Rules Concerning Nazirites

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

² “Speak to the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ and say to them, ‘When a man or a woman takes a special vow, a vow of a ⌞Nazirite⌟,² to keep separate for Yahweh,

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Literally “one separated”

³ 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.

⁴ All the days of his separation¹ you will not eat from anything that is made from the grapevine, from sour grapes to the skin of grapes.

1. That is, “the Nazirite”

⁵ “ ‘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.

⁶ “ ‘All the days of keeping himself separated for Yahweh he will not go to a person who is dead;

⁷ for even his father, mother, brother, or sister he will not make himself unclean ⌞by their death⌟,¹ because the separation to his God is on his head.

1. Literally “with their dying”

⁸ He will be holy for Yahweh all the days of his separation.¹

1. That is, “the Nazirite”

⁹ “ ‘If someone dies suddenly and makes the head of his separation¹ 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.

1. That is, “the Nazirite”

¹⁰ On the eighth day he will bring two turtledoves or two ⌞young pigeons⌟¹ to the priest by the doorway of the tent of assembly,

1. Literally “the sons of doves”

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 separation¹ and bring a ram-lamb ⌞in its first year⌟² as a guilt offering. The former days of his vow will fall away because his separation was defiled.

1. That is, “the Nazirite”
2. Literally “a son of his year”

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⌟¹ without defect as a burnt offering, and one ewe-lamb ⌞in its first year⌟² without defect as a sin offering, and one ram without defect as a fellowship offering;

1. Literally “a son of his year”
2. Literally “a daughter of his year”

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⌟¹ and offer his sin offering, his burnt offering;

1. Or “before the face of Yahweh”

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⌟¹ at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and he will take the hair of ⌞his consecrated head⌟,² and he will put it on the fire that is beneath the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

1. Literally “the head of his separation”
2. Literally “the head of his separation”

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⌟.¹

1. Literally “his separation”

²⁰ The priest will wave them as a wave offering ⌞before the presence of⌟¹ Yahweh; they² 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.

1. Literally “before the face of”
2. Hebrew “it”

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⌟.¹ In accordance to the word of his vow that he vowed, he will do, concerning the instruction of his separation.’ ”

1. Literally “except from that which overtakes his hand”

The Priestly Blessing

²² Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

²³ “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘You will bless the ⌞Israelites⌟:¹ You will say to them:

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”

²⁴ Yahweh will bless you and keep you;

²⁵ Yahweh will make shine his face on you and be gracious to you;

²⁶ Yahweh will lift up his face upon you, and he will give you peace.’

²⁷ And they will put my name on the ⌞Israelites⌟,¹ and I will bless them.”

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”