Numbers 6

International Standard Version

Nazirites

6 Then the Lord told Moses, ² “Tell the Israelis that a man or woman who commits to the vow of the Nazirite, is to be separated to the Lord, ³ then is to remain separate from wine and strong drink. He is not to drink vinegar or strong drink made from wine. He is not to drink grape juice or eat grapes, whether fresh or dried. ⁴ During the entire time of his dedication, he is not to eat any product from the grapevine, from the seed to the skin. ⁵ During the entire time of his dedication, he is not to allow a razor to pass over his head until the days of his holy consecration to the Lord have been fulfilled. He is to let the locks on his head grow long.

⁶ “During the entire time of his dedication, he is not to come near a dead body.^{[a] 7} He is not to defile himself on account of his father, mother, brother, and sister when they die, because the crown of his consecration to God is on his head. ⁸ During the entire time of his dedication, he is set apart to God. ⁹ When someone suddenly dies beside him, so that his consecrated head is defiled, then he is to shave his head on the day of his purification. Seven days later he is to shave it again. ¹⁰ On the eighth day, he is to bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. ¹¹ Then the priest is to offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering to make atonement for him because of the guilt he incurred on account of his contact with the dead body. Then he is to consecrate his head on that day. ¹² He is to dedicate to the Lord the days of his consecration by bringing a year old male lamb as his offering. The previous time will have failed because his consecration became defiled.

¹³ “This is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his consecration are completed, he is to come to the entrance at the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁴ He is to bring an offering to the Lord, a year old male lamb, and a year old ewe female lamb, both without blemish, for a sin offering and a ram without blemish for a peace offering, ¹⁵ a basket of unleavened bread made^[b] from choice flour, cakes mixed with oil, a wafer of unleavened bread smeared with oil, along with grain and drink offerings. ¹⁶ The priest is to come into the Lord’s presence and present his sin and burnt offerings. ¹⁷ He is to offer the ram, a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, along with the basket of unleavened bread. Then the priest is to present his grain and drink offerings. ¹⁸ The Nazirite is then to shave his head of consecration at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to take the lock of his head of consecration and set it over the fire where the peace offering for sacrifice is. ¹⁹ Then the priest is to take the boiled shoulder of the ram, one cake of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread. He is to place them in the hands of the Nazirite, after he himself has shaved his symbol of consecration. ²⁰ The priest is to wave the offerings, that is, the breast and the thigh offering in the Lord’s presence. Then the Nazirite may drink wine afterward. ²¹ This is to be the law of the Nazirite when he commits his offering to the Lord on account of his consecration, over and beyond what he owns alone plus whatever he can provide,^[c] based on the vow from his own mouth that he vows to fulfill on account of the law of his consecration.”

On Blessing the Israelis

²² Later, the Lord told Moses, ²³ “Teach Aaron and his sons to bless the Israelis:

²⁷ They are to pour out my name to the Israelis while I continue to bless them.”