² “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.^(A) The members of the community are to stone him.^{(B) 3} I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;^(C) for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled^(D) my sanctuary^(E) and profaned my holy name.^{(F) 4} If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,^{(G) 5} I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

⁶ He sacrificed his own son^(A) in the fire, practiced divination,^(B) sought omens, and consulted