The Nazirite Vow

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of (A)a Nazirite,[a] (B)to separate himself to the Lord, he (C)shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation[b] he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

“All the days of his vow of separation, no (D)razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. (E)He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.

“All the days that he separates himself to the Lord (F)he shall not go near a dead body. (G)Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.

“And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then (H)he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 (I)On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 11 and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day 12 and separate himself to the Lord for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old (J)for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “And this is the law for the Nazirite, (K)when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, 14 and he shall bring his gift to the Lord, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish (L)as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish (M)as a peace offering, 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, (N)loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their (O)grain offering and their (P)drink offerings. 16 And the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer (Q)his sin offering and his burnt offering, 17 and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering. 18 And the Nazirite (R)shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering. 19 And the priest shall take the (S)shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and (T)shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration, 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. (U)They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “This is the law of the Nazirite. But if he vows an offering to the Lord above his Nazirite vow, as he can afford, in exact accordance with the vow that he takes, then he shall do in addition to the law of the Nazirite.”

Aaron's Blessing

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus (V)you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

24 The Lord (W)bless you and (X)keep you;
25 the Lord (Y)make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord (Z)lift up his countenance[c] upon you and give you peace.

27 (AA)“So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 6:2 Nazirite means one separated, or one consecrated
  2. Numbers 6:4 Or Naziriteship
  3. Numbers 6:26 Or face

The Nazirite

The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow(A), a vow of dedication(B) to the Lord as a Nazirite,(C) they must abstain from wine(D) and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar(E) made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes(F) or raisins. As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

“‘During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor(G) may be used on their head.(H) They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let their hair grow long.

“‘Throughout the period of their dedication to the Lord, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body.(I) Even if their own father or mother or brother or sister dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean(J) on account of them, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head. Throughout the period of their dedication, they are consecrated to the Lord.

“‘If someone dies suddenly in the Nazirite’s presence, thus defiling the hair that symbolizes their dedication,(K) they must shave their head on the seventh day—the day of their cleansing.(L) 10 Then on the eighth day(M) they must bring two doves or two young pigeons(N) to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.(O) 11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering[a](P) and the other as a burnt offering(Q) to make atonement(R) for the Nazirite because they sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. That same day they are to consecrate their head again. 12 They must rededicate themselves to the Lord for the same period of dedication and must bring a year-old male lamb(S) as a guilt offering.(T) The previous days do not count, because they became defiled during their period of dedication.

13 “‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over.(U) They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting.(V) 14 There they are to present their offerings to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect(W) for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering,(X) a ram(Y) without defect for a fellowship offering,(Z) 15 together with their grain offerings(AA) and drink offerings,(AB) and a basket of bread made with the finest flour and without yeast—thick loaves with olive oil mixed in, and thin loaves brushed with olive oil.(AC)

16 “‘The priest is to present all these(AD) before the Lord(AE) and make the sin offering and the burnt offering.(AF) 17 He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering(AG) to the Lord, together with its grain offering(AH) and drink offering.(AI)

18 “‘Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication.(AJ) They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

19 “‘After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair that symbolizes their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one thick loaf and one thin loaf from the basket, both made without yeast.(AK) 20 The priest shall then wave these before the Lord as a wave offering;(AL) they are holy(AM) and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented.(AN) After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.(AO)

21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite(AP) who vows offerings to the Lord in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vows(AQ) they have made, according to the law of the Nazirite.’”

The Priestly Blessing

22 The Lord said to Moses, 23 “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless(AR) the Israelites. Say to them:

24 “‘“The Lord bless you(AS)
    and keep you;(AT)
25 the Lord make his face shine on you(AU)
    and be gracious to you;(AV)
26 the Lord turn his face(AW) toward you
    and give you peace.(AX)”’

27 “So they will put my name(AY) on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 6:11 Or purification offering; also in verses 14 and 16

I and the Father Are One

22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, (A)in the colonnade of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are (B)the Christ, (C)tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. (D)The works that I do (E)in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but (F)you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 (G)My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 (H)I give them eternal life, and (I)they will never perish, and (J)no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, (K)who has given them to me,[a] (L)is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of (M)the Father's hand. 30 (N)I and the Father are one.”

31 (O)The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but (P)for blasphemy, because you, being a man, (Q)make yourself God.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in (R)your Law, (S)‘I said, you are gods’? 35 If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be (T)broken— 36 do you say of him whom (U)the Father consecrated and (V)sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because (W)I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 (X)If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; 38 but if I do them, (Y)even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that (Z)the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” 39 (AA)Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands.

40 He went away again across the Jordan to the place (AB)where John had been baptizing at first, and there he remained. 41 And many came to him. And they said, “John did no sign, but (AC)everything that John said about this man was true.” 42 And (AD)many believed in him there.

