Numbers 6 - Easy To Read Version

¹ The Lord said to Moses,

² “Tell these things to the people of Israel: A man or a woman might want to separate from other people for a time. This special time of separation allows a person to give himself totally to the Lord for a time. That person will be called a Nazirite. [86]

³ During that time, that person must not drink any wine or other strong drink. The person must not drink vinegar that is made from wine or from other strong drink. That person must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins.

⁴ That person must not eat anything that comes from grapes during that special time of separation. That person must not even eat the seeds or the skins from grapes.

⁵ “That person must not cut his hair during that special time of separation. He must be holy until the time that his separation is ended. He must let his hair grow long. That person’s hair is a special part of his promise to God. {He will give that hair as a gift to God.} So, that person must let his hair grow long until the time of separation is ended.

⁶ “A Nazirite [87] must not go near a dead body during that special time of separation. Why? Because that person has given himself fully to the Lord.

⁷ Even if his own father or mother or brother or sister dies, he must not touch them. This would make him unclean. He must show that he is separated and has given himself fully to God.

⁸ During the whole time of his separation, he is giving himself fully to the Lord.

⁹ “It might happen that the Nazirite [88] is with another person who dies suddenly. {If the Nazirite touches this dead man, the Nazirite will become unclean. [89] } If that happens, then the Nazirite must shave the hair from his head. (That hair was part of his special promise.) He must cut his hair on the seventh day, because on that day he is made clean. [90]

¹⁰ Then on the eighth day, that Nazirite must bring two doves and two young pigeons to the priest. He must give them to the priest at the entrance of the Meeting Tent. [91]

¹¹ Then the priest will offer one as a sin offering. He will offer the other as a burnt offering. The burnt offering will be a payment for the Nazirite’s sin. (He sinned because he was near a dead body.) At that time, the person will again promise to give the hair on his head as a gift to God.

¹² This means that person must again give himself to the Lord for another time of separation. That person must bring a one-year-old male lamb. He must give this lamb as a guilt offering. All of the days that he was separated are forgotten. The man must start over with a new time of separation. This must be done because he touched a dead body during his first time of separation.

¹³ “After his time of separation is ended, a Nazirite must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent [92]

¹⁴ and give his offering to the Lord. His offering must be:

¹⁵ A basket of bread made without yeast (cakes made with fine flour mixed with oil). Oil must be spread on these cakes. The grain offerings and drink offerings that are a part of these gifts.

¹⁶ “The priest will give these things to the Lord. And then the priest will make the sin offering and the burnt offering.

¹⁷ The priest will give the basket of bread without yeast to the Lord. Then he will kill the ram as a fellowship offering to the Lord. He will give it to the Lord with the grain offering and the drink offering.

¹⁸ “The Nazirite [93] must go to the entrance of the Meeting Tent. [94] There he must shave off his hair that he grew for the Lord. That hair will be put in the fire that is burning under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

¹⁹ “After the Nazirite [95] has cut off his hair, then the priest will give him a boiled shoulder from the ram and a large and a small cake from the basket. Both of these cakes are made without yeast.

²⁰ Then the priest will wave these things before the Lord. This is a wave offering. These things are holy and belong to the priest. Also, the breast and the thigh from the ram are waved before the Lord. These things also belong to the priest. After that, the Nazirite man can drink wine.

²¹ “Those are the rules for a person who decides to make the Nazirite [96] promise. That person must give all of those gifts to the Lord. But a person might be able to give much more to the Lord. If a person promises to do more, then he must keep his promise. But he must give at least all the things listed in these rules for the Nazirite promise.”

²² The Lord said to Moses,

²³ “Tell Aaron and his sons that this is the way they should bless the people of Israel. They should say:

²⁴ May the Lord bless you and keep you.

²⁵ May the Lord be good to you [97] and show you his kindness.

²⁶ May the Lord answer your prayers [98] and give you peace.”

²⁷ Then the Lord said, “In that way, Aaron and his sons will use my name to give a blessing to the people of Israel. And I will bless them.”