Numbers, 6

1. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

1. And the LORD said to Moses,

2. 'Speak to the Israelites and say: "If a man or a woman wishes to make a vow, the nazirite vow, to vow himself to Yahweh,

2. "Say to the people of Israel, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,

3. he will abstain from wine and fermented liquor, he will not drink vinegar derived from one or the other, he will not drink grape-juice or eat grapes, be they fresh or dried.

3. he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.

4. For the duration of his vow he will eat nothing that comes from the vine, not even juice of unripe grapes or skins of grapes.

4. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

5. As long as he is bound by his vow, no razor will touch his head; until the time for which he has vowed himself to Yahweh is completed, he remains consecrated and will let his hair grow freely.

5. "All the days of his vow of separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the LORD, he shall be holy; he shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.

6. For the entire period of his vow to Yahweh, he will not go near a corpse,

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

7. he will not make himself unclean for his father or his mother, or his brother or his sister, should they die, since on his head he carries his vow to his God.

7. Neither for his father nor for his mother, nor for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean; because his separation to God is upon his head.

8. Throughout the whole of his vow he is a person consecrated to Yahweh.

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

9. "If anyone suddenly dies near him, making his vowed hair unclean, he will shave his head on the day he is purified, he will shave his head on the seventh day.

9. "And if any man dies very suddenly beside him, and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.

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

10. On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest to the door of the tent of meeting,

11. The priest will offer one as a sacrifice for sin, and the other as a burnt offering and will then perform for the person the rite of expiation for the pollution which he has contracted from the corpse. He will consecrate his head that same day;

11. and 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 body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day,

12. he will vow himself to Yahweh for the period of his nazirate, and will bring a male yearling lamb as a sacrifice of reparation. The time already spent will not count, since his hair had become unclean.

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

13. "This is the ritual for the nazirite on the day when the period of his vow is completed. He will be led to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting,

13. "And this is the law for the Nazirite, when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the door of the tent of meeting,

14. bringing his offering to Yahweh: an unblemished male yearling lamb as a burnt offering, an unblemished yearling ewe lamb as a sacrifice for sin, an unblemished ram as a peace offering,

14. and he shall offer his gift to the LORD, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering,

15. and a basket of unleavened loaves made of fine flour mixed with oil, and of unleavened wafers spread with oil, with the cereal offerings and libations appropriate to them.

15. and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers spread with oil, and their cereal offering and their drink offerings.

16. The priest, having brought all this before Yahweh, will offer the nazirite's sin sacrifice and burnt offering.

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

17. The latter will then offer the ram as a communion sacrifice with the basket of unleavened bread, and the priest will offer the accompanying cereal offering and libation.

17. and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the LORD, with the basket of unleavened bread; the priest shall offer also its cereal offering and its drink offering.

18. The nazirite will then shave off his vowed hair at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and, taking the locks of his vowed head, he will put them in the fire of the communion sacrifice.

18. And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the door of the tent of meeting, and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.

19. The priest will take the shoulder of the ram, as soon as it is cooked, with an unleavened cake from the basket, and an unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands of the nazirite once he has shaved off his hair.

19. And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaven the hair of his consecration,

20. With these he will make the gesture of offering before Yahweh; as it is a holy thing, it reverts to the priest, in addition to the forequarter that has been presented and the thigh that has been set aside. After this, the nazirite may drink wine.

20. and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD; they are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is offered; and after that the Nazirite may drink wine.

21. "Such is the ritual for the nazirite. If, besides his hair, he has also vowed a personal offering to Yahweh, he will (apart from anything else that his means allow) fulfil the vow that he has made, in addition to what the ritual prescribes for his hair."

21. "This is the law for the Nazirite who takes a vow. His offering to the LORD shall be according to his vow as a Nazirite, apart from what else he can afford; in accordance with the vow which he takes, so shall he do according to the law for his separation as a Nazirite."

22. Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,

22. The LORD said to Moses,

23. 'Speak to Aaron and his sons and say: "This is how you must bless the Israelites. You will say:

23. "Say to Aaron and his sons, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

24. May Yahweh bless you and keep you.

24. The LORD bless you and keep you:

25. May Yahweh let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

25. The LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you:

26. May Yahweh show you his face and bring you peace."

26. The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.

27. This is how they must call down my name on the Israelites, and then I shall bless them.'

27. "So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them."