The Holy Bible

The Vow of the Nazirite

Lord said to Moses,  2  “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to set himself apart to the Lord,  3  he must abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. He must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins.  4  For the duration of his vow he must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seed or skins.

5 ‘During the period of his vow of separation no razor may be used on his head. He must remain holy until the period in which he has separated himself to the Lord is completed; he must let the hair on his head grow long.  6  Throughout the period that he is set apart to the Lord he must not go near a dead body.  7  He must not make himself ceremonially unclean even for his father or his mother, or his brother or sister when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.  8  Throughout the time of his separation he is holy to the Lord.

9 ‘If someone dies near him suddenly, and this causes him to defile his consecrated head of hair, then he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing; he is to shave it on the seventh day.  10  Then on the eighth day he must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.  11  The priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him, because he sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. On that same day he is to consecrate his head.  12  He must dedicate himself to the Lordℝ for the period of his separation, and bring a year-old male lamb for a guilt offering. But the previous period does not count, because he became defiled during his separation.

13  ‘This is the law of the Nazirite when the period of his separation is completed. He is to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.  14  There he is to present his offering to the Lord: a year-old male lamb without defect as a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect as a sin offering, and a ram without defect as a fellowship offering,  15  along with their grain offering and drink offerings, and a basket of unleavened bread—cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil.

16  ‘The priest is to present them before the Lord and sacrifice the Nazirite’s sin offering and burnt offering.  17  He is to also sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord, together with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest is to also offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.

18  ‘Then the Nazirite must shave his consecrated head at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, take the hair from his consecrated head, and put it on the fire that is under the fellowship offering.

19  ‘The priest is to take a boiled shoulder from the ram, and an unleavened cake from the basket and an unleavened wafer, and place them in the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head.  20  Then the priest shall wave them before the Lord as a wave offering; they are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the contribution. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

21  ‘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 fulfil the vow he has made, in keeping with the law of the Nazirite’.”

The Priestly Blessing

22  The Lord said to Moses,  23  “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:

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