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Footnotes

  1. John 10:29 Some manuscripts What my Father has given to me

Further Conflict Over Jesus’ Claims

22 Then came the Festival of Dedication[a] at Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.(A) 24 The Jews(B) who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”(C)

25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you,(D) but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me,(E) 26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.(F) 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them,(G) and they follow me.(H) 28 I give them eternal life,(I) and they shall never perish;(J) no one will snatch them out of my hand.(K) 29 My Father, who has given them to me,(L) is greater than all[b];(M) no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”(N)

31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him,(O) 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”(P)

34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law,(Q) ‘I have said you are “gods”’[c]?(R) 35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God(S) came—and Scripture cannot be set aside(T) 36 what about the one whom the Father set apart(U) as his very own(V) and sent into the world?(W) Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?(X) 37 Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father.(Y) 38 But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”(Z) 39 Again they tried to seize him,(AA) but he escaped their grasp.(AB)

40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan(AC) to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, 41 and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign,(AD) all that John said about this man was true.”(AE) 42 And in that place many believed in Jesus.(AF)

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Footnotes

  1. John 10:22 That is, Hanukkah
  2. John 10:29 Many early manuscripts What my Father has given me is greater than all
  3. John 10:34 Psalm 82:6

The Cloud Covering the Tabernacle

15 (A)On the day that the tabernacle was set up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony. And (B)at evening it was over the tabernacle like the appearance of fire until morning. 16 So it was always: the cloud covered it by day[a] and the appearance of fire by night. 17 And whenever the cloud (C)lifted from over the tent, after that the people of Israel set out, and in the place where the cloud settled down, there the people of Israel camped. 18 At the command of the Lord the people of Israel set out, and at the command of the Lord they camped. (D)As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 19 Even when the cloud continued over the tabernacle many days, the people of Israel (E)kept the charge of the Lord and did not set out. 20 Sometimes the cloud was a few days over the tabernacle, and according to the command of the Lord they remained in camp; then according to the command of the Lord they set out. 21 And sometimes the cloud remained from evening until morning. And when the cloud lifted in the morning, they set out, or if it continued for a day and a night, when the cloud lifted they set out. 22 Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel (F)remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. 23 At the command of the Lord they camped, and at the command of the Lord they set out. (G)They kept the charge of the Lord, at the command of the Lord by Moses.

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 9:16 Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew lacks by day

The Cloud Above the Tabernacle

15 On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law,(A) was set up,(B) the cloud(C) covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire.(D) 16 That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire.(E) 17 Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out;(F) wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped.(G) 18 At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained(H) in camp. 19 When the cloud remained over the tabernacle a long time, the Israelites obeyed the Lord’s order(I) and did not set out.(J) 20 Sometimes the cloud was over the tabernacle only a few days; at the Lord’s command they would encamp, and then at his command they would set out. 21 Sometimes the cloud stayed only from evening till morning, and when it lifted in the morning, they set out. Whether by day or by night, whenever the cloud lifted, they set out. 22 Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. 23 At the Lord’s command they encamped, and at the Lord’s command they set out. They obeyed the Lord’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses.

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29 And Moses said to Hobab the son of (A)Reuel the Midianite, Moses' father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, (B)‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will do good to you, for (C)the Lord has promised good to Israel.” 30 But he said to him, “I will not go. I will depart to my own land and to my kindred.” 31 And he said, “Please do not leave us, for you know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you will serve (D)as eyes for us. 32 And if you do go with us, (E)whatever good the Lord will do to us, the same will we do to you.”

33 So they set out from (F)the mount of the Lord three days' journey. And the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them three days' journey, to seek out (G)a resting place for them. 34 (H)And the cloud of the Lord was over them by day, whenever they set out from the camp.

35 And whenever the ark set out, Moses said, (I)“Arise, O Lord, and let your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate you flee before you.” 36 And when it rested, he said, “Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands of Israel.”

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29 Now Moses said to Hobab(A) son of Reuel(B) the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law,(C) “We are setting out for the place about which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’(D) Come with us and we will treat you well, for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.”

