Study Desk

The husband will be innocent of any guilt in this matter, but his wife will be held accountable for her sin."

"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.

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.

"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.

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.

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.

"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

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,

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 .

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.

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.

Together they brought six large wagons and twelve oxen. There was a wagon for every two leaders and an ox for each leader. They presented these to the Lord in front of the Tabernacle.

"Receive their gifts, and use these oxen and wagons for transporting the Tabernacle. Distribute them among the Levites according to the work they have to do."

He gave two wagons and four oxen to the Gershonite division for their work,

and he gave four wagons and eight oxen to the Merarite division for their work. All their work was done under the leadership of Ithamar son of Aaron the priest.

The leaders also presented dedication gifts for the altar at the time it was anointed. They each placed their gifts before the altar.

The Lord said to Moses, "Let one leader bring his gift each day for the dedication of the altar."

He brought a young bull, a ram, and a one-year-old male lamb for a burnt offering,

and a male goat for a sin offering.

For a peace offering he brought two bulls, five rams, five male goats, and five one-year-old male lambs. This was the offering brought by Nahshon son of Amminadab.