Numbers

¹The LORD said to Moses,

²"Speak to the Israelites and say to them: If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a Nazirite vow of dedication to the LORD,"

³"they must abstain from wine and other fermented drinks and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drinks. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins."

⁴"As long as they are under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins."

⁵"During the entire period of their Nazirite vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until the period of their dedication to the LORD is over; they must let their hair grow long."

⁶"Throughout the period of their dedication to the LORD, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body."

⁷"Even if their own father or mother, brother or sister, dies, they must not make themselves ceremonially unclean, because the symbol of their dedication to God is on their head."

⁸"Throughout the period of their dedication, they are holy to the LORD."

⁹"If someone dies suddenly in their presence, making their dedicated head impure, they must shave their head on the day of their cleansing — the seventh day."

¹⁰"Then on the eighth day they must bring two doves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting."

¹¹"The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for the Nazirite because they sinned by being near a dead body. That same day they are to rededicate their head."

¹²"They must rededicate themselves to the LORD for the full period of their Nazirite vow and must bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. The previous days do not count, because their dedication became impure during their defilement."

¹³"Now this is the law of the Nazirite when the period of their dedication is over. They are to be brought to the entrance to the tent of meeting."

¹⁴"There they are to present their offerings to the LORD: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old female lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering,"

¹⁵"together with a basket of bread made with fine flour and without yeast — loaves and thin wafers — and their grain offerings and drink offerings."

¹⁶"The priest is to present all these before the LORD and make the sin offering and the burnt offering."

¹⁷"He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the LORD, together with its grain offering and drink offering."

¹⁸"Then at the entrance to the tent of meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that symbolizes their dedication. They are to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering."

¹⁹"After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair of their dedication, the priest is to place in their hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened loaf and one unleavened thin wafer from the basket."

²⁰"The priest shall then wave them before the LORD as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine."

²¹"This is the law of the Nazirite who vows offerings to the LORD in accordance with their dedication, in addition to whatever else they can afford. They must fulfill the vow they have made, in accordance with the law of the Nazirite."

²²The LORD said to Moses,

²³"Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:'"

²⁴"'The LORD bless you and keep you;'"

²⁵"'the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;'"

²⁶"'the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.'"

²⁷"So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them."