The Law of Vows

30 [a]Then Moses spoke to (A)the heads of the tribes of the sons of Israel, saying, “This is the word which the Lord has commanded: (B)If a man makes a vow to the Lord, or takes an oath to [b]put himself under a binding obligation, he shall not break his word; he shall act in accordance with everything that comes out of his mouth.

“And if a woman makes a vow to the Lord, and puts herself under a binding obligation in her father’s house in her youth, and her father hears her vow and her obligation under which she has put herself, and her father [c]says nothing to her, then all her vows shall [d]remain valid and every binding obligation under which she has put herself shall [e]remain valid. But if her father expresses disapproval to her on the day he hears of it, none of her vows or her obligations under which she has put herself shall remain valid; and the Lord will [f]forgive her because her father has expressed disapproval to her.

“However, if she happens to [g]marry while [h]under her vows or the impulsive statement of her lips by which she has obligated herself, and her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears it, then her vows shall remain valid and her binding obligations under which she has put herself shall remain valid. But if on the day her husband hears of it, he expresses disapproval to her, then he will annul her vow which [i]she is under and the impulsive statement of her lips by which she has obligated herself; and the Lord will [j]forgive her.

“But as for the vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, every binding obligation under which she has put herself, shall remain valid against her. 10 However, if a married woman vowed in her husband’s house, or put herself under a binding obligation with an oath, 11 and her husband heard it, but said nothing to her and did not express disapproval to her, then all her vows shall remain valid and every binding obligation under which she put herself shall remain valid. 12 But if her husband actually annuls them on the day he hears them, then no utterance from her lips concerning her vows or the obligation she put on herself shall remain valid; her husband has annulled them, and the Lord will [k]forgive her.

13 “Every vow and every binding oath to humble herself, her husband may confirm it or her husband may annul it. 14 But if her husband in fact says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all her vows or all her binding obligations which are on her; he has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard them. 15 However, if he actually annuls them [l]after he has heard them, then he shall bear the responsibility for her guilt.”

16 These are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses concerning matters between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter while she is in her youth in her father’s house.

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 30:1 Ch 30:2 in Heb
  2. Numbers 30:2 Lit bind on his soul, and similarly throughout the ch
  3. Numbers 30:4 Lit is silent to her, and so throughout the ch
  4. Numbers 30:4 Lit stand, and so throughout the ch
  5. Numbers 30:4 Lit stand, and so throughout the ch
  6. Numbers 30:5 I.e., for not fulfilling them
  7. Numbers 30:6 Lit become a husband’s
  8. Numbers 30:6 Lit her vows are on her
  9. Numbers 30:8 Lit is on her
  10. Numbers 30:8 I.e., for not fulfilling them
  11. Numbers 30:12 I.e., for not fulfilling them
  12. Numbers 30:15 I.e., perhaps a long delay before he annuls them

30 And Moses spake unto the heads of the tribes concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded.

If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break his word, he shall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

If a woman also vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind herself by a bond, being in her father's house in her youth;

And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith she hath bound her soul, and her father shall hold his peace at her; then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she hath bound her soul shall stand.

But if her father disallow her in the day that he heareth; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith she hath bound her soul, shall stand: and the Lord shall forgive her, because her father disallowed her.

And if she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul;

And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.

But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the Lord shall forgive her.

But every vow of a widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their souls, shall stand against her.

10 And if she vowed in her husband's house, or bound her soul by a bond with an oath;

11 And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her, and disallowed her not: then all her vows shall stand, and every bond wherewith she bound her soul shall stand.

12 But if her husband hath utterly made them void on the day he heard them; then whatsoever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her soul, shall not stand: her husband hath made them void; and the Lord shall forgive her.

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

14 But if her husband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day; then he establisheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which are upon her: he confirmeth them, because he held his peace at her in the day that he heard them.

15 But if he shall any ways make them void after that he hath heard them; then he shall bear her iniquity.

16 These are the statutes, which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father's house.

Ley de los votos

30 Y Moisés dijo a los hijos de Israel conforme a todo lo que Jehová le había mandado.

Habló Moisés a los príncipes de las tribus de los hijos de Israel, diciendo: Esto es lo que Jehová ha mandado.

Cuando alguno haga voto a Jehová, o haga juramento ligando su alma con obligación, no quebrantará su palabra; hará conforme a todo lo que salió de su boca.

Mas la mujer, cuando haga voto a Jehová, y se ligue con obligación en casa de su padre, en su juventud;

si su padre oye su voto, y la obligación con que ligó su alma, y su padre calla a ello, todos los votos de ella serán firmes, y toda obligación con que haya ligado su alma, firme será.

Mas si su padre le veda el día que oiga todos sus votos y sus obligaciones con que ella haya ligado su alma, no serán firmes; y Jehová se lo dispensará, por cuanto su padre se lo vedó.

Pero si es casada y hace votos, o pronuncia de sus labios cosa con que obligue su alma;

si su marido lo oye, y cuando lo oiga calla a ello, los votos de ella serán firmes, y la obligación con que ligó su alma, firme será.

Pero si cuando su marido lo oyó, le vedó, entonces el voto que ella hizo, y lo que pronunció de sus labios con que ligó su alma, será nulo; y Jehová no se lo tendrá en cuenta.

10 Pero todo voto de viuda o repudiada, con que ligue su alma, será firme.

11 Y si ha hecho voto en casa de su marido, y ha ligado su alma con obligación de juramento,

12 si su marido oyó, y calló a ello y no le vedó, entonces todos sus votos serán firmes, y toda obligación con que haya ligado su alma, firme será.

13 Mas si su marido los anuló el día que los oyó, todo lo que salió de sus labios cuanto a sus votos, y cuanto a la obligación de su alma, será nulo; su marido los anuló, y Jehová la perdonará.

14 Todo voto, y todo juramento obligándose a afligir el alma, su marido lo confirmará, o su marido lo anulará.

15 Pero si su marido calla a ello de día en día, entonces confirmó todos sus votos, y todas las obligaciones que están sobre ella; los confirmó, por cuanto calló a ello el día que lo oyó.

16 Mas si los anula más tarde, entonces él cargará con la falta de ella.

17 Estas son las ordenanzas que Jehová mandó a Moisés entre el varón y su mujer, y entre el padre y su hija durante su juventud en casa de su padre.