The Nazirite Vow (Judges 13:1–25)
1 CPDV And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: BSB BSB: And the LORD said to Moses,
2 CPDV “Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: A man or a woman, when they have made a vow so that they may be sanctified, and when they are willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord, BSB BSB: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,
3 CPDV shall abstain from wine and from anything which is able to inebriate. They shall not drink vinegar made from wine or from any other drink, nor anything pressed from the grape. They shall not eat grapes, neither fresh nor dried. BSB BSB: he is to abstain from wine and strong drink. He must not drink vinegar made from wine or strong drink, and he must not drink any grape juice or eat fresh grapes or raisins.
4 CPDV During all the days that they are consecrated to the Lord by vow, they shall not eat whatever may be from the vineyard, from raisins, even to grape seeds. BSB BSB: All the days of his separation, he is not to eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.
5 CPDV During all the time of his separation, no razor shall pass over his head, even until the completion of the day when he is consecrated to the Lord. He shall be holy, letting the hair of his head grow long. BSB BSB: For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.
6 CPDV During all the time of his consecration, he shall not enter because of a death, BSB BSB: Throughout the days of his separation to the LORD, he must not go near a dead body.
7 CPDV nor shall he contaminate himself, even over the funeral of his father, or his mother, or his brother, or his sister. For the consecration of his God is upon his head. BSB BSB: Even if his father or mother or brother or sister should die, he is not to defile himself, because the symbol of consecration to his God is upon his head.
8 CPDV During all the days of his separation, he shall be holy to the Lord. BSB BSB: Throughout the time of his separation, he is holy to the LORD.
9 CPDV But if anyone will have died unexpectedly before him, the head of his consecration shall be polluted, and he shall shave it in that very place, on the same day of his purification, and again on the seventh day. BSB BSB: If someone suddenly dies in his presence and defiles his consecrated head of hair, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing—the seventh day.
10 CPDV Then, on the eighth day, he shall offer two turtledoves or two young pigeons, to the priest at the entrance to the covenant of the testimony. BSB BSB: 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 CPDV And the priest shall effect one for sin, and the other as a holocaust, and he shall pray for him, because he has sinned on account of the dead. And he shall sanctify his head on that day. BSB BSB: And the priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him, because he has sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. On that day he must consecrate his head again.
12 CPDV And he shall consecrate to the Lord the days of his separation, offering a one-year-old lamb for sin, yet in such a manner that the former days will be made null and void, because his sanctification was polluted. BSB BSB: He must rededicate his time of separation to the LORD and bring a year-old male lamb as a guilt offering. But the preceding days shall not be counted, because his separation was defiled.
13 CPDV This is the law of consecration. When the days that he had decreed by vow have been completed, he shall bring him to the door of the tabernacle of the covenant, BSB BSB: Now this is the law of the Nazirite when his time of separation is complete: He must be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting,
14 CPDV and he shall offer his oblation to the Lord: an immaculate one-year-old male lamb as a holocaust, and an immaculate one-year-old female lamb for sin, and an immaculate ram, a peace-offering victim, BSB BSB: and he is to present an offering to the LORD of an unblemished year-old male lamb as a burnt offering, an unblemished year-old female lamb as a sin offering, and an unblemished ram as a peace offering—
15 CPDV also, a basket of unleavened bread, which has been sprinkled with oil, and cakes without leaven, anointed with oil, as well as the libations of each one. BSB BSB: together with their grain offerings and drink offerings—and a basket of unleavened cakes made from fine flour mixed with oil and unleavened wafers coated with oil.
16 CPDV And the priest shall offer them before the Lord, and he shall perform both the sin offering and the holocaust. BSB BSB: The priest is to present all these before the LORD and make the sin offering and the burnt offering.
17 CPDV Yet truly, the ram he shall immolate as a peace-offering victim to the Lord, offering at the same time the basket of unleavened bread, and the libations which are required by custom. BSB BSB: He shall also offer the ram as a peace offering to the LORD, along with the basket of unleavened bread. And the priest is to offer the accompanying grain offering and drink offering.
18 CPDV Then the Nazarite shall be shaved of the long hair of his consecration, before the door of the tabernacle of the covenant. And he shall take his hair, and he shall place it upon the fire, which is under the sacrifice of the peace offerings. BSB BSB: Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite is to shave his consecrated head, take the hair, and put it on the fire under the peace offering.
19 CPDV And he shall take the cooked shoulder of the ram, and one twist of bread without leaven from the basket, and one unleavened cake, and he shall deliver them into the hands of the Nazarite, after his head has been shaven. BSB BSB: And the priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands of the Nazirite who has just shaved the hair of his consecration.
20 CPDV And receiving them again from him, he shall elevate them in the sight of the Lord. And having been sanctified, these shall be for the priest, as also the breast, which was ordered to be separated, and the leg. After this, the Nazarite is able to drink wine. BSB BSB: The priest shall then wave them as a wave offering before the LORD. This is a holy portion for the priest, in addition to the breast of the wave offering and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.
21 CPDV This is the law of the Nazarite, when he has vowed his oblation to the Lord in the time of his consecration, aside from those things which his hand shall find. According to what he had vowed in his mind, so shall he do, to the perfection of his sanctification.” BSB BSB: 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 fulfill whatever vow he makes, according to the law of his separation.”
Aaron’s Blessing 22 CPDV And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 CPDV “Say to Aaron and his sons: Thus shall you bless the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: BSB BSB: “Tell Aaron and his sons: This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them:
25 CPDV May the Lord reveal his face to you and take pity on you. BSB BSB: may the LORD cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
26 CPDV May the Lord turn his countenance toward you and grant peace to you.’ BSB BSB: may the LORD lift up His countenance toward you and give you peace.’
27 CPDV And they shall invoke my name over the sons of Israel, and I will bless them.” BSB BSB: So they shall put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”