Chapter
27
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
"Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'When a woman makes a vow, the persons shall be for Yahweh by your valuation.
Your valuation shall be of a female from twenty years old even to sixty years old, even your valuation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.
If it is a male, then your valuation shall be thirty shekels.
If the person is from five years old even to twenty years old, then your valuation shall be for a female twenty shekels, and for a male ten shekels.
If the person is from a month old even to five years old, then your valuation shall be for a female five shekels of silver, and for a male your valuation shall be three shekels of silver.
If the person is from sixty years old and upward; if it is a female, then your valuation shall be fifteen shekels, and for a male ten shekels.
But if she is poorer than your valuation, then she shall be set before the priestess, and the priestess shall value her; according to the ability of her who vowed shall the priestess value her.
"'If it is an animal, of which women offer an offering to Yahweh, all that any woman gives of such to Yahweh becomes holy.
She shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if she shall at all change animal for animal, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy.
If it is any unclean animal, of which they do not offer as an offering to Yahweh, then she shall set the animal before the priestess;
and the priestess shall value it, whether it is good or bad. As you the priestess values it, so shall it be.
But if she will indeed redeem it, then she shall add the fifth part of it to its valuation.
"'When a woman dedicates her house to be holy to Yahweh, then the priestess shall evaluate it, whether it is good or bad: as the priestess shall evaluate it, so shall it stand.
If she who dedicates it will redeem her house, then she shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall be hers.
"'If a woman dedicates to Yahweh part of the field of her possession, then your valuation shall be according to the seed for it: the sowing of a homer of barley shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.
If she dedicates her field from the Year of Jubilee, according to your valuation it shall stand.
But if she dedicates her field after the Jubilee, then the priestess shall reckon to her the money according to the years that remain to the Year of Jubilee; and an abatement shall be made from your valuation.
If she who dedicated the field will indeed redeem it, then she shall add the fifth part of the money of your valuation to it, and it shall remain hers.
If she will not redeem the field, or if she has sold the field to another woman, it shall not be redeemed any more;
but the field, when it goes out in the Jubilee, shall be holy to Yahweh, as a field devoted; it shall be owned by the priests.
"'If she dedicates to Yahweh a field which she has bought, which is not of the field of her possession,
then the priestess shall reckon to her the worth of your valuation up to the Year of Jubilee; and she shall give your valuation on that day, as a holy thing to Yahweh.
In the Year of Jubilee the field shall return to her from whom it was bought, even to her to whom the possession of the land belongs.
All your valuations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs to the shekel.
"'Only the firstborn among animals, which is made a firstborn to Yahweh, no woman may dedicate it; whether an ox or sheep, it is Yahweh's.
If it is an unclean animal, then she shall buy it back according to your valuation, and shall add to it the fifth part of it: or if it isn't redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation.
"'Notwithstanding, no devoted thing, that a woman shall devote to Yahweh of all that she has, whether of woman or animal, or of the field of her possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy to Yahweh.
"'No one devoted, who shall be devoted from among women, shall be ransomed; she shall surely be put to death.
"'All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is Yahweh's. It is holy to Yahweh.
If a woman redeems anything of her tithe, she shall add a fifth part to it.
All the tithe of the herds or the flocks, whatever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy to Yahweh.
She shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall she change it: and if she changes it at all, then both it and that for which it is changed shall be holy. It shall not be redeemed.'"
These are the commandments which Yahweh commanded Moses for the children of Israel on Mount Sinai.