וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־רָאשֵׁ֣י הַמַּטּ֔וֹת לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֵאמֹ֑ר זֶ֣ה הַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֖ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָֽה׃

Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel, who served as a kind of supreme council of the people, saying: This is the matter that the Lord commanded.

אִישׁ֩ כִּֽי־יִדֹּ֨ר נֶ֜דֶר לַֽיהוָ֗ה אֽוֹ־הִשָּׁ֤בַע שְׁבֻעָה֙ לֶאְסֹ֤ר אִסָּר֙ עַל־נַפְשׁ֔וֹ לֹ֥א יַחֵ֖ל דְּבָר֑וֹ כְּכָל־הַיֹּצֵ֥א מִפִּ֖יו יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃

Moses begins with a general, fundamental law: If a man takes a vow to the Lord, or if he takes an oath to impose a prohibition upon himself, by declaring that he will refrain from particular actions or from deriving benefit from certain people or items, he shall not profane his word by disregarding his commitment; he shall act in accordance with everything that emerges from his mouth.

וְאִשָּׁ֕ה כִּֽי־תִדֹּ֥ר נֶ֖דֶר לַיהוָ֑ה וְאָסְרָ֥ה אִסָּ֛ר בְּבֵ֥ית אָבִ֖יהָ בִּנְעֻרֶֽיהָ׃

The Torah turns to the social aspects of vows. If a woman takes a vow to the Lord and imposes a prohibition when she is unmarried in her father’s house, in her youth,

וְשָׁמַ֨ע אָבִ֜יהָ אֶת־נִדְרָ֗הּ וֶֽאֱסָרָהּ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָֽסְרָ֣ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֔הּ וְהֶחֱרִ֥ישׁ לָ֖הּ אָבִ֑יהָ וְקָ֙מוּ֙ כָּל־נְדָרֶ֔יהָ וְכָל־אִסָּ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־אָסְרָ֥ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֖הּ יָקֽוּם׃

and her father hears her vow and her prohibition that she imposed upon herself, and when he hears about her vow her father keeps silent toward her, and does not interfere or object, all her vows shall be upheld, and every prohibition that she imposed upon herself shall be upheld, and she is obligated to fulfill them.

וְאִם־הֵנִ֨יא אָבִ֣יהָ אֹתָהּ֮ בְּי֣וֹם שָׁמְעוֹ֒ כָּל־נְדָרֶ֗יהָ וֶֽאֱסָרֶ֛יהָ אֲשֶׁר־אָסְרָ֥ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יָק֑וּם וַֽיהוָה֙ יִֽסְלַח־לָ֔הּ כִּי־הֵנִ֥יא אָבִ֖יהָ אֹתָֽהּ׃

But if her father prevented her, by annulling her vows on the day of his hearing the vow, all her vows and her prohibitions that she imposed upon herself, both positive and negative vows, shall not be upheld, they do not take effect; and the Lord will forgive her for failing to conform to the vow she uttered, because her father prevented her, and she did not violate her word of her own accord.

וְאִם־הָי֤וֹ תִֽהְיֶה֙ לְאִ֔ישׁ וּנְדָרֶ֖יהָ עָלֶ֑יהָ א֚וֹ מִבְטָ֣א שְׂפָתֶ֔יהָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָסְרָ֖ה עַל־נַפְשָֽׁהּ׃

If a young woman vows when she is single, and she is betrothed to a husband, and her vows are upon her, or the expression of her lips with which she prohibited herself,

וְשָׁמַ֥ע אִישָׁ֛הּ בְּי֥וֹם שָׁמְע֖וֹ וְהֶחֱרִ֣ישׁ לָ֑הּ וְקָ֣מוּ נְדָרֶ֗יהָ וֶֽאֱסָרֶ֛הָ אֲשֶׁר־אָסְרָ֥ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֖הּ יָקֻֽמוּ׃

and her husband hears that she has vowed before their betrothal, and keeps silent toward her on the day of his hearing and does not object, her vows shall be upheld, and her prohibitions that she imposed upon herself shall be upheld.

וְ֠אִם בְּי֨וֹם שְׁמֹ֣עַ אִישָׁהּ֮ יָנִ֣יא אוֹתָהּ֒ וְהֵפֵ֗ר אֶת־נִדְרָהּ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָלֶ֔יהָ וְאֵת֙ מִבְטָ֣א שְׂפָתֶ֔יהָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָסְרָ֖ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֑הּ וַיהוָ֖ה יִֽסְלַֽח־לָֽהּ׃

But if on the day of her husband’s hearing, he prevents her by expressing his objection, and nullifies her vow that is upon her or the expression of her lips that she imposed upon herself, then the Lord will forgive her, despite the fact that she did not uphold her vow, as she must act in accordance with her husband’s wishes.

