When Reuben came back to the well and found that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes in sorrow.

He returned to his brothers and said, "The boy is not there! What am I going to do?"

Jacob tore his clothes in sorrow and put on sackcloth. He mourned for his son a long time.

All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, "I will go down to the world of the dead still mourning for my son." So he continued to mourn for his son Joseph.

Their father said to them, "Do you want to make me lose all my children? Joseph is gone; Simeon is gone; and now you want to take away Benjamin. I am the one who suffers!"

But Jacob said, "My son cannot go with you; his brother is dead, and he is the only one left. Something might happen to him on the way. I am an old man, and the sorrow you would cause me would kill me."

While they were on their way home, David was told: "Absalom has killed all your sons---not one of them is left!"

The king stood up, tore his clothes in sorrow, and threw himself to the ground. The servants who were there with him tore their clothes also.

The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, "O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!"

Then Job got up and tore his clothes in grief. He shaved his head and threw himself face downward on the ground.

None of you may sell or buy back what you have unconditionally dedicated to the LORD, whether it is a human being, an animal, or land. It belongs permanently to the LORD.

Not even human beings who have been unconditionally dedicated may be bought back; they must be put to death.

When a man makes a vow to give something to the LORD or takes an oath to abstain from something, he must not break his promise, but must do everything that he said he would.

she must do everything that she vowed or promised unless her father raises an objection when he hears about it.

They despise those whom God rejects, but honor those who obey the LORD. They always do what they promise, no matter how much it may cost.

Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have to.

So when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no use for a fool. Do what you promise to do.

Don't let your own words lead you into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it. Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for?

When the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah, they had made a solemn promise to the LORD: "None of us will allow a Benjaminite to marry a daughter of ours."

" LORD God of Israel, why has this happened? Why is the tribe of Benjamin about to disappear from Israel?"

They asked, "Is there any group out of all the tribes of Israel that did not go to the gathering in the LORD's presence at Mizpah?" (They had taken a solemn oath that anyone who had not gone to Mizpah would be put to death.)

What shall we do to provide wives for the men of Benjamin who are left? We have made a solemn promise to the LORD that we will not give them any of our daughters."

Saul said to him, "May God strike me dead if you are not put to death!"

But the people said to Saul, "Will Jonathan, who won this great victory for Israel, be put to death? No! We promise by the living LORD that he will not lose even a hair from his head. What he did today was done with God's help." So the people saved Jonathan from being put to death.

that he promised her, "I swear that I will give you anything you ask for!"

The king was sad, but because of the promise he had made in front of all his guests he gave orders that her wish be granted.

Then they went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn vow together not to eat a thing until we have killed Paul.