On the Accused Adulteress

Concerning a woman suspected of adultery.

Blessed be the name of the glory of his kingdom forever and ever.

He who created the world with the measure of mercy and created the angels in heaven, class upon class and host upon host, and who created the spirits, the demons and the evil spirits, a thousand years before he created Adam. And all the names by which the angels who serve before him call him, in [praise] and in song, they have all been written down from the mouth of R. Yishma’el, the High Priest, and R. Yishma’el [received them] from the mouth of Meṭaṭron, the prince of the countenance. Amongst them [are the names] that were revealed to Moses at Sinai and in the thorn-bush, amongst them those that were revealed to Elijah on Mount Carmel, and amongst them those that were revealed to each and every prophet from the mouth of MSMRYH, who stands before the curtain, up until the time of Israel’s Synhedrium, [whose members] used to know the seventy names, and the “name in purity” as well as the “name in impurity,” and every principle of practice, they used to know everything. And know and understand that from amongst these hidden names, that [constitute] the unutterable name, one used to give to the woman suspected of adultery to drink. Through [the power] of these names shall her belly distend and her thighs sag.

And these sayings together with these names, one used to write for her. And these [names] are the unutterable name that the High Priest used to mention in holiness and purity. The verse, that one [thereby] says [reads]: The priest shall put these curses down in writing on a scroll and rub it off into the water of bitterness (Numbers 5:23). For these are the names with the curses, and these are the sayings that we mentioned above. But the bitter water was not [mentioned] above, [but rather stems] from this verse which reads: The priest shall take the holy water etc. (Numbers 5:17). [It] thus [concerns] holy [and] pure water and dust. And there is nothing therein that is bitter, but the water is bitter due to the curses and the names, through which they died. [And these] are the adjurations, the curses and the names, that the High Priest used to write on a scroll: with the name of the Lord, God of Israel YHWH ’H WHW MHW ’HW HWMH, do I adjure you, N. N., with the name of Y’YLNH YHW ’LHW BHW ’LWH WHW [ . . . ] Blessed be the name of the glory of his kingdom forever and ever. I adjure you with these names [ . . . ] And you shall twice say “Amen.” You shall give her to drink, so that her belly immediately distends and her thighs sag. And thus shall this woman be a curse and an imprecation amongst her people. But if the woman has not defiled herself and is pure, etc. (Numbers 5:28). This is the accepted way, that we practice today, due to the fact that we no [longer] have a priest, no [longer] holy water, and no [longer] a Tabernacle.

Know and understand that if a man is god-fearing in these times, and cleanses himself from sins and from transgressions and wanders upon the path of purity, and [if] purity is in his body and purity in his flesh, [and if] he occupies himself with these names [and] conducts himself [upon these] paths, then he resembles an angel and a High Priest. [In] everything that he does, he will not return empty-handed. At the beginning of the procedure he shall take, instead of what [scripture] says: [The priest shall take] holy water (Numbers 5:17), you should take running water from a running spring in a new vessel. And instead of the dust that [was] in the Tabernacle, go to the synagogue and take dust from the four corners of the Torah shrine, from above and below, and throw this dust into the spring water that you gathered and write these [names] that we wrote down above. Then rinse it with water and give [it] to the woman. And immediately you will see [the sign] and the lofty mighty deeds of the [LORD], [his] wonders and the power of his holy names. Blessed be he and blessed be his living and eternal name for ever. Amen.

Source: JTS ENA 3635.17.