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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.’”

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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”

The Nazirite Vow

The Lord instructed Moses, “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow,(A) to consecrate himself to the Lord, he is to abstain from wine and beer.(B) He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from beer. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. He is not to eat anything produced by the grapevine, from seeds to skin, during the period of his consecration.

“You must not cut his hair[a] throughout the time of his vow of consecration. He may be holy until the time is completed during which he consecrates himself to the Lord; he is to let the hair of his head grow long. He must not go near a dead body during the time he consecrates himself to the Lord.(C) He is not to defile himself for his father or mother, or his brother or sister, when they die, while the mark of consecration to his God is on his head. He is holy to the Lord(D) during the time of consecration.

“If someone suddenly dies near him, defiling his consecrated head, he must shave his head on the day of his purification; he is to shave it on the seventh day.(E) 10 On the eighth day he is to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting.(F) 11 The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering(G) to make atonement on behalf of the Nazirite, since he incurred guilt because of the corpse. On that day he is to consecrate his head again.(H) 12 He is to rededicate his time of consecration to the Lord and to bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering.(I) But do not count the initial period of consecration because it became defiled.

13 “This is the law of the Nazirite: On the day his time of consecration is completed, he is to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting.(J) 14 He is to present an offering to the Lord(K) of one unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, one unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, one unblemished ram as a fellowship offering,(L) 15 along with their grain offerings and drink offerings,(M) and a basket of unleavened cakes made from fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers coated with oil.(N)

16 “The priest is to present these before the Lord and sacrifice the Nazirite’s sin offering and burnt offering. 17 He will also offer the ram as a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord, together with the basket of unleavened bread. Then the priest will offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

18 “The Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the tent of meeting, take the hair from his head, and put it on the fire under the fellowship sacrifice. 19 The priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands(O) of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head. 20 The priest is to present them as a presentation offering before the Lord.(P) It is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution.(Q) After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

21 “These are the instructions about the Nazirite who vows his offering to the Lord for his consecration,(R) in addition to whatever else he can afford; he must fulfill whatever vow he makes in keeping with the instructions for his consecration.”

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Footnotes

  1. 6:5 Lit “A razor is not to pass over his head