30 He answered, “No, I will not go;(E) I am going back to my own land and my own people.(F)

31 But Moses said, “Please do not leave us. You know where we should camp in the wilderness, and you can be our eyes.(G) 32 If you come with us, we will share with you(H) whatever good things the Lord gives us.(I)

33 So they set out(J) from the mountain of the Lord and traveled for three days. The ark of the covenant of the Lord(K) went before them during those three days to find them a place to rest.(L) 34 The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they set out from the camp.(M)

35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said,

“Rise up,(N) Lord!
    May your enemies be scattered;(O)
    may your foes flee before you.(P)(Q)

36 Whenever it came to rest, he said,

“Return,(R) Lord,
    to the countless thousands of Israel.(S)

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Greeting

Paul, a servant[a] of God and (A)an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and (B)their knowledge of the truth, (C)which accords with godliness, (D)in hope of eternal life, which God, (E)who never lies, (F)promised (G)before the ages began[b] and (H)at the proper time manifested in his word[c] (I)through the preaching (J)with which I have been entrusted (K)by the command of God our Savior;

To Titus, (L)my true child in (M)a common faith:

(N)Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Qualifications for Elders

(O)This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and (P)appoint elders in every town as I directed you— (Q)if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife,[d] and his children are believers[e] and not open to the charge of (R)debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer,[f] (S)as God's steward, must be above reproach. He must not (T)be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent (U)or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, (V)and disciplined. He must (W)hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in (X)sound[g] doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.

10 For there are many who are insubordinate, (Y)empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of (Z)the circumcision party.[h] 11 They must be silenced, since (AA)they are upsetting whole families by teaching (AB)for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. 12 (AC)One of the Cretans,[i] a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”[j] 13 This testimony is true. Therefore (AD)rebuke them (AE)sharply, that they (AF)may be sound in the faith, 14 (AG)not devoting themselves to Jewish myths and (AH)the commands of people (AI)who turn away from the truth. 15 (AJ)To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and (AK)unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both (AL)their minds and their consciences are defiled. 16 (AM)They profess to know God, but they (AN)deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, (AO)unfit for any good work.

Teach Sound Doctrine

But as for you, teach what accords with (AP)sound[k] doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, (AQ)sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. (AR)Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, (AS)not slanderers (AT)or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, (AU)pure, (AV)working at home, kind, and (AW)submissive to their own husbands, (AX)that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge (AY)the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be (AZ)a model of good works, and in your teaching (BA)show integrity, (BB)dignity, and (BC)sound speech that cannot be condemned, (BD)so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Footnotes

  1. Titus 1:1 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface
  2. Titus 1:2 Greek before times eternal
  3. Titus 1:3 Or manifested his word
  4. Titus 1:6 Or a man of one woman
  5. Titus 1:6 Or are faithful
  6. Titus 1:7 Or bishop; Greek episkopos
  7. Titus 1:9 Or healthy; also verse 13
  8. Titus 1:10 Or especially those of the circumcision
  9. Titus 1:12 Greek One of them
  10. Titus 1:12 Probably from Epimenides of Crete
  11. Titus 2:1 Or healthy; also verses 2, 8

Paul, a servant of God(A) and an apostle(B) of Jesus Christ to further the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth(C) that leads to godliness(D) in the hope of eternal life,(E) which God, who does not lie,(F) promised before the beginning of time,(G) and which now at his appointed season(H) he has brought to light(I) through the preaching entrusted to me(J) by the command of God(K) our Savior,(L)

To Titus,(M) my true son(N) in our common faith:

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.(O)

Appointing Elders Who Love What Is Good(P)

The reason I left you in Crete(Q) was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint[a] elders(R) in every town, as I directed you. An elder must be blameless,(S) faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe[b] and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. Since an overseer(T) manages God’s household,(U) he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain.(V) Rather, he must be hospitable,(W) one who loves what is good,(X) who is self-controlled,(Y) upright, holy and disciplined. He must hold firmly(Z) to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine(AA) and refute those who oppose it.

Rebuking Those Who Fail to Do Good

10 For there are many rebellious people, full of meaningless talk(AB) and deception, especially those of the circumcision group.(AC) 11 They must be silenced, because they are disrupting whole households(AD) by teaching things they ought not to teach—and that for the sake of dishonest gain. 12 One of Crete’s own prophets(AE) has said it: “Cretans(AF) are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”[c] 13 This saying is true. Therefore rebuke(AG) them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith(AH) 14 and will pay no attention to Jewish myths(AI) or to the merely human commands(AJ) of those who reject the truth.(AK) 15 To the pure, all things are pure,(AL) but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure.(AM) In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.(AN) 16 They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him.(AO) They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good.(AP)

Doing Good for the Sake of the Gospel

You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine.(AQ) Teach the older men(AR) to be temperate,(AS) worthy of respect, self-controlled,(AT) and sound in faith,(AU) in love and in endurance.

Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers(AV) or addicted to much wine,(AW) but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women(AX) to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled(AY) and pure, to be busy at home,(AZ) to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands,(BA) so that no one will malign the word of God.(BB)

Similarly, encourage the young men(BC) to be self-controlled.(BD) In everything set them an example(BE) by doing what is good.(BF) In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.(BG)

Footnotes

  1. Titus 1:5 Or ordain
  2. Titus 1:6 Or children are trustworthy
  3. Titus 1:12 From the Cretan philosopher Epimenides