⁷ and her husband hears about it but remains silent about her when he hears about it, then her vows will stand and her obligations that she has pledged for herself will stand. ⁸ But if when her husband hears it he overrules her, then he will nullify^[a] the vow she has taken,^[b] and whatever she uttered impulsively that she has pledged for herself. And the Lord will release her from it.

Vows Made by Widows

⁹ “But every vow of a widow or of a divorced woman which she has pledged for herself will remain intact.^{[c] 10} If she made the vow in her husband’s house or put herself under obligation with an oath, ¹¹ and her husband heard about it, but remained silent about her, and did not overrule her, then all her vows will stand, and every obligation which she pledged for herself will stand. ¹² But if her husband clearly nullifies^[d] them when he hears them, then whatever she says^[e] by way of vows or obligations will not stand. Her husband has made them void, and the Lord will release her from them.

¹³ “Any vow or sworn obligation that would bring affliction to her,^[f] her husband can confirm or nullify.^{[g] 14} But if her husband remains completely silent^[h] about her from day to day, he thus confirms all her vows or all her obligations which she is under; he confirms them because he remained silent about her when he heard them. ¹⁵ But if he should nullify them after he has heard them, then he will bear her iniquity.”^[i]

¹⁶ These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses, relating to^[j] a man and his wife, and a father and his young daughter who is still living in her father’s house.