The Message Bible MSG
New Living Translation NLT
1 God spoke to Moses:
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Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 "Speak to the People of Israel; tell them, If any of you, man or woman, wants to make a special Nazirite vow, consecrating yourself totally to God,
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“Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. “If any of the people, either men or women, take the special vow of a Nazirite, setting themselves apart to the LORD in a special way,
3 you must not drink any wine or beer, no intoxicating drink of any kind, not even the juice of grapes - in fact, you must not even eat grapes or raisins.
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they must give up wine and other alcoholic drinks. They must not use vinegar made from wine or from other alcoholic drinks, they must not drink fresh grape juice, and they must not eat grapes or raisins.
4 For the duration of the consecration, nothing from the grapevine - not even the seeds, not even the skin - may be eaten.
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As long as they are bound by their Nazirite vow, they are not allowed to eat or drink anything that comes from a grapevine—not even the grape seeds or skins.
5 "Also, for the duration of the consecration you must not have your hair cut. Your long hair will be a continuing sign of holy separation to God.
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“They must never cut their hair throughout the time of their vow, for they are holy and set apart to the LORD . Until the time of their vow has been fulfilled, they must let their hair grow long.
6 "Also, for the duration of the consecration to God, you must not go near a corpse.
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And they must not go near a dead body during the entire period of their vow to the LORD .
7 Even if it's the body of your father or mother, brother or sister, you must not ritually defile yourself because the sign of consecration to God is on your head.
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Even if the dead person is their own father, mother, brother, or sister, they must not defile themselves, for the hair on their head is the symbol of their separation to God.
8 "For the entire duration of your consecration you are holy to God.
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This requirement applies as long as they are set apart to the LORD .
9 "If someone should die suddenly in your presence, so that your consecrated head is ritually defiled, you must shave your head on the day of your purifying, that is, the seventh day.
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“If someone falls dead beside them, the hair they have dedicated will be defiled. They must wait for seven days and then shave their heads. Then they will be cleansed from their defilement.
10 Then on the eighth day bring two doves or two pigeons to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
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On the eighth day they must bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle.
11 The priest will offer one for the Absolution-Offering and one for the Whole-Burnt-Offering, purifying you from the ritual contamination of the corpse. You resanctify your hair on that day
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The priest will offer one of the birds for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering. In this way, he will purify them from the guilt they incurred through contact with the dead body. Then they must reaffirm their commitment and let their hair begin to grow again.
12 and reconsecrate your Nazirite consecration to God by bringing a yearling lamb for a Compensation-Offering. You start over; the previous days don't count because your consecration was ritually defiled.
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The days of their vow that were completed before their defilement no longer count. They must rededicate themselves to the LORD as a Nazirite for the full term of their vow, and each must bring a one-year-old male lamb for a guilt offering.
13 "These are the instructions for the time set when your special consecration to God is up. First, you are to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.
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“This is the ritual law for Nazirites. At the conclusion of their time of separation as Nazirites, they must each go to the entrance of the Tabernacle
14 Then you will present your offerings to God: a healthy yearling lamb for the Whole-Burnt-Offering, a healthy yearling ewe for an Absolution-Offering, a healthy ram for a Peace-Offering,
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and offer their sacrifices to the LORD : a one-year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a one-year-old female lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a peace offering,
15 a basket of unraised bread made of fine flour, loaves mixed with oil, and crackers spread with oil, along with your Grain-Offerings and Drink-Offerings.
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a basket of bread made without yeast—cakes of choice flour mixed with olive oil and wafers spread with olive oil—along with their prescribed grain offerings and liquid offerings.
16 The priest will approach God and offer up your Absolution-Offering and Whole-Burnt-Offering.
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The priest will present these offerings before the LORD : first the sin offering and the burnt offering;
17 He will sacrifice the ram as a Peace-Offering to God with the basket of unraised bread, and, last of all, the Grain-Offering and Drink-Offering.
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then the ram for a peace offering, along with the basket of bread made without yeast. The priest must also present the prescribed grain offering and liquid offering to the LORD .
18 "At the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, shave off the hair you consecrated and put it in the fire that is burning under the Peace-Offering.
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“Then the Nazirites will shave their heads at the entrance of the Tabernacle. They will take the hair that had been dedicated and place it on the fire beneath the peace-offering sacrifice.
19 "After you have shaved the hair of your consecration, the priest will take a shoulder from the ram, boiled, and a piece of unraised bread and a cracker from the basket and place them in your hands.
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After the Nazirite’s head has been shaved, the priest will take for each of them the boiled shoulder of the ram, and he will take from the basket a cake and a wafer made without yeast. He will put them all into the Nazirite’s hands.
20 The priest will then wave them before God, a Wave-Offering. They are holy and belong to the priest, along with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was offered. "Now you are free to drink wine.
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Then the priest will lift them up as a special offering before the LORD . These are holy portions for the priest, along with the breast of the special offering and the thigh of the sacred offering that are lifted up before the LORD . After this ceremony the Nazirites may again drink wine.
21 "These are the instructions for Nazirites as they bring offerings to God in their vow of consecration, beyond their other offerings. They must carry out the vow they have vowed following the instructions for the Nazirite." The Aaronic Blessing
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“This is the ritual law of the Nazirites, who vow to bring these offerings to the LORD . They may also bring additional offerings if they can afford it. And they must be careful to do whatever they vowed when they set themselves apart as Nazirites.”
22 God spoke to Moses:
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Then the LORD said to Moses,
23 "Tell Aaron and his sons, This is how you are to bless the People of Israel. Say to them,
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“Tell Aaron and his sons to bless the people of Israel with this special blessing:
24 God bless you and keep you,
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‘May the LORD bless you and protect you.
25 God smile on you and gift you,
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May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.
26 God look you full in the face and make you prosper.
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May the LORD show you his favor and give you his peace.’
27 In so doing, they will place my name on the People of Israel - I will confirm it by blessing them."
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Whenever Aaron and his sons bless the people of Israel in my name, I myself will bless them.”
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.