Numbers 6:1–12

Law of the Nazirites

1 Again the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When a man or woman makes a 1special vow, the vow of aa 2Nazirite, to 3dedicate himself to the Lord,

3 he shall aabstain from wine and strong drink; he shall drink no vinegar, whether made from wine or strong drink, nor shall he drink any grape juice nor eat fresh or dried grapes.

4 ‘All the days of his 1separation he shall not eat anything that is produced by the grape vine, from the seeds even to the skin.

5 ‘All the days of his vow of separation ano razor shall pass over his head. He shall be holy until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the Lord; he shall let the locks of hair on his head grow long.

6 ‘aAll the days of his separation to the Lord he shall not go near to a dead person.

7 ‘He ashall not make himself unclean for his father or for his mother, for his brother or for his sister, when they die, because his separation to God is on his head.

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

9 ‘But if a man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his dedicated head of hair, then ahe shall shave his head on the day when he becomes clean; bhe shall shave it on the seventh day.

10 ‘Then on the eighth day he shall bring atwo turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest, to the doorway of the tent of meeting.

11 ‘The priest shall offer aone for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him 1concerning his sin because of the dead person. And that same day he shall consecrate his head,

12 and shall dedicate to the Lord his days 1as a 2Nazirite, and shall bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering; but the former days will be void because his separation was defiled.