וְנֵ֥דֶר אַלְמָנָ֖ה וּגְרוּשָׁ֑ה כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־אָסְרָ֥ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֖הּ יָק֥וּם עָלֶֽיהָ׃

But the vow of a widow, or a divorcée, who is not under anyone’s authority, as she left her father’s domain when she married, and her husband’s authority lapsed upon his death or with the divorce, anything that she imposed upon herself shall be upheld for her.

וְאִם־בֵּ֥ית אִישָׁ֖הּ נָדָ֑רָה אֽוֹ־אָסְרָ֥ה אִסָּ֛ר עַל־נַפְשָׁ֖הּ בִּשְׁבֻעָֽה׃

If she vowed in her husband’s house, when she was married, or imposed a prohibition upon herself with an oath,

וְשָׁמַ֤ע אִישָׁהּ֙ וְהֶחֱרִ֣שׁ לָ֔הּ לֹ֥א הֵנִ֖יא אֹתָ֑הּ וְקָ֙מוּ֙ כָּל־נְדָרֶ֔יהָ וְכָל־אִסָּ֛ר אֲשֶׁר־אָסְרָ֥ה עַל־נַפְשָׁ֖הּ יָקֽוּם׃

and her husband heard and kept silent toward her, he did not prevent her, then all her vows shall be upheld, and every prohibition that she imposed upon herself shall be upheld.

וְאִם־הָפֵר֩ יָפֵ֨ר אֹתָ֥ם ׀ אִישָׁהּ֮ בְּי֣וֹם שָׁמְעוֹ֒ כָּל־מוֹצָ֨א שְׂפָתֶ֧יהָ לִנְדָרֶ֛יהָ וּלְאִסַּ֥ר נַפְשָׁ֖הּ לֹ֣א יָק֑וּם אִישָׁ֣הּ הֲפֵרָ֔ם וַיהוָ֖ה יִֽסְלַֽח־לָֽהּ׃

But if her husband nullifies them on the day of his hearing, anything that emerges from her lips for her vows or for the prohibitions of herself shall not be upheld: Her husband has nullified them and the Lord will forgive her.

כָּל־נֵ֛דֶר וְכָל־שְׁבֻעַ֥ת אִסָּ֖ר לְעַנֹּ֣ת נָ֑פֶשׁ אִישָׁ֥הּ יְקִימֶ֖נּוּ וְאִישָׁ֥הּ יְפֵרֶֽנּוּ׃

Every vow and every oath of prohibition to afflict the soul, her husband shall uphold it, and her husband shall nullify it. The husband’s right to nullify his wife’s vows does not apply to all vows, but only to so-called vows of affliction, those vows that cause the woman to suffer or that affect the couple’s relationship.

וְאִם־הַחֲרֵשׁ֩ יַחֲרִ֨ישׁ לָ֥הּ אִישָׁהּ֮ מִיּ֣וֹם אֶל־יוֹם֒ וְהֵקִים֙ אֶת־כָּל־נְדָרֶ֔יהָ א֥וֹ אֶת־כָּל־אֱסָרֶ֖יהָ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָלֶ֑יהָ הֵקִ֣ים אֹתָ֔ם כִּי־הֶחֱרִ֥שׁ לָ֖הּ בְּי֥וֹם שָׁמְעֽוֹ׃

But if her husband keeps silent toward her from day to day, and he thereby upholds all her vows, or all her prohibitions that are upon her, he has upheld them, and the vows can no longer be nullified, because he kept silent toward her on the day that he heard them.

וְאִם־הָפֵ֥ר יָפֵ֛ר אֹתָ֖ם אַחֲרֵ֣י שָׁמְע֑וֹ וְנָשָׂ֖א אֶת־עֲוֺנָֽהּ׃

But if he nullifies them after his hearing them, and did not react on the day he heard, he shall bear her iniquity. He, not she, is guilty of the sin of her violating the vow if she does so, as she mistakenly thought that he still had the authority to nullify them.

אֵ֣לֶּה הַֽחֻקִּ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֔ה בֵּ֥ין אִ֖ישׁ לְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹ בֵּֽין־אָ֣ב לְבִתּ֔וֹ בִּנְעֻרֶ֖יהָ בֵּ֥ית אָבִֽיהָ׃ (פ)

In summary, these are the statutes that the Lord commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between a father and his daughter, in her youth, in her father’s house.