The Fourth Book of Moses: Numbers

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- Chapter 6 -

(Judges 13:1–25)

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: A man or a woman, when they have made a vow so that they may be sanctified, and when they are willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord,

shall abstain from wine and from anything which is able to inebriate. They shall not drink vinegar made from wine or from any other drink, nor anything pressed from the grape. They shall not eat grapes, neither fresh nor dried.

During all the days that they are consecrated to the Lord by vow, they shall not eat whatever may be from the vineyard, from raisins, even to grape seeds.

During all the time of his separation, no razor shall pass over his head, even until the completion of the day when he is consecrated to the Lord. He shall be holy, letting the hair of his head grow long.

During all the time of his consecration, he shall not enter because of a death,

nor shall he contaminate himself, even over the funeral of his father, or his mother, or his brother, or his sister. For the consecration of his God is upon his head.

During all the days of his separation, he shall be holy to the Lord.

But if anyone will have died unexpectedly before him, the head of his consecration shall be polluted, and he shall shave it in that very place, on the same day of his purification, and again on the seventh day.

Then, on the eighth day, he shall offer two turtledoves or two young pigeons, to the priest at the entrance to the covenant of the testimony.

And the priest shall effect one for sin, and the other as a holocaust, and he shall pray for him, because he has sinned on account of the dead. And he shall sanctify his head on that day.

And he shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, offering a one-year-old lamb for sin, yet in such a manner that the former days will be made null and void, because his sanctification was polluted.

This is the law of consecration. When the days that he had decreed by vow have been completed, he shall bring him to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant,

and he shall offer his oblation to the Lord: an immaculate one-year-old male lamb as a holocaust, and an immaculate one-year-old female lamb for sin, and an immaculate ram, a peace-offering victim,

also, a basket of unleavened bread, which has been sprinkled with oil, and cakes without leaven, anointed with oil, as well as the libations of each one.

And the priest shall offer them before the Lord, and he shall perform both the sin offering and the holocaust.

Yet truly, the ram he shall immolate as a peace-offering victim to the Lord, offering at the same time the basket of unleavened bread, and the libations which are required by custom.

Then the Nazarite shall be shaved of the long hair of his consecration, before the door of the tabernacle of the covenant. And he shall take his hair, and he shall place it upon the fire, which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings.

And he shall take the cooked shoulder of the ram, and one twist of bread without leaven from the basket, and one unleavened cake, and he shall deliver them into the hands of the Nazarite, after his head has been shaven.

And receiving them again from him, he shall elevate them in the sight of the Lord. And having been sanctified, these shall be for the priest, as also the breast, which was ordered to be separated, and the leg. After this, the Nazarite is able to drink wine.

This is the law of the Nazarite, when he has vowed his oblation to the Lord in the time of his consecration, aside from those things which his hand shall find. According to what he had vowed in his mind, so shall he do, to the perfection of his sanctification.”(a)

Aaron’s Blessing

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

“Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them:

‘May the Lord bless you and keep you.

May the Lord reveal his face to you and take pity on you.

May the Lord turn his countenance toward you and grant peace to you.’

And they shall invoke my name over the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Footnotes

(a)6:21 Vows are of the mind and soul ‘mente devoverat.’ The vows of priests and religious assist in their sanctification, even toward the goal of becoming perfect as Christ is perfect.(Conte)

(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).