Jerusalem Talmud Sotah 3:5

משנה: רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר. אֵין הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה בְּמַיִם הַמָּרִים. וְאִם אַתָּה אוֹמֵר הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה בְּמַיִם הַמְאָֽרְרִים מַדְהֵא אַתָּה אֶת הַמַּיִם בִּפְנֵי כָל־הַנָּשִׁים הַשּׁוֹתוֹת וּמוֹצִיא אַתָּה שֵׁם רַע עַל הַטְּהוֹרוֹת שֶׁשָּׁתוּ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים טְמֵאוֹת הֵן אֶלָּא שֶׁתָּלָת לָהֶן זְכוּת. רִבִּי אוֹמֵר הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה בְּמַיִם הַמְאָֽרְרִים וְאֵינָהּ יוֹלֶדֶת וְאִינָהּ מַשְׁבַּחַת אֶלָּא מִתְנַװְנָה וְהוֹלֶכֶת לַסּוֹף הִיא מֵתָה בְּאוֹתָהּ מִיתָה. MISHNAH: Rebbi Simeon says, merit does not suspend in the case of the bitter water. If you say that merit suspends in the case of the curse water, you weaken the water in the eyes of all women who drink it and you smear the reputation of the pure women who drank because one would say that they are impure but that merit suspended for them.
Rebbi says, merit suspends in the case of the curse water, but she does not have children¹⁵⁶Childbirth is a sign of purity, Numbers.5.28">Num. 5:28., does not get better, but degenerates and in the end she dies that death¹⁵⁷Supposing that the (not biblical) symptoms described in Sotah 3:4:1-13" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.3.4.1-13">Mishnah 4 indicate that she would die immediately after drinking..

הלכה: רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר. אֵין הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה בְּמַיִם הַמָּרִים כול׳. רִבִּי אוֹמֵר הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה בְּמַיִם הַמְּאָרְרִים כול׳. אָמַר רַב הַמְנוּנָא. הַמִּתְנַװְנָה מוּתֶּרֶת לְבֵיתָהּ. וְאַתְייָא כְהָדָא דְתַנֵּי. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר אוֹמֵר. אֲפִילוּ טְהוֹרָה שֶׁשָּׁתָת סוֹפָהּ שֶׁהִיא מֵתָה בְתַחֲלוּאִים רָעִים. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהִכְנִיסָה עַצְמָהּ לְמִסְפֵּק הַזֶּה הַמְרוּבֶּה. HALAKHAH: “Rebbi Simeon says, merit does not suspend in the case of the bitter water,” etc. “Rebbi says, merit suspends in the case of the curse water,” etc. Rav Hamnuna said, the degenerating woman is permitted to her house¹⁵⁸In the Bable, 26a, this is a comment of Rav Huna on Sotah 4:3:1" href="/Jerusalem_Talmud_Sotah.4.3.1">Mishnah 4:4 that even a Cohen’s wife, who would be forbidden to her husband if she was raped, is permitted to her husband after she survived drinking the bitter water. The Babli adds the condition that she not exhibit the features described in the verse, a swollen belly without a pregnancy. That condition is missing in the Yerushalmi.. This parallels what was stated: Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar says, even a pure woman who drank will in the end die in great pain because she brought herself into that great doubt¹⁵⁹That two witnesses confirmed her being alone with another man. In the Tosephta, 2:3, this is a statement of R. Simeon ben Eleazar in the name of R. Meïr.

