< Numbers 6 >

1 The Lord told Moses,
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 “Tell the Israelites: If a man or a woman makes a special promise to become a Nazirite, to dedicate themselves to the Lord,
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself unto the LORD:
3 they must not drink any wine or other alcoholic drink. They must not even drink vinegar made from wine or other alcoholic drink, or any grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.
he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.
4 The whole time they are dedicated to the Lord they must not eat anything from a grapevine, not even grape seeds or skins.
All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the grape-vine, from the kernels even to the husk.
5 They must not use a razor on their heads during the whole time of this promise of dedication. They must remain holy until their time of dedication to the Lord is finished. They must let their hair grow long.
All the days of his vow of separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.
6 During this time of dedication to the Lord they must not go near a dead body.
All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall not come near to a dead body.
7 Even if it's their father, mother, brother or sister who has died, they are not to make themselves unclean, because their uncut hair announces their dedication to God.
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 unto God is upon his head.
8 Through the whole time of their dedication they are to be holy to the Lord.
All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.
9 However, if someone dies suddenly close to them, making them unclean, they must wait seven days, and on the seventh day when they are made clean again they are to shave their heads.
And if any man die very suddenly beside him, and he defile the head of his separation; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.
10 On the eighth day they shall take two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
And 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 will offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make them right, because they became guilty by being near the dead body. On that day they must re-dedicate themselves and let their hair grow again.
and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, for that he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day.
12 They must re-dedicate themselves to the Lord for the full time they originally promised and bring a one-year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days don't count towards the time of dedication because they became unclean.
And he shall separate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a he-lamb of the first year for a guilt offering: but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.
13 These are the rules to be observed when the Nazirite's time of dedication is finished. They are to be taken to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
And this is the law of the Nazirite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tent of meeting:
14 There they are to present an offering to the Lord of a one-year-old male lamb without defects as a burnt offering, a one-year-old female lamb without defects as a sin offering, and ram without defects as a peace offering.
and he shall offer his oblation unto the LORD, one he-lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe-lamb of the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram without blemish for peace offerings,
15 In addition they are to bring a basket of bread without yeast made from the best flour mixed with olive oil and wafers without yeast coated with olive oil as well as their grain offerings and drink offerings.
and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and their meal offering, and their drink offerings.
16 The priest will present all these before the Lord as well as sacrificing the sin offering and the burnt offering.
And the priest shall present them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt offering:
17 He will also sacrifice a ram as a peace offering to the Lord, together with the basket of bread made without yeast. In addition the priest will present the grain offering and drink offering.
and he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings unto the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also the meal offering thereof, and the drink offering thereof.
18 Then the Nazirites are to shave their heads at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. They shall take the hair from their heads that were dedicated, and place it on the fire under the peace offering.
And the Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.
19 Once the Nazirites have shaved, the priest will take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one bread without yeast from the basket, and one wafer without yeast, and place them in their hands.
And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazirite, after he hath shaven [the head of] his separation:
20 The priest will wave them as a wave offering before the Lord. These items are holy and belong to the priest, as well as the breast of the wave offering and the thigh that was offered. Once this is finished, Nazirites may drink wine.
and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD; this is holy for the priest, together with the wave breast and heave thigh: and after that the Nazirite may drink wine.
21 These are the rules to be observed when a Nazirite promises to give offerings to the Lord regarding their dedication. They can also bring additional offerings if they can afford it. Every Nazirite must fulfill whatever promises they have made when they dedicated themselves.”
This is the law of the Nazirite who voweth, [and of] his oblation unto the LORD for his separation, beside that which he is able to get: according to his vow which he voweth, so he must do after the law of his separation.
22 The Lord told Moses,
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
23 “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. This is what they are to say:
Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel; ye shall say unto them,
24 ‘May the Lord bless you and take care of you.
The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
25 May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.
The LORD make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
26 May the Lord watch over you and give you peace.’
The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
27 Whenever the priests bless the Israelites in my name, I will bless them.”
So shall they put my name upon the children of Israel; and I will bless them.

< Numbers 6 >