The Law of the Nazirite

6 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When either a man or woman ^[a]consecrates an offering to take the vow of a Nazirite, ^(A)to separate himself to the Lord, ^3 (B)he shall separate himself from wine and similar drink; he shall drink neither vinegar made from wine nor vinegar made from similar drink; neither shall he drink any grape juice, nor eat fresh grapes or raisins. ⁴ All the days of his ^[b]separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, from seed to skin.

⁵ ‘All the days of the vow of his separation no ^(C)razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow. ⁶ All the days that he separates himself to the Lord ^(D)he shall not go near a dead body. ^7 (E)He shall not ^[c]make himself unclean even for his father or his mother, for his brother or his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head. ^8 (F)All the days of his separation he shall be holy to the Lord.

⁹ ‘And if anyone dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall ^(G)shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it. ¹⁰ Then ^(H)on the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting; ¹¹ and the priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned in regard to the corpse; and he shall sanctify his head that same day. ¹² He shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, and bring a male lamb in its first year ^(I)as a trespass offering; but the former days shall be ^[d]lost, because his separation was defiled.

¹³ ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: ^(J)When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ¹⁴ And he shall present his offering to the Lord: one male lamb in its first year without blemish as a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish ^(K)as a sin offering, one ram without blemish ^(L)as a peace offering, ¹⁵ a basket of unleavened bread, ^(M)cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, unleavened wafers ^(N)anointed with oil, and their grain offering with their ^(O)drink offerings.

¹⁶ ‘Then the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering; ¹⁷ and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of a peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall also offer its grain offering and its drink offering. ^18 (P)Then the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.

¹⁹ ‘And the priest shall take the ^(Q)boiled shoulder of the ram, one ^(R)unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and ^(S)put them upon the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair, ²⁰ and the priest shall wave them as a wave offering before the Lord; ^(T)they are holy for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.’

²¹ “This is the law of the Nazirite who vows to the Lord the offering for his separation, and besides that, whatever else his hand is able to provide; according to the vow which he takes, so he must do according to the law of his separation.”

The Priestly Blessing

²² And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ²³ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them:

^27 (AA)“So they shall ^[f]put My name on the children of Israel, and ^(AB)I will bless them.”

Balaam Foretells the Happiness of Israel

24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go as at ^(A)other times, to seek to use ^[a]sorcery, but he set his face toward the wilderness. ² And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel ^(B)encamped according to their tribes; and ^(C)the Spirit of God came upon him.

^3 (D)Then he took up his oracle and said:

¹⁰ Then Balak’s anger was aroused against Balaam, and he ^(Q)struck his hands together; and Balak said to Balaam, ^(R)“I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have bountifully blessed them these three times! ¹¹ Now therefore, flee to your place. ^(S)I said I would greatly honor you, but in fact, the Lord has kept you back from honor.”

¹² So Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, ¹³ ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak’? ¹⁴ And now, indeed, I am going to my people. Come, ^(T)I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the ^(U)latter days.”

Balaam’s Fourth Prophecy

¹⁵ So he took up his oracle and said:

²⁰ Then he looked on Amalek, and he took up his oracle and said:

²¹ Then he looked on the Kenites, and he took up his oracle and said:

²³ Then he took up his oracle and said:

²⁵ So Balaam rose and departed and ^(AC)returned to his place; Balak also went his way.

Israel’s Harlotry in Moab

25 Now Israel remained in ^(AD)Acacia Grove,^[h] and the ^(AE)people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. ^2 (AF)They invited the people to ^(AG)the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and ^(AH)bowed down to their gods. ³ So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and ^(AI)the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel.

⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses, ^(AJ)“Take all the leaders of the people and hang the offenders before the Lord, out in the sun, ^(AK)that the fierce anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.”

⁵ So Moses said to ^(AL)the judges of Israel, ^(AM)“Every one of you kill his men who were joined to Baal of Peor.”

⁶ And indeed, one of the children of Israel came and presented to his brethren a Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, ^(AN)who were weeping at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁷ Now ^(AO)when Phinehas ^(AP)the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose from among the congregation and took a javelin in his hand; ⁸ and he went after the man of Israel into the tent and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her body. So ^(AQ)the plague was ^(AR)stopped among the children of Israel. ⁹ And ^(AS)those who died in the plague were twenty-four thousand.

¹⁰ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^11 (AT)“Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in ^(AU)My zeal. ¹² Therefore say, ^(AV)‘Behold, I give to him My ^(AW)covenant of peace; ¹³ and it shall be to him and ^(AX)his descendants after him a covenant of ^(AY)an everlasting priesthood, because he was ^(AZ)zealous for his God, and ^(BA)made ^[i]atonement for the children of Israel.’ ”

¹⁴ Now the name of the Israelite who was killed, who was killed with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites. ¹⁵ And the name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of ^(BB)Zur; he was head of the people of a father’s house in Midian.

¹⁶ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^17 (BC)“Harass the Midianites, and ^[j]attack them; ¹⁸ for they harassed you with their ^(BD)schemes^[k] by which they seduced you in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Cozbi, the daughter of a leader of Midian, their sister, who was killed in the day of the plague because of Peor.”

The Second Census of Israel

26 And it came to pass, after the ^(BE)plague, that the Lord spoke to Moses and Eleazar the son of Aaron the priest, saying: ^2 (BF)“Take a census of all the congregation of the children of Israel ^(BG)from twenty years old and above, by their fathers’ houses, all who are able to go to war in Israel.” ³ So Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them ^(BH)in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying: ⁴ “Take a census of the people from twenty years old and above, just as the Lord ^(BI)commanded Moses and the children of Israel who came out of the land of Egypt.”