וְאִם לֹא נִטְמְאָה הָאִשָּׁה וּטְהוֹרָה הִיא. זוֹ טְהוֹרָה. לֹא שֶׁבָּאוּ לָהּ עֵדִים שֶׁהִיא טְמֵיאָה. אִם לֹא נִטְמְאָה הָאִשָּׁה וּטְהוֹרָה הִיא. זוֹ טְהוֹרָה. לֹא שֶׁתָּלָת לָהּ זְכוּת. וְאַתְייָא כְּמָאן דָּמַר. הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה וְאֵינָהּ נִיכֶּרֶת. בְּרַם כְּמָאן דְּאָמַר. הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה וְנִיכֶּרֶת. אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק. כָּן אֲנָן קַייָמִין כְּשֶׁשָּׁתָת וְלֹא בָֽדְקוּ אוֹתָהּ הַמַּיִם. שֶׁלֹּא תֹאמַר. עֵידֵי שֶׁקֶר הֵן. לְפִיכָךְ לֹא בָֽדְקוּ אוֹתָהּ הַמַּיִם. אָתָא מֵימַר לָךְ שֶׁאֵין הַמַּיִם בּוֹדְקִין בְּאִשָּׁה שֶׁהִיא אֲסוּרָה לְבֵיתָהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי יוּדָה. וְאַתְייָא כְּמָאן דָּמַר. הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה וְאֵינָהּ נִיכֶּרֶת. וְלָמָּה לֹא הוּכְּרָה. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁתָּלָת לָהּ זְכוּת. וְנִקָּה הָאִישׁ מֵעָוֹן. אֵינוֹ חוֹשֵׁשׁ שֶׁמָּא תָלָה לָהּ זְכוּת. יָכוֹל אַף הִיא לֹא תָחוּשׁ. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר וְהָאִשָּׁה הַהִיא תִּשָּׂא אֶת עֲוֹנָהּ. וְאַתְייָא כְּמָאן דָּמַר. הַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה וְאֵינָהּ נִיכֶּרֶת. “And if the woman was not impure but was pure,¹⁶⁰Numbers.5.28">Num. 5:28.” this refers to the one who is pure, not that there came witnesses declaring her impure¹⁶¹“And if the woman was not impure but was pure, then she will be cleansed and bear children.” If she is not impure, it should be clear that she is pure. It is explained that if she was not impure, i. e., if there are no proofs available against her sufficient for a conviction in court, then if she is pure the water will cleanse her and make her fertile. But if her case could be adjudicated in a human court, the Temple should not be used and the water will be just drinking water (cf. Sotah.6a">Babli 6a).
The Geniza text makes this slightly more clear by quoting: “And if the woman was not impure but was pure, then she will be cleansed”. “If the woman was not impure but was pure,” this refers to the one who is pure, not one whose merit suspended [punishment] for her¹⁶²The latter will not experience any change in her fertility status.. This follows the one who said that merit suspends and it is not recognizable. But following him who said that merit suspends and it is recognizable¹⁶³There seems to be no reason for Rav Hamnuna’s position.? Rebbi Isaac said, here we deal with one who drank and the water did not test her. It comes to tell you that the water will not test a woman who is forbidden to her house^161,“And if the woman was not impure but was pure, then she will be cleansed and bear children.” If she is not impure, it should be clear that she is pure. It is explained that if she was not impure, i. e., if there are no proofs available against her sufficient for a conviction in court, then if she is pure the water will cleanse her and make her fertile. But if her case could be adjudicated in a human court, the Temple should not be used and the water will be just drinking water (cf. Sotah.6a">Babli 6a).
The Geniza text makes this slightly more clear by quoting: “And if the woman was not impure but was pure, then she will be cleansed”¹⁶⁴There is no inference possible on Rav Hamnuna's statement.. Rebbi Yudan said, this follows the one who said that merit suspends and it is not recognizable. Why was it not recognized? Because merit suspended for her. “The man will be free of sin¹⁶⁵Numbers.5.31">Num. 5:31.,” he should not worry that maybe merit suspended for her¹⁶⁶The husband who brought his wife to the Temple where the water had no influence on her is free to sleep with her and is told not to worry that she still might be forbidden to him.. Should I think that she also should not worry? The verse said, “but that woman shall carry her sin¹⁶⁵Numbers.5.31">Num. 5:31.”. [This interpretation] follows the one who said that merit suspends and it is not recognizable.