Numbers 6–7

Rules Concerning Nazirites

6Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the Israelites^a and say to them, ‘When a man or a woman takes a special vow, a vow of a Nazirite,^b to keep separate for Yahweh, ³he will abstain from wine and fermented drink; he will not drink wine vinegar or vinegar of fermented drink; he will not drink the fruit juice of grapes or eat fresh or dry grapes. ⁴All the days of his separation^c you will not eat from anything that is made from the grapevine, from sour grapes to the skin of grapes.

⁵“ ‘All the days of the vow of his separation a razor will not pass over his head. Until fulfilling the days that he separated himself to Yahweh he will be holy and grow long the locks of the hair of his head.

⁶“ ‘All the days of keeping himself separated for Yahweh he will not go to a person who is dead; ⁷for even his father, mother, brother, or sister he will not make himself unclean by their death,^d because the separation to his God is on his head. ⁸He will be holy for Yahweh all the days of his separation.^e

⁹“ ‘If someone dies suddenly and makes the head of his separation^f unclean, he will shave off the hair of his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he will shave it off. ¹⁰On the eighth day he will bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons^g to the priest by the doorway of the tent of assembly, ¹¹and the priest will offer one for a sin offering and one for a burnt offering, and he will make atonement for him because he sinned concerning the corpse. He will consecrate his head on that day. ¹²He will rededicate to Yahweh the days of his separation^h and bring a ram-lamb in its first yearⁱ as a guilt offering. The former days of his vow will fall away because his separation was defiled.

¹³“ ‘This is the regulation of the Nazirite for the day of the fulfilling of the days of his separation: one will bring him to the doorway of the tent of the assembly. ¹⁴He will present his offering to Yahweh, one ram-lamb in its first year^j without defect as a burnt offering, and one ewe-lamb in its first year^k without defect as a sin offering, and one ram without defect as a fellowship offering; ¹⁵and a basket of unleavened bread, finely milled flour of ring-shaped bread cakes mixed with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their libations. ¹⁶The priest will present before Yahweh^l and offer his sin offering, his burnt offering; ¹⁷he will offer a ram as a sacrifice of a fellowship offering to Yahweh, in addition to the basket of the unleavened bread; the priest will offer his grain offering and his libation. ¹⁸The Nazirite will shave off the hair of his consecrated head^m at the doorway of the tent of assembly, and he will take the hair of his consecrated head,ⁿ and he will put it on the fire that is beneath the sacrifice of the fellowship offering. ¹⁹The priest will take the shoulder from the ram that is boiled, and one ring-shaped bread cake of unleavened bread from the basket, and one wafer of unleavened bread, and he will put them on the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head.^{o 20}The priest will wave them as a wave offering before the presence of^p Yahweh; they^q are a holy object to the priest, in addition to the breast section of the wave offering, and in addition to the upper thigh of the contribution; and afterward the Nazirite may drink wine.

²¹“ ‘This is the regulation of the Nazirite who has made a vow of his offering to Yahweh according to his separation, in addition to what he can afford.^r In accordance to the word of his vow that he vowed, he will do, concerning the instruction of his separation.’ ”

The Priestly Blessing

²²Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, ²³“Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘You will bless the Israelites:^s You will say to them:

²⁴Yahweh will bless you

and keep you;

²⁵Yahweh will make shine his face on you

and be gracious to you;

²⁶Yahweh will lift up his face upon you,

and he will give you peace.’

²⁷And they will put my name on the Israelites,^t and I will bless them.”

The Leaders Make Offerings

7On the day Moses finished setting up the tabernacle and appointed and consecrated it and all its vessels, and the altar and its vessels, and he appointed them and consecrated them, ²the leaders of Israel, the heads of the families,^a presented an offering; they were the leaders of the tribes and were the ones in charge of the counting. ³They brought their offering before the presence of^b Yahweh, six covered utility carts and twelve cattle, a utility cart for two of the leaders, and a bull for each; and they presented them before^c the tabernacle. ⁴Yahweh said to Moses, saying, ⁵“Take them,^d and they will be used to do the work of the tent of the assembly; and you will give them to the Levites, each according to his required service.”^{e 6}So Moses took the utility carts and the cattle, and he gave them to the Levites. ⁷Two utility carts and four cattle he gave to the descendants^f of Gershon according to their required service;^{g 8}and four utility carts and eight cattle he gave to the descendants^h of Merari according to their required service,ⁱ under the authority of^j Ithamar son of Aaron the priest. ⁹But to the descendants^k of Kohath he did not give anything because the work of the sanctuary they carried upon them on their shoulders.^l

¹⁰The leaders presented offerings for the dedication of the altar on the day of its anointing, and the leaders presented their offerings before^m the altar. ¹¹Yahweh said to Moses, “One leader for each dayⁿ will present their offering for the dedication of the altar.”

¹²And it happened, the one who presented his offering on the first day was Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah. ¹³His offering was one plate of silver—its weight was one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^o filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ¹⁴one golden dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; ¹⁵one young bull,^p one ram, one male lamb in its first year^q as a burnt offering; ¹⁶one he-goat as a sin offering; ¹⁷and as a sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs a year old.^r This was the offering of Nahshon son of Amminadab.

¹⁸On the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, leader of Issachar, presented an offering. ¹⁹He presented as his offering one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking wine weighing seventy shekels^s according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^t filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering. ²⁰One dish weighing ten shekels filled with incense; ²¹one young ^u bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^v as a burnt offering; ²²one he-goat as a sin offering; ²³and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^w This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar.

²⁴On the third day Eliab son of Helon, leader of the descendants^x of Zebulun: ²⁵his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking wine weighing seventy shekels^y according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^z filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ²⁶one golden dish weighing ten shekels^a filled with incense; ²⁷one young^b bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^c as a burnt offering; ²⁸one he-goat as a sin offering; ²⁹and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^d This was the offering of Eliab son of Helon.

³⁰On the fourth day Elizur son of Shedeur, leader of the descendants^e of Reuben: ³¹his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^f according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^g filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ³²one golden dish weighing ten shekels^h filled with incense; ³³one youngⁱ bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^j as a burnt offering; ³⁴one he-goat as a sin offering; ³⁵and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^k This was the offering of Elizur son of Shedeur.

³⁶On the fifth day Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai, leader of the descendants^l of Simeon: ³⁷his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^m according to the sanctuary shekel, both of themⁿ filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ³⁸one golden dish weighing ten shekels^o filled with incense; ³⁹one young^p bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^q as a burnt offering; ⁴⁰one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁴¹and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^r This was the offering of Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.

⁴²On the sixth day Eliasaph son of Deuel, leader of the descendants^s of Gad: ⁴³his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and thirty shekels—and one silver bowl for drinking weighing seventy shekels^t according to the sanctuary shekel, both of them^u filled with finely milled flour mixed with oil as a grain offering; ⁴⁴one golden dish weighing ten shekels^v filled with incense; ⁴⁵one young^w bull, one ram, a male lamb in its first year^x as a burnt offering; ⁴⁶one he-goat as a sin offering; ⁴⁷and for the sacrifice of the fellowship offering, two cattle, five rams, five he-goats, and five male lambs in their first year.^y This was the offering of Eliasaph son of Deuel.

⁴⁸On the seventh day Elishama son of Ammihud, leader of the descendants^z of Ephraim: ⁴⁹his offering was one silver plate—its weight one hundred and…