Numbers 6

1Yahweh said to Moses,

2“Speak to the Israelites and say this to them: If a man or a woman takes an extraordinary vow, a Nazirite vow of separation to Yahweh,

3they are to abstain from wine and beer; they must not drink wine vinegar or beer vinegar, nor drink any liquid squeezed from grapes, nor eat grapes, fresh or dried.

4For their whole period of separation they are to eat nothing that the grapevine yields, from seeds to skins.

5Throughout the days of their vow of separation, no razor is to pass over their head. They are to be holy until the days of their separation to Yahweh are complete; they must let the hair of their head grow freely.

6As long as they are separated to Yahweh, they must not come near a dead person.

7They may not make themselves unclean even for their father or mother, brother or sister, when they die, since their consecration to their God is on their head.

8Throughout the time of their separation they are holy to Yahweh.

9If someone near them dies without warning, all at once, and makes their consecrated head unclean, they must shave their head on the day they are cleansed; on the seventh day they are to shave it.

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

11The priest will offer one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering and make atonement for them, since they sinned through the dead person. On that day they must consecrate their head anew.

12They are to set apart their days of separation to Yahweh over again and bring a male lamb in its first year for a guilt offering. The earlier days are void, because their separation was made unclean.

13Now this is the law of the Nazirite for the day their period of separation is fulfilled: they are to be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting.

14They will present their offering to Yahweh: one unblemished male lamb a year old for a burnt offering, one unblemished ewe lamb a year old for a sin offering, and one unblemished ram for a fellowship offering,

15along with a basket of unleavened bread—cakes of choice flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers coated with oil—and the grain offerings and drink offerings that go with them.

16The priest will bring these before Yahweh and offer the Nazirite’s sin offering and burnt offering.

17He will offer the ram to Yahweh as a fellowship sacrifice along with the basket of unleavened bread, and the priest will also present its grain offering and drink offering.

18The Nazirite is to shave off the hair of their consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and then take that consecrated hair and lay it on the fire beneath the fellowship sacrifice.

19The priest will then take the ram’s shoulder once it is boiled, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and set them in the palms of the Nazirite after the Nazirite has shaved off the consecrated hair.

20Next the priest is to wave them as a wave offering before Yahweh; this is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the waved breast and the thigh set aside as a contribution. After this the Nazirite may drink wine.

21This is the law of the Nazirite who vows an offering to Yahweh for their separation, beyond whatever else their means allow. Whatever vow they make, they must carry out according to the law of their separation.”

22Yahweh said to Moses,

23“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them: In this way you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them,

24‘May Yahweh bless you and keep you;

25may Yahweh make his face shine toward you and show you grace;

26may Yahweh lift his face toward you and grant you peace.’

27They will set my name on the Israelites, and I myself will bless them.”