The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 6 -

(Judges 13:1–25)

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite,(a) to separate himself to the LORD,

he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins.

All the days of his separation, he is not to eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall pass over his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.

Throughout the days of his separation to the LORD, he must not go near a dead body.

Even if his father or mother or brother or sister should die, he is not to defile himself, because the crown of consecration to his God is upon his head.

Throughout the time of his separation, he is holy to the LORD.

If someone suddenly dies in his presence and defiles his consecrated head of hair, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day.

On the eighth day he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

And the priest is to offer one as a sin offering

(b)

and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him, because he has sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. On that day he must consecrate his head again.

He must rededicate his time of separation to the LORD and bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. But the preceding days shall not be counted, because his separation was defiled.

Now this is the law of the Nazirite when his time of separation is complete: He must be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,

and he is to present an offering to the LORD of an unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, an unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, and an unblemished ram as a peace offering—

together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—and a basket of unleavened cakes made from fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers coated with oil.

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

He shall also offer the ram as a peace offering to the LORD, along with the basket of unleavened bread. And the priest is to offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head, take the hair, and put it on the fire under the peace offering.

And 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 of the Nazirite who has just shaved the hair of his consecration.

The priest shall then wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. This is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the wave offering and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD for his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford; he must fulfill whatever vow he makes, according to the law of his separation.”

Aaron’s Blessing

Then the LORD said to Moses,

“Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

‘May the LORD bless you and keep you;

may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’

So they shall put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

Footnotes

(a)6:2 Nazirite means one separated or one consecrated.

(b)6:11 Or purification offering; here and throughout Numbers

(Judges 13:1–25)

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them: ‘When either man or woman shall make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,

he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of fermented drink, neither shall he drink any juice of grapes, nor eat fresh grapes or dried.

All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is made of the grapevine, from the seeds even to the skins.

“‘All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come on his head, until the days are fulfilled in which he separates himself to the LORD. He shall be holy. He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long.

“‘All the days that he separates himself to the LORD he shall not go near a dead body.

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 to God

(a)

is on his head.

All the days of his separation he is holy to the LORD.

“‘If any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles the head of his separation, then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing. On the seventh day he shall shave it.

On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the door of the Tent of Meeting.

The priest shall offer one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead, and shall make his head holy that same day.

He shall separate to the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a trespass offering; but the former days shall be void, because his separation was defiled.

“‘This is the law of the Nazirite: when the days of his separation are fulfilled, he shall be brought to the door of the Tent of Meeting,

and he shall offer his offering to the LORD: one male lamb a year old without defect for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb a year old without defect for a sin offering, one ram without defect for peace offerings,

a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil with their meal offering and their drink offerings.

The priest shall present them before the LORD, and shall offer his sin offering and his burnt offering.

He shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its meal offering and its drink offering.

The Nazirite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the Tent of Meeting, take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of peace offerings.

The priest shall take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved the head of his separation;

and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD. They are holy for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered. After that the Nazirite may drink wine.

“‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows and of his offering to the LORD for his separation, in addition to that which he is able to afford. According to his vow which he vows, so he must do after the law of his separation.’”

Aaron’s Blessing

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is how you shall bless the children of Israel.’ You shall tell them,

‘The LORD bless you, and keep you.

The LORD make his face to shine on you, and be gracious to you.

The LORD lift up his face toward you, and give you peace.’

“So they shall put my name on the children of Israel; and I will bless them.”

Footnotes

(a)6:7 The Hebrew word rendered “God” is “אֱלֹהִ֑ים” (Elohim).