making a vow

²And he said to the leaders of the tribes of the sons of Israel: “This is the word, which the Lord has instructed:

²¹When you have made a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not be late in paying it. For the Lord your God demands it. And if you delay, it shall be imputed to you as a sin. ²²If you are not willing to make a promise, then it shall be without sin. ²³But as soon as it has departed from your lips, you shall observe and do just as you have promised to the Lord your God and just as you have spoken by your own free will and with your own mouth.

³³Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not swear falsely. For you shall repay your oaths to the Lord.’ ³⁴But I say to you, do not swear an oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God, ³⁵nor by earth, for it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king. ³⁶Neither shall you swear an oath by your own head, because you are not able to cause one hair to become white or black. ³⁷But let your word ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ For anything beyond that is of evil.

¹⁸Yet truly, Paul, after he had remained for many more days, having said goodbye to the brothers, sailed into Syria, and with him were Priscilla and Aquila. Now he had shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had made a vow.

¹²But before all things, my brothers, do not choose to swear, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor in any other oath. But let your word ‘Yes’ be yes, and your word ‘No’ be no, so that you may not fall under judgment.

¹²Make vows and pay them to the Lord, your God. All you who surround him bring gifts: to him who is terrible,

¹And Moses explained to the sons of Israel all that the Lord had commanded him. ²And he said to the leaders of the tribes of the sons of Israel: “This is the word, which the Lord has instructed:

¹¹And she made a vow, saying, “O Lord of hosts, if, in looking with favor, you will see the affliction of your servant and will remember me, and will not forget your handmaid, and if you will give to your servant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall pass over his head.”

⁴And it is much better not to make a vow, than, after a vow, not to fulfill what was promised. ⁵You should not use your mouth so as to cause your flesh to sin. And you should not say, in the sight of an Angel, “There is no Providence.” For God, being angry at your words, may scatter all the works of your hands. ⁶Where there are many dreams, there are many vanities and innumerable words. Yet truly, you must fear God.

³⁰he made a vow to the Lord, saying, “If you will deliver the sons of Ammon into my hands, ³¹whoever will be the first to depart from the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, the same will I offer as a holocaust to the Lord.”

²“Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: A man or a woman, when they have made a vow so that they may be sanctified, and when they are willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord, ³shall abstain from wine and from anything which is able to inebriate. They shall not drink vinegar made from wine or from any other drink, nor anything pressed from the grape. They shall not eat grapes, neither fresh nor dried. ⁴During all the days that they are consecrated to the Lord by vow, they shall not eat whatever may be from the vineyard, from raisins, even to grape seeds. ⁵During all the time of his separation, no razor shall pass over his head, even until the completion of the day when he is consecrated to the Lord. He shall be holy, letting the hair of his head grow long. ⁶During all the time of his consecration, he shall not enter because of a death, ⁷nor shall he contaminate himself, even over the funeral of his father, or his mother, or his brother, or his sister. For the consecration of his God is upon his head.

²⁵It is ruin for a man to devour what is holy, or, after making vows, to retract them.

⁴And it is much better not to make a vow, than, after a vow, not to fulfill what was promised. ⁵You should not use your mouth so as to cause your flesh to sin. And you should not say, in the sight of an Angel, “There is no Providence.” For God, being angry at your words, may scatter all the works of your hands.

²Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: The man who will have made a vow and espoused his soul to God shall give the price according to the estimation. ³If it is a male from twenty years to sixty years, he shall give fifty shekels of silver, by the measure of the Sanctuary; ⁴if it is a woman, thirty. ⁵But from the fifth year until the twentieth, a male shall give twenty shekels; a female, ten. ⁶From one month until the fifth year, for a male, five shekels shall be given; for a female, three. ⁷At sixty years and beyond, a male shall give fifteen shekels; a female, ten.

¹⁴Offer to God the sacrifice of praise, and pay your vows to the Most High.