Numbers 6
6
The Nazirite Vow
1The Lord instructed Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, # 6:2 Jdg 13:5,7; 16:17; Am 2:11–12 to consecrate himself to the Lord, 3he is to abstain from wine and beer. # 6:3 Jdg 13:4,7,14 He must not drink vinegar made from wine or from beer. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins. 4He is not to eat anything produced by the grapevine, from seeds to skin, during the period of his consecration.
5“You must not cut his hair # 6:5 Lit “A razor is not to pass over his head 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. 6He must not go near a dead body during the time he consecrates himself to the Lord. # 6:6 Nm 19:11–16 7He 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. 8He is holy to the Lord # 6:8 Nm 6:5; Dt 7:6; 14:2,21; 26:19; 2Ch 35:3 during the time of consecration.
9“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. # 6:9 Nm 19:11 10On the eighth day he is to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting. # 6:10 Ex 29:42–43; Lv 5:7; Nm 6:18 11The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering # 6:11 Lv 1:14–17; 5:7–10 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. # 6:11 Lv 15:13–15 12He is to rededicate his time of consecration to the Lord and to bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. # 6:12 Lv 5:14–19; 7:1–6 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. # 6:13 Lv 14:11; Nm 8:9 14He is to present an offering to the Lord # 6:14 Ac 21:24 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, # 6:14 Lv 1:10–13; 3:1–5; 4:32–35 15along with their grain offerings and drink offerings, # 6:15 Ex 29:40–41; Lv 23:12–13,18; Nm 15:1–12 and a basket of unleavened cakes made from fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers coated with oil. # 6:15 Ex 29:2; Lv 2:4–11; 7:12
16“The priest is to present these before the Lord and sacrifice the Nazirite’s sin offering and burnt offering. 17He 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. 19The 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 # 6:19 Ex 29:24; Lv 2:4–11 of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head. 20The priest is to present them as a presentation offering before the Lord. # 6:20 Ex 29:25–27 It is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution. # 6:20 Ex 25:2–3; 29:27–28; Lv 7:14,32,34 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, # 6:21 Ac 21:24 in addition to whatever else he can afford; he must fulfill whatever vow he makes in keeping with the instructions for his consecration.”
The Priestly Blessing
22The Lord spoke to Moses: 23“Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. You should say to them,
24“May the Lord bless you and protect you; # 6:24 Ps 121:4,7; 128:5; 134:3
25may the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you; # 6:25 Ps 67:1; 80:3; 89:15; 119:135
26may the Lord look with favor on you # 6:26 Lit Lord lift his face to you
and give you peace.” ’ # 6:26 Ps 4:6; 147:14
27In this way they will pronounce my name over # 6:27 Or put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
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© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Numbers 6
6
Rules for Nazirites
1The LORD told Moses 2to say to the people of Israel:
If any of you want to dedicate yourself to me by vowing to become a Nazirite, 3you must no longer drink any wine or beer or use any kind of vinegar. Don't drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins—#Lk 1.15. 4not even the seeds or skins.
5Even the hair of a Nazirite is sacred to me, and as long as you are a Nazirite, you must never cut your hair.
6During the time that you are a Nazirite, you must never go close to a dead body, 7-8not even that of your father, mother, brother, or sister. That would make you unclean. Your hair is the sign that you are dedicated to me, so remain holy.
9If someone suddenly dies near you, your hair is no longer sacred, and you must shave it seven days later during the ceremony to make you clean. 10Then on the next day, bring two doves or two pigeons to the priest at the sacred tent. 11He will offer one of the birds as a sacrifice for sin and the other as a sacrifice to please me.#6.11 sacrifice to please me: This sacrifice has traditionally been called a “whole burnt offering”, because the whole animal was burnt on the altar. A main purpose of such a sacrifice was to please the LORD with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV it is often called “a sacrifice to please the LORD”. You will then be forgiven for being too near a dead body, and your hair will again become sacred. 12But the dead body made you unacceptable, so you must make another vow to become a Nazirite and be dedicated once more. Finally, a year-old ram must be offered as the sacrifice to make things right.
13When you have completed your promised time of being a Nazirite, go to the sacred tent#Ac 21.23,24. 14and offer three animals that have nothing wrong with them: a year-old ram as a sacrifice to please me, a year-old female lamb as a sacrifice for sin, and a full-grown ram as a sacrifice to ask my blessing.#6.14 sacrifice to ask my blessing: This sacrifice has traditionally been called a “peace offering” or an “offering of well-being”. A main purpose of such a sacrifice was to ask the LORD's blessing, and so in the CEV it is often called a “sacrifice to ask the LORD's blessing”. 15Wine offerings and grain sacrifices must also be brought with these animals. Finally, you are to bring a basket of bread made with your finest flour and olive oil, but without yeast. Also bring some thin wafers brushed with oil.
16The priest will take these gifts to my altar and offer them, so that I will be pleased and will forgive you. 17Then he will sacrifice the ram and offer the wine, grain, and bread.
18After that, you will stand at the entrance to the sacred tent, shave your head, and put the hair in the fire where the priest has offered the sacrifice to ask my blessing.
19Once the meat from the ram's shoulder has been boiled, the priest will take it, along with one loaf of bread and one wafer brushed with oil, and give them to you. 20You will hand them back to the priest, who will lift them up#6.20 lift them up: See the note at 5.25. in dedication to me. Then he can eat the meat from the ram's shoulder, its choice ribs, and its hind leg, because this is his share of the sacrifice. After this, you will no longer be a Nazirite and will be free to drink wine.
21These are the requirements for Nazirites. However, if you can afford to offer more, you must do so.
The blessing for the people
22The LORD told Moses, 23“When Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel, they must say:
24I pray that the LORD
will bless and protect you,
25and that he will show you mercy
and kindness.
26May the LORD be good to you
and give you peace.”
27Then the LORD said, “If Aaron and his sons ask me to bless the Israelites, I will give them my blessing.”
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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012