Тосефта к Бамидбар 5:18

[If the suspected adulteress says that she is pure,] they bring her up to the Eastern Gate, to the Gate of Nicanor, which is where they give the suspected adulteress [the bitter waters] to drink, and [where] they purify women after childbirth, and purify lepers, as it is said (1 Kings 8:31-32), "Whenever a man sins against his neighbor [... and he brings it before Your Altar in this House], You shall hear, O Heavens, and take action and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked to bring down his conduct upon his head" -- [this refers to] (Num. 5:27): "Her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall fall." "And to vindicate the righteous, to bestow upon him according to his righteousness" (1 Kings 8:32) -- [this refers to] (Num. 5:27): "But if the woman did not defile herself and she is pure, she is to be held innocent and she shall bear seed." § She stands within and the Kohen stands without, as it is said (Num. 5:18), "And the Kohen shall stand the woman before Hashem," and there is no Kohen who is "before" Hashem. § Just as they believe [the husband] regarding her so that she will retract [her innocence and confess her guilt (see Sot. 14a:15)], they believe him regarding her so that she will not retract. They say to her, "My daughter, if it is clear to you that you are pure, stand on your clarity and drink, for these waters are similar only to dry poison that is placed on living flesh, which does no damage [as long as the skin is intact], but which if a wound is found there, it penetrates and goes down [into the bloodstream]." (See Sot. 7b:4, Steinsaltz.)

If her meal-offering contracted impurity before it was consecrated in the [earthenware] vessel (Num. 5:18), behold, it is like any meal-offering [that became defiled]: It can be redeemed and eaten. [But if it contracted impurity] after it was consecrated in the vessel, its form is allowed to decay and it is taken out to the place of burning.^*Cf. Sot. 3:6, omitting "its form is allowed to decay," a phrase typically associated with disqualified animal sacrifices (see, e.g., Pes. 7:9, Shek. 7:3, Tos. Pesachim 4:1, Tos. Pesachim 6:6). [If] she consecrated her meal-offering but there was not enough time [for the Kohen] to consecrate the handful [of the meal-offering] (Num. 5:26) before her husband dies, or before she herself dies, the remainders are forbidden, because from the beginning it came from a matter of doubt (i.e., whether adultery had occurred), and it atoned for its doubt and left.^*See Sot. 9:7, using identical language in connection with the heifer whose neck is broken. [If] witnesses came [and testified] that she was defiled, whether in this case or in that case, her meal-offering is forbidden. [If] it turns out that they were conspiring witnesses, whether in this case or in that case, her meal-offering [reverts to being] unconsecrated.

Rabbi Meir would say, from where is it derived that can you say that, "With the [same] measure that a person measures others, they measure him"? As it is said (Is. 27:8), "In full measure (b'sa'seah) when You send her away do You contend with her" (Steinsaltz tr.). [From this] I only have that one who measures with a seah (b'seah) [is also measured by a seah].^*It would thus seem that only the greatest transgressions (i.e., those compared to a "seah," a very large quantity) are punished in equal measure. From where is it derived that [the same applies to] one who measures with [smaller measures, such as] a half-kav^*there are four kavs to a seah, two kavs (tarkav), a quarter-kav, and half of a quarter-kav, an eighth-kav (toman), and one thirty-second of a kav (ukla)? The verse states (Is. 9:4), "For all se'on He tramples with fierceness"^*literally, "For all the boots that trample loudly"; the word for "boots" (so'en) may be midrashically rendered as "a small fraction of a seah," see Sot. 8b:16 -- behold, here there are many measures and many calculations. [From this] I only have things that come with a set measure. From where is it derived that even small droplets (perutot; alt., "small coins") can combine into a large calculation? The verse states (Ecc. 7:27, Steinsaltz tr.), "[Behold, this have I found, says Koheleth, adding] one thing to another, to find out the account.” And thus you find with a Sotah that with the [same] measurement that she measured, she is measured with it. She stood in front of him in order that she appear pleasing before him; therefore, the Kohen stands her before everyone to display herself in disgrace, as it is said (Num. 5:18), "And the Kohen stands the woman before God [and lets loose (the hair of) the woman's head], etc." [Similarly,] she spread out her shawl before him; therefore, the Kohen removes the scarf from her head and places it under her feet. She plaited her hair to please him; therefore, the Kohen loosens [her hair]. She adorned her face for him; therefore, her face turns green [after drinking the bitter waters]. She painted her eyelids for him; therefore, her eyes bulge out [after drinking]. She beckoned to him with her finger; therefore, her fingernails fall off. She exposed her flesh for him; therefore, the Kohen rends her cloak and exposes her disgrace to the masses. She girded herself inside [her clothes]; therefore, the Kohen brings an Egyptian rope and ties it above her breasts, and anyone who wants to see comes and sees. She opened her thighs for him; therefore, her thigh wastes away [after drinking]. She received him on her stomach; therefore, her stomach distends. She fed him delicacies; therefore, her grain offering (i.e., barley, see Num. 5:15) is animal fodder. She gave him wine to drink in the finest cups; therefore, the Kohen makes her drink the bitter waters from a broken fragment (makida) of an earthenware vessel. She acted in secret (seter), as it is said (Job 24:15), "The eye of the adulterer awaits the evening twilight, saying ['No one will cast an eye on me'...]," [but] she was not aware that He Who sits in His concealment of eternity was turning His face toward her, as it is said (ibid.), "and He places a mask (seter) on His face." Another version: It teaches that the Place exposes her concealment to the public, as it is said (Prov. 26:26), "He covers his hatred with deceit, [and thus] his wickedness shall be exposed in public."