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Rules Concerning Nazirites

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the Israelites[a] and say to them, ‘When a man or a woman takes a special vow, a vow of a Nazirite,[b] to keep separate for Yahweh, he will abstain from wine and fermented drink; he will not drink wine vinegar or vinegar of fermented drink; he will not drink the fruit juice of grapes or eat fresh or dry grapes. All the days of his separation[c] you will not eat from anything that is made from the grapevine, from sour grapes to the skin of grapes.

“‘All the days of the vow of his separation a razor will not pass over his head. Until fulfilling the days that he separated himself to Yahweh he will be holy and grow long the locks of the hair of his head.

“‘All the days of keeping himself separated for Yahweh he will not go to a person who is dead; for even his father, mother, brother, or sister he will not make himself unclean by their death,[d] because the separation to his God is on his head. He will be holy for Yahweh all the days of his separation.[e]

“‘If someone dies suddenly and makes the head of his separation[f] unclean, he will shave off the hair of his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he will shave it off. 10 On the eighth day he will bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons[g] to the priest by the doorway of the tent of assembly, 11 and the priest will offer one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering, and he will make atonement for him because he sinned concerning the corpse. He will consecrate his head on that day. 12 He will rededicate to Yahweh the days of his separation[h] and bring a ram-lamb in its first year[i] as a guilt offering. The former days of his vow will fall away because his separation was defiled.

13 “‘This is the regulation of the Nazirite for the day of the fulfilling of the days of his separation: one will bring him to the doorway of the tent of the assembly. 14 He will present his offering to Yahweh, one ram-lamb in its first year[j] without defect as a burnt offering, and one ewe-lamb in its first year[k] without defect as a sin offering, and one ram without defect as a fellowship offering; 15 and a basket of unleavened bread, finely milled flour of ring-shaped bread cakes mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their libations. 16 The priest will present before Yahweh[l] and offer his sin offering, his burnt offering; 17 he will offer a ram as a sacrifice of a fellowship offering to Yahweh, in addition to the basket of the unleavened bread; the priest will offer his grain offering and his libation. 18 The Nazirite will shave off the hair of his consecrated head[m] at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and he will take the hair of his consecrated head,[n] and he will put it on the fire that is beneath the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. 19 The priest will take the shoulder from the ram that is boiled, and one ring-shaped bread cake of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and he will put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head.[o] 20 The priest will wave them as a wave offering before the presence of[p] Yahweh; they[q] are a holy object to the priest, in addition to the breast section of the wave offering, and in addition to the upper thigh of the contribution; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “‘This is the regulation of the Nazirite who has made a vow of his offering to Yahweh according to his separation, in addition to what he can afford.[r] In accordance to the word of his vow that he vowed, he will do, concerning the instruction of his separation.’”

The Priestly Blessing

22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘You will bless the Israelites:[s] You will say to them:

24 Yahweh will bless you
    and keep you;
25 Yahweh will make shine his face on you
    and be gracious to you;
26 Yahweh will lift up his face upon you,
    and he will give you peace.’

27 And they will put my name on the Israelites,[t] and I will bless them.”

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 6:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  2. Numbers 6:2 Literally “one separated”
  3. Numbers 6:4 That is, “the Nazirite”
  4. Numbers 6:7 Literally “with their dying”
  5. Numbers 6:8 That is, “the Nazirite”
  6. Numbers 6:9 That is, “the Nazirite”
  7. Numbers 6:10 Literally “the sons of doves”
  8. Numbers 6:12 That is, “the Nazirite”
  9. Numbers 6:12 Literally “a son of his year”
  10. Numbers 6:14 Literally “a son of his year”
  11. Numbers 6:14 Literally “a daughter of his year”
  12. Numbers 6:16 Or “before the face of Yahweh”
  13. Numbers 6:18 Literally “the head of his separation”
  14. Numbers 6:18 Literally “the head of his separation”
  15. Numbers 6:19 Literally “his separation”
  16. Numbers 6:20 Literally “before the face of”
  17. Numbers 6:20 Hebrew “it”
  18. Numbers 6:21 Literally “except from that which overtakes his hand”
  19. Numbers 6:23 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  20. Numbers 6:27 Literally “sons/children of Israel”

Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to Yahweh, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

“‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to Yahweh. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

“‘All the days that he separates himself to Yahweh he shall not go near a dead body. He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God[a] is on his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to Yahweh.

“‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it. 10 On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting. 11 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, and shall make his head holy that same day. 12 He shall separate to Yahweh the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

13 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting, 14 and he shall offer his offering to Yahweh: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, one ram without defect for peace offerings, 15 a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil with their meal offering and their drink offerings. 16 The priest shall present them before Yahweh, and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering. 17 He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to Yahweh, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering and its drink offering. 18 The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings. 19 The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved the head of his separation; 20 and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before Yahweh. They are holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows and of his offering to Yahweh for his separation, in addition to that which he is able to afford. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

22 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,

24 ‘Yahweh bless you, and keep you.
25     Yahweh make his face to shine on you,
    and be gracious to you.
26 Yahweh lift up his face toward you,
    and give you peace.’

27 “So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Footnotes

  1. 6:7 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).