1 A nd Moses said to the heads or leaders of the tribes of Israel, This is the thing which the Lord has commanded:

Then Moses said to the heads of the families of the sons of Israel, “This is what the Lord has said.

2 I f a man vows a vow to the Lord or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break and profane his word; he shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth.

If a man makes a promise to the Lord, or swears that he will keep his promise, he must not break his word. He must do all that he said he would do.

3 A lso when a woman vows a vow to the Lord and binds herself by a pledge, being in her father’s house in her youth,

If a woman makes a promise to the Lord, and swears to keep her promise in her father’s house when she is young,

4 A nd her father hears her vow and her pledge with which she has bound herself and he offers no objection, then all her vows shall stand and every pledge with which she has bound herself shall stand.

and if her father hears her promise and how she has sworn to keep it, and says nothing to her, then all her promises must be kept. She must keep every promise she has sworn to keep.

5 B ut if her father refuses to allow her on the day that he hears about it, not any of her vows or of her pledges with which she has bound herself shall stand. And the Lord will forgive her because her father refused to let her.

But if her father does not allow her to keep her promise on the day he hears of it, then she does not need to keep any of the promises she has sworn to keep. The Lord will forgive her because her father would not allow it.

6 A nd if she is married to a husband while her vows are upon her or she has bound herself by a rash utterance

“If she gets married and has promises to keep because of what she swore without thinking,

7 A nd her husband hears of it and holds his peace concerning it on the day that he hears it, then her vows shall stand and her pledge with which she bound herself shall stand.

and if her husband hears of it and says nothing to her on the day he hears, then she must keep the promises she has sworn to keep.

8 B ut if her husband refuses to allow her on the day that he hears of it, then he shall make void and annul her vow which is upon her and the rash utterance of her lips by which she bound herself, and the Lord will forgive her.

But if on the day he hears of it, her husband does not allow her to keep her promise, then she will not have to keep the promise that she had sworn to keep when she was not thinking. The Lord will forgive her.

9 B ut the vow of a widow or of a divorced woman, with which she has bound herself, shall stand against her.

“A woman whose husband has died or left her must keep the promises she has sworn to keep.

10 A nd if she vowed in her husband’s house or bound herself by a pledge with an oath

But if she has made a promise in her husband’s house, and she has sworn to keep a promise there

11 A nd her husband heard it and did not oppose or prohibit her, then all her vows and every pledge with which she bound herself shall stand.

and if her husband hears of it, and does not go against her or say anything to her, then she must keep all the promises she had sworn to keep.

12 B ut if her husband positively made them void on the day he heard them, then whatever proceeded out of her lips concerning her vows or concerning her pledge of herself shall not stand. Her husband has annulled them, and the Lord will forgive her.

But if her husband does not allow her to keep her promises on the day he hears of them, then she does not have to keep the promises she had sworn to keep. If her husband will not let her keep them, the Lord will forgive her.

13 E very vow and every binding oath to humble or afflict herself, her husband may establish it or her husband may annul it.

“Her husband has the right to have her keep, or not keep, any promise she has sworn to keep.

14 B ut if her husband altogether holds his peace with her from day to day, then he establishes and confirms all her vows or all her pledges which are upon her. He establishes them because he said nothing to her on the day he heard of them.

But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then she must keep all her promises. He made her promises so they could not be changed, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard of them.

15 B ut if he shall nullify them after he hears of them, then he shall be responsible for and bear her iniquity.

But if he will not allow her to keep her promises after he has heard of them, then her guilt will be on him.”

16 T hese are the statutes which the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter while in her youth in her father’s house.

These are the Laws which the Lord told Moses, between a man and his wife, and between a father and his daughter, while she is young and in her father’s house.