 5:11-21). "

Me:

In this case, the woman is pregnant from adultery and is 'guilty.' It seems we should interpret this in the broader context of what sort of moral and civic guilt was placed on adultery.  If we condone 'free sex' in our society today civilly (and perhaps even morally!), then how could one go about applying this particular passage?

Thanks

Michael Metzler 

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