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Teachings about Vows

30 [a]Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel, “This is what Yahweh has commanded about vows: If a man makes a vow to Yahweh that he will do something or swears an oath that he won’t do something, he must not break his word. He must do everything he said he would do.

“A young girl, who still lives in her father’s house, might make a vow to Yahweh that she will do something or swear an oath that she won’t do something. If her father says nothing to her when he hears about it, her vow or oath must be kept. But if her father objects when he hears about it, her vow or oath doesn’t have to be kept. Yahweh will free her from this vow or oath because her father objected.

“An unmarried woman might make a vow that she will do something or carelessly promise that she won’t do something. When she marries, her husband may hear about it but say nothing to her. Then her vow or oath must be kept. But if her husband objects when he hears about it, he can cancel the vow or promise she made. Yahweh will free her from this vow or promise.

“But a widow or a divorced woman must keep her vow or her promise.

10 “A married woman might make a vow that she will do something or swear an oath that she won’t do something. 11 Her husband may hear about it but may say nothing and not object. Then her vow or oath must be kept. 12 But if her husband cancels it when he hears about it, nothing she said in her vow or oath has to be kept. Her husband has canceled it, and Yahweh will free her from this vow or oath.

13 “A husband decides whether or not his wife has to keep any vow to do something or any oath to do without something. 14 If he says nothing to her about it day after day, this means he’s decided that she must keep her vow or oath. She must keep it because he said nothing to her when he heard about it. 15 But if he cancels it later, he will suffer the consequences.”

16 These are the laws Yahweh gave Moses for husbands and wives, and for fathers with young daughters still living at home.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 30:1 Numbers 30:1–16 in English Bibles is Numbers 30:2–17 in the Hebrew Bible.

Vows

30 [a]Moses said to the heads of the tribes of Israel:(A) “This is what the Lord commands: When a man makes a vow to the Lord or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said.(B)

“When a young woman still living in her father’s household makes a vow to the Lord or obligates herself by a pledge and her father hears about her vow or pledge but says nothing to her, then all her vows and every pledge by which she obligated herself will stand.(C) But if her father forbids her(D) when he hears about it, none of her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand; the Lord will release her because her father has forbidden her.

“If she marries after she makes a vow(E) or after her lips utter a rash promise by which she obligates herself and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her, then her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. But if her husband(F) forbids her when he hears about it, he nullifies the vow that obligates her or the rash promise by which she obligates herself, and the Lord will release her.(G)

“Any vow or obligation taken by a widow or divorced woman will be binding on her.

10 “If a woman living with her husband makes a vow or obligates herself by a pledge under oath 11 and her husband hears about it but says nothing to her and does not forbid her, then all her vows or the pledges by which she obligated herself will stand. 12 But if her husband nullifies them when he hears about them, then none of the vows or pledges that came from her lips will stand.(H) Her husband has nullified them, and the Lord will release her. 13 Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow she makes or any sworn pledge to deny herself.[b] 14 But if her husband says nothing to her about it from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or the pledges binding on her. He confirms them by saying nothing to her when he hears about them. 15 If, however, he nullifies them(I) some time after he hears about them, then he must bear the consequences of her wrongdoing.”

16 These are the regulations the Lord gave Moses concerning relationships between a man and his wife, and between a father and his young daughter still living at home.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 30:1 In Hebrew texts 30:1-16 is numbered 30:2-17.
  2. Numbers 30:13 Or to fast