^5 (BJ)Reuben was the firstborn of Israel. The children of Reuben were: of Hanoch, the family of the Hanochites; of Pallu, the family of the Palluites; ⁶ of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Carmi, the family of the Carmites. ⁷ These are the families of the Reubenites: those who were numbered of them were forty-three thousand seven hundred and thirty. ⁸ And the son of Pallu was Eliab. ⁹ The sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan, and Abiram. These are the Dathan and Abiram, ^(BK)representatives of the congregation, who contended against Moses and Aaron in the company of Korah, when they contended against the Lord; ^10 (BL)and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah when that company died, when the fire devoured two hundred and fifty men; ^(BM)and they became a sign. ¹¹ Nevertheless ^(BN)the children of Korah did not die.

¹² The sons of Simeon according to their families were: of ^[l]Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites; of Jamin, the family of the Jaminites; of ^[m]Jachin, the family of the Jachinites; ¹³ of ^[n]Zerah, the family of the Zarhites; of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites. ¹⁴ These are the families of the Simeonites: twenty-two thousand two hundred.

¹⁵ The sons of Gad according to their families were: of ^[o]Zephon, the family of the Zephonites; of Haggi, the family of the Haggites; of Shuni, the family of the Shunites; ¹⁶ of ^[p]Ozni, the family of the Oznites; of Eri, the family of the Erites; ¹⁷ of ^[q]Arod, the family of the Arodites; of Areli, the family of the Arelites. ¹⁸ These are the families of the sons of Gad according to those who were numbered of them: forty thousand five hundred.

^19 (BO)The sons of Judah were Er and Onan; and Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. ²⁰ And ^(BP)the sons of Judah according to their families were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites; of Perez, the family of the Parzites; of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites. ²¹ And the sons of Perez were: of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites; of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites. ²² These are the families of Judah according to those who were numbered of them: seventy-six thousand five hundred.

²³ The sons of Issachar according to their families were: of Tola, the family of the Tolaites; of ^[r]Puah, the family of the ^[s]Punites; ²⁴ of ^[t]Jashub, the family of the Jashubites; of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. ²⁵ These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them: sixty-four thousand three hundred.

^26 (BQ)The sons of Zebulun according to their families were: of Sered, the family of the Sardites; of Elon, the family of the Elonites; of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites. ²⁷ These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them: sixty thousand five hundred.

^28 (BR)The sons of Joseph according to their families, by Manasseh and Ephraim, were: ²⁹ The sons of ^(BS)Manasseh: of ^(BT)Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir begot Gilead; of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. ³⁰ These are the sons of Gilead: of ^[u]Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites; of Helek, the family of the Helekites; ³¹ of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; ³² of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. ³³ Now ^(BU)Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. ³⁴ These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were fifty-two thousand seven hundred.

³⁵ These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families: of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites; of ^[v]Becher, the family of the Bachrites; of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. ³⁶ And these are the sons of Shuthelah: of Eran, the family of the Eranites. ³⁷ These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them: thirty-two thousand five hundred.

These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.

^38 (BV)The sons of Benjamin according to their families were: of Bela, the family of the Belaites; of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites; of ^(BW)Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites; ³⁹ of ^(BX)Shupham,^[w] the family of the Shuphamites; of ^[x]Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. ⁴⁰ And the sons of Bela were ^[y]Ard and Naaman: ^(BY)of Ard, the family of the Ardites; of Naaman, the family of the Naamites. ⁴¹ These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand six hundred.

⁴² These are the sons of Dan according to their families: of ^[z]Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. These are the families of Dan according to their families. ⁴³ All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them, were sixty-four thousand four hundred.

^44 (BZ)The sons of Asher according to their families were: of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites; of Jesui, the family of the Jesuites; of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. ⁴⁵ Of the sons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites; of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites. ⁴⁶ And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah. ⁴⁷ These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them: fifty-three thousand four hundred.

^48 (CA)The sons of Naphtali according to their families were: of ^[aa]Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites; of Guni, the family of the Gunites; ⁴⁹ of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites; of ^(CB)Shillem, the family of the Shillemites. ⁵⁰ These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were forty-five thousand four hundred.

^51 (CC)These are those who were numbered of the children of Israel: six hundred and one thousand seven hundred and thirty.

⁵² Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ^53 (CD)“To these the land shall be ^(CE)divided as an inheritance, according to the number of names. ^54 (CF)To a large tribe you shall give a larger inheritance, and to a small tribe you shall give a smaller inheritance. Each shall be given its inheritance according to those who were numbered of them. ⁵⁵ But the land shall be ^(CG)divided by lot; they shall inherit according to the names of the tribes of their fathers. ⁵⁶ According to the lot their inheritance shall be divided between the larger and the smaller.”

^57 (CH)And these are those who were numbered of the Levites according to their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites; of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites; of Merari, the family of the Merarites. ⁵⁸ These are the families of the Levites: the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mahlites, the family of the Mushites, and the family of the Korathites. And Kohath begot Amram. ⁵⁹ The name of Amram’s wife was ^(CI)Jochebed the daughter of Levi, who was born to Levi in Egypt; and to Amram she bore Aaron and Moses and their sister Miriam. ^60 (CJ)To Aaron were born Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ⁶¹ And ^(CK)Nadab and Abihu died when they offered profane fire before the Lord.

^62 (CL)Now those who were numbered of them were twenty-three thousand, every male from a month old and above; ^(CM)for they were not numbered among the other children of Israel, because there was ^(CN)no inheritance given to them among the children of Israel.

⁶³ These are those who were numbered by Moses and Eleazar the priest, who numbered the children of Israel ^(CO)in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho. ^64 (CP)But among these there was not a man of those who were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the ^(CQ)Wilderness of Sinai. ⁶⁵ For the Lord had said of them, “They ^(CR)shall surely die in the wilderness.” So there was not left a man of them, ^(CS)except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.