The Wilderness Years

and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her on that day, then the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.

But if her husband prohibits her when he hears of it, he nullifies the vow that binds her or the rash promise she has made, and the LORD will absolve her.

Every vow a widow or divorced woman pledges to fulfill is binding on her.

If a woman in her husband’s house has made a vow or put herself under an obligation with an oath,

and her husband hears of it but says nothing to her and does not prohibit her, then all the vows or pledges by which she has bound herself shall stand.

But if her husband nullifies them on the day he hears of them, then nothing that came from her lips, whether her vows or pledges, shall stand. Her husband has nullified them, and the LORD will absolve her.

Her husband may confirm or nullify any vow or any sworn pledge to deny herself.

But if her husband says nothing to her from day to day, then he confirms all the vows and pledges that bind her. He has confirmed them, because he said nothing to her on the day he heard about them.

But if he nullifies them after he hears of them, then he will bear her iniquity.”

These are the statutes that the LORD commanded Moses concerning the relationship between a man and his wife, and between a father and a young daughter still in his home.

And the LORD said to Moses,

“Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. After that, you will be gathered to your people.”

So Moses told the people, “Arm some of your men for war, that they may go against the Midianites and execute the LORD’s vengeance on them.

Send into battle a thousand men from each tribe of Israel.”

So a thousand men were recruited from each tribe of Israel—twelve thousand armed for war.

And Moses sent the thousand from each tribe into battle, along with Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, who took with him the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for signaling.

Then they waged war against Midian, as the LORD had commanded Moses, and they killed every male.

Among the slain were Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur, and Reba—the five kings of Midian. They also killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword.

The Israelites captured the Midianite women and their children, and they plundered all their herds, flocks, and goods.

Then they burned all the cities where the Midianites had lived, as well as all their encampments,

and carried away all the plunder and spoils, both people and animals.

They brought the captives, spoils, and plunder to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of Israel at the camp on the plains of Moab, by the Jordan across from Jericho.

And Moses, Eleazar the priest, and all the leaders of the congregation went to meet them outside the camp.

But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle.

“Have you spared all the women?” he asked them.