Instructions About Vows

¹ Then¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

1. Or “And”

² “Speak to the ⌞Israelites⌟,¹ and say² to them, ‘When a man makes a vow according to your³ proper value of persons to Yahweh,

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Or “and you shall say”
3. Singular when modifying “proper value” throughout the entire chapter

³ if¹ your proper value is for a male² from ⌞twenty years of age⌟³ up to⁴ ⌞sixty years of age⌟,⁵ then⁶ your proper value shall be fifty shekels of money according to the sanctuary’s shekel.

1. Or “and”
2. Hebrew “the male”
3. Literally “a son of twenty years”
4. Or “and up to”
5. Literally “a son of sixty years”
6. Or “and”

⁴ But¹ if it is for a female, then² your proper value shall be thirty shekels.

1. Or “And”
2. Or “and”

⁵ And if from ⌞five years of age⌟¹ up to² ⌞twenty years of age⌟,³ then⁴ your proper value shall be twenty shekels for the male and ten shekels for the female.

1. Literally “a son of five years”
2. Or “and up to”
3. Literally “a son of twenty years”
4. Or “and”

⁶ And if from ⌞a month of age⌟¹ up to² ⌞five years of age⌟,³ then⁴ your proper value shall be five shekels of money for the male, and your proper value for the female shall be three shekels of money.

1. Literally “a son of a month”
2. Or “and up to”
3. Literally “a son of five years”
4. Or “and”

⁷ And if from ⌞sixty years of age⌟¹ and above: if a male, then² your proper value shall be fifteen shekels; and for the female, ten shekels.

1. Literally “a son of sixty years”
2. Or “and”

⁸ But¹ if he is poorer than your proper value, then² he shall present himself ⌞before⌟³ the priest, and the priest shall set a value on him; the priest shall value him ⌞according to⌟⁴ what the person who made a vow ⌞can afford⌟.⁵

1. Or “And”
2. Or “and”
3. Literally “to the faces of”
4. Literally “on a mouth of”
5. Literally “his hand produces”

⁹ “ ‘And if it is a domestic animal from which they present an offering for Yahweh, all that he gives from it for Yahweh shall be a holy object.

¹⁰ He shall not replace it, nor shall he exchange it, either good with bad or bad with good; and if he indeed exchanges a domestic animal with a domestic animal, then¹ ⌞it and its substitution shall be a holy object⌟.²

1. Or “and”
2. Literally “it shall be and its substitution shall be holy”

¹¹ But¹ if it is any unclean animal from which they may not present an offering for Yahweh, then² he shall present the animal ⌞before⌟³ the priest.

1. Or “And”
2. Or “and”
3. Literally “to the faces of”

¹² And the priest shall set a value on it, ⌞either good or bad⌟;¹ as the priest sets your proper value, so it shall be.

1. Literally “between good and between bad”

¹³ And if he indeed wants to redeem it, then¹ he shall add a fifth of it onto your proper value.

1. Or “and”

¹⁴ “ ‘And if a man consecrates his house as a holy object for Yahweh, then¹ the priest shall set a value on it, ⌞either good or bad⌟;² just as the priest sets a value on it, so it shall remain.

1. Or “and”
2. Literally “between good and between bad”

¹⁵ But¹ if the one who consecrates it wants to redeem his house, then² he shall add a fifth of your proper value’s money onto it, and it shall be his.

1. Or “And”
2. Or “and”

¹⁶ “ ‘And if a man consecrates ⌞some of⌟¹ his property’s fields² for Yahweh, then³ your proper value shall be ⌞in accordance with its seed requirements⌟:⁴ a homer of barley seed for fifty shekels of money.

1. Literally “from”
2. Collective singular; Hebrew “field”
3. Or “and”
4. Literally “to the number of its seed”

¹⁷ If he consecrates his field from the Year of Jubilee, it shall stand as your proper value.

¹⁸ But¹ if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, then² the priest shall calculate the money for him ⌞according to the number of years⌟³ that are left over until the Year of Jubilee; and it shall be deducted from your proper value.

1. Or “And”
2. Or “and”
3. Literally “on the mouth of the years”

¹⁹ And if he indeed redeems the field that is consecrated, then¹ he shall add a fifth of your proper value’s money onto it, and it shall stand for² him.

1. Or “and”
2. Or “remain for” or “belong to”

²⁰ And if he does not redeem the field and if he sells the field to another man, it may not be redeemed again,

²¹ and the field shall be a holy object for Yahweh when it goes out¹ in the Jubilee, like a devoted² field; ⌞it shall be the priest’s property⌟.³

1. Or “is released” or “reverts”
2. Or “permanently set apart”; a different Hebrew word than previously translated “consecrated” in this chapter
3. Literally “to/for the priest it shall be his property”

²² “ ‘And if he consecrates for Yahweh his acquired¹ field that is not the field of his inherited possession,

1. Or “purchased”

²³ then¹ the priest shall calculate for him the ⌞amount⌟² of your proper value until the year of the Jubilee, and he shall give your proper value on that day as a holy object for Yahweh.

1. Or “and”
2. Literally “number”

²⁴ In the Year of the Jubilee the field shall return to the one who bought it from him, to the one whose property the land is.

²⁵ And every proper value of yours shall be in the sanctuary’s shekel—the shekel shall be twenty gerahs.

²⁶ “ ‘However, a man shall not consecrate a firstborn among livestock, which belongs as firstborn to Yahweh; whether an ox ⌞or⌟¹ small livestock, it is for Yahweh.

1. Literally “whether” or “if”

²⁷ And if it is among the unclean animals, then¹ he shall ransom it according to your proper value, and he shall add a fifth of its value onto it; and if it is not redeemed, then² it shall be sold according to your proper value.

1. Or “and”
2. Or “and”

²⁸ However, anything devoted¹ that a man has devoted to Yahweh ⌞from all that he has⌟,² from human or³ animal, or⁴ from the field of his property, may not be sold, and it may not be redeemed; anything devoted is ⌞a most holy thing⌟⁵ for Yahweh.

1. Or “permanently set apart”; a different Hebrew word than previously translated “consecrated” in this chapter
2. Literally “from all that is for him”
3. Or “and”
4. Or “and”
5. Literally “a holy thing of holy things”

²⁹ Anyone devoted who is devoted from ⌞human beings⌟¹ cannot be ransomed—he shall surely be put to death.

1. Literally “the human”

³⁰ “ ‘And any tithe of the land from the land’s seed or from the fruit of the trees is for Yahweh; it is a holy object for Yahweh.

³¹ And if a man indeed redeems from his tithe, he shall add a fifth of its value onto it.

³² As for¹ every tithe of cattle or² of the flock,³ all which crosses under the rod, the tenth shall be a holy object for Yahweh.

1. Or “And”
2. Or “and”
3. The Hebrew term refers collectively to both sheep and goats (small livestock animals)

³³ He shall not inspect between the good and the bad, and he shall not exchange it; but¹ if he indeed exchanges it, then² ⌞it and its substitution shall be⌟³ a holy object—it shall not be redeemed.’ ”

1. Or “and”
2. Or “and”
3. Literally “it shall be and its substitution shall be”

³⁴ These are the commands that Yahweh commanded Moses for the ⌞Israelites⌟¹ on ⌞Mount Sinai⌟.²

1. Literally “sons/children of Israel”
2. Literally “the mountain of Sinai”