Numbers 30
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Regulations about Vows
30 Moses told the leaders of the Israelite tribes, “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.(A)
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 absolve 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 forgive 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 absolve 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[a] commitment.”[b]
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
- Numbers 30:15 Sam, LXX, some Syr mss read his
- Numbers 30:15 Or will bear her guilt
Numbers 30
The Voice
30 Moses gathered the heads of the twelve Israelite tribes and explained vows.
The situation concerning vows with men is clear and straightforward: keep your word. With women, it’s more complicated. The promises made by women have certain restrictions that don’t apply to men’s vows: whatever a woman promises to God or others is subject to review by her father, if she still lives at home, or by her husband, if she’s married. Those men have the power to nullify her promises.
Moses: 2 Whatever a man promises to God or others, whether a vow or a binding oath with a pledge, he must do. He is bound by his word: no excuses and no exceptions.
3-12 If a woman makes such a binding statement in the hearing of her father (if she’s not married) or husband (if she is married), and he keeps quiet, then the promise stands. But if her father or her husband (depending on her marital status) disapproves of what she said, then she’s not bound by whatever she promised, and the Eternal won’t hold it against her. If she gets married after making a vow or pledge (even a rash one) and her husband knows about it but says nothing, then she’s responsible for keeping those promises. But if her husband hears about some rash promise she made and says that he thinks it’s foolish, then he can erase any obligation she had to keep it. The Eternal will forgive her. A woman who’s not connected to any man—a widow or divorcée—must take full responsibility for keeping her promises.[a] 13 Now if a woman is already married and vows to undertake some kind of self-denial, fasting or the like, her husband has the power to either approve or reject it. 14 If he doesn’t say anything about it while she is doing it, then whatever she’s pledged to do is truly binding; he cannot come back later and change his mind about it. 15 If he does require her to break her promise while she’s doing it, then the punishment for breaking it will be on him, not her.
16 This is what the Eternal determined should be the rules for fathers or husbands evaluating a woman’s vows, whether she’s a youngster still living under her father’s roof or has married.
Footnotes
- 30:3-12 These verses have been rearranged to help clarify meaning.
Números 30
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
La ley de los votos
30 Entonces Moisés habló a los jefes(A) de las tribus de los israelitas: «Esto es lo que el Señor ha ordenado. 2 Si un hombre hace un voto al Señor(B), o hace un juramento para imponerse una obligación, no faltará a su palabra; hará conforme a todo lo que salga de su boca. 3 Asimismo, si una mujer hace un voto al Señor, y se impone una obligación en su juventud estando en casa de su padre, 4 y su padre escucha su voto y la obligación que se ha impuesto, y su padre no le dice nada, entonces todos los votos de ella serán firmes, y toda obligación que se ha impuesto será firme. 5 Pero si su padre se lo prohíbe el día en que se entera de ello, ninguno de sus votos ni las obligaciones que se ha impuesto serán firmes. El Señor la perdonará porque su padre se lo prohibió.
6 »Si ella se casa mientras está bajo sus votos o bajo la declaración imprudente de sus labios con que se ha atado, 7 y su marido se entera de ello y no le dice nada el día en que lo oye, entonces su voto permanecerá firme, y las obligaciones que se ha impuesto, serán firmes. 8 Pero si el día en que su marido se entera de ello, se lo prohíbe, entonces él anulará el voto bajo el cual ella está, y la declaración imprudente de sus labios con que se ha comprometido, y el Señor la perdonará.
9 »Pero el voto de una viuda o de una divorciada, todo aquello por lo cual se ha comprometido, será firme contra ella. 10 Sin embargo, si hizo el voto en casa de su marido, o se impuso una obligación por juramento, 11 y su marido lo oyó, pero no le dijo nada y no se lo prohibió, entonces sus votos serán firmes, y toda obligación que se impuso será firme. 12 Pero si el marido en verdad los anula el día en que se entera de ello, entonces todo lo que salga de los labios de ella en relación con sus votos, o en relación con la obligación de sí misma, no será firme; su marido los ha anulado, y el Señor la perdonará.
13 »Todo voto y todo juramento de obligación para humillarse a sí misma, su marido puede confirmarlo o su marido puede anularlo. 14 Pero si en verdad el marido nunca le dice nada a ella, entonces confirma todos sus votos o todas sus obligaciones que están sobre ella; las ha confirmado porque no le dijo nada el día en que se enteró de ello. 15 Pero si en verdad él los anula después de haberlos oído, entonces él llevará la culpa de ella».
16 Estos son los estatutos que el Señor mandó a Moisés, entre un marido y su mujer, y entre un padre y su hija que durante su juventud está aún en casa de su padre.
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