Numbers 30

1 Moses/I spoke with the leaders of the Israeli tribes. He/I told them these commands that Yahweh had given to him/me:

Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, saying, “This is the thing which the LORD has commanded.

2 “If a man solemnly promises Yahweh that he will do something, he must do what he promised.

When a man vows a vow to the LORD, or swears an oath to bind his soul with a bond, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

3 “If a young woman who is still living with her parents solemnly promises to Yahweh to do something,

“Also, when a woman vows a vow to the LORD and binds herself by a pledge, being in her father’s house, in her youth,

4 and if her father hears about what she promised, and if he does not object, she must do what she promised [DOU].

and her father hears her vow and her pledge with which she has bound her soul, and her father says nothing to her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge with which she has bound her soul shall stand.

5 But if her father hears about what she promised and does not allow her to do that, then she does not need to do what she promised. Yahweh will forgive her for not doing what she promised.

But if her father forbids her in the day that he hears, none of her vows or of her pledges with which she has bound her soul, shall stand. The LORD will forgive her, because her father has forbidden her.

6 “If a woman promises Yahweh that she will do something, but then she gets married,

“If she has a husband, while her vows are on her, or the rash utterance of her lips with which she has bound her soul,

7 if her husband hears about what she promised to do, and he does not object, she must do what she promised [DOU].

and her husband hears it, and says nothing to her in the day that he hears it; then her vows shall stand, and her pledges with which she has bound her soul shall stand.

8 But if her husband hears about it and does not allow her to do that, she does not need to do what she promised, and Yahweh will forgive her for not doing what she promised.

But if her husband forbids her in the day that he hears it, then he makes void her vow which is on her and the rash utterance of her lips, with which she has bound her soul. The LORD will forgive her.

9 “If a widow or a woman who has been divorced makes a promise, she must do what she promised.

“But the vow of a widow, or of her who is divorced, everything with which she has bound her soul shall stand against her.

10 “If a woman who is married promises [DOU] to do something,

“If she vowed in her husband’s house or bound her soul by a bond with an oath,

11 and if her husband hears about it but does not object, she must do what she promised.

and her husband heard it, and held his peace at her and did not disallow her, then all her vows shall stand, and every pledge with which she bound her soul shall stand.

12 But if he hears about it and does not allow her to do that, she does not need to do what she promised, and Yahweh will forgive her for not doing it.

But if her husband made them null and void in the day that he heard them, then whatever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand. Her husband has made them void. The LORD will forgive her.

13 A woman’s husband may require her to do what she has promised, or he may not allow her to do what she has promised.

Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the soul, her husband may establish it, or her husband may make it void.

14 If he does not object for several days [after he hears about it], she must do what she promised.

But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he establishes all her vows or all her pledges which are on her. He has established them, because he said nothing to her in the day that he heard them.

15 But if he waits a long time after she has promised to do something and then he tells her that he will not permit her to do it, if she does not do what she promised, [she will not be punished]; her husband is the one whom [Yahweh] will punish.”

But if he makes them null and void after he has heard them, then he shall bear her iniquity.”

16 Those are the rules that Yahweh gave to Moses/me for husbands and wives, and for young women who are still living with their parents.

These are the statutes which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, being in her youth, in her father’s house.