Numbers 30
Christian Standard Bible
Regulations about Vows
30 Moses told the leaders of the Israelite tribes,(A) “This is what the Lord has commanded: 2 When a man makes a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to put himself under an obligation, he must not break his word; he must do whatever he has promised.(B)
3 “When a woman in her father’s house during her youth makes a vow to the Lord or puts herself under an obligation, 4 and her father hears about her vow or the obligation she put herself under, and he says nothing to her, all her vows and every obligation she put herself under are binding. 5 But if her father prohibits her on the day he hears about it, none of her vows and none of the obligations she put herself under are binding. The Lord will release her because her father has prohibited her.
6 “If a woman marries while her vows or the rash commitment she herself made are binding, 7 and her husband hears about it and says nothing to her when he finds out, her vows are binding, and the obligations she put herself under are binding. 8 But if her husband prohibits her when he hears about it, he will cancel her vow that is binding or the rash commitment she herself made, and the Lord will release her.
9 “Every vow a widow or divorced woman puts herself under is binding on her.
10 “If a woman in her husband’s house has made a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath, 11 and her husband hears about it, says nothing to her, and does not prohibit her, all her vows are binding, and every obligation she put herself under is binding. 12 But if her husband cancels them on the day he hears about it, nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or her obligation, is binding. Her husband has canceled them, and the Lord will release her. 13 Her husband may confirm or cancel any vow or any sworn obligation to deny herself. 14 If her husband says nothing at all to her from day to day, he confirms all her vows and obligations, which are binding. He has confirmed them because he said nothing to her when he heard about them. 15 But if he cancels them after he hears about them, he will be responsible for her commitment.”[a]
16 These are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses concerning the relationship between a man and his wife, or between a father and his daughter in his house during her youth.
Footnotes
- 30:15 Or will bear her guilt
Numbers 30
Contemporary English Version
Making Promises to the Lord
30 The Lord told Moses to say to Israel's tribal leaders:
2 (A) When one of you men makes a promise to the Lord,[a] you must keep your word.
3 Suppose a young woman who is still living with her parents makes a promise to the Lord. 4 If her father hears about it and says nothing, she must keep her promise. 5 But if he hears about it and objects, then she no longer has to keep her promise. The Lord will forgive her, because her father did not agree with the promise.
6-7 Suppose a woman makes a promise to the Lord and then gets married. If her husband later hears about the promise but says nothing, she must do what she said, whether she meant it or not. 8 But if her husband hears about the promise and objects, she no longer has to keep it, and the Lord will forgive her.
9 Widows and divorced women must keep every promise they make to the Lord.
10 Suppose a married woman makes a promise to the Lord. 11 If her husband hears about the promise and says nothing, she must do what she said. 12 But if he hears about the promise and does object, she no longer has to keep it. The Lord will forgive her, because her husband would not allow her to keep the promise. 13 Her husband has the final say about any promises she makes to the Lord. 14 If her husband hears about a promise and says nothing about it for a whole day, she must do what she said—since he did not object, the promise must be kept. 15 But if he waits until the next day to stop her from keeping her promise, he is the one who must be punished.
16 These are the laws that the Lord gave Moses about husbands and wives, and about young daughters who still live at home.
Footnotes
- 30.2 a promise to the Lord: Either the promise of a gift or the promise to do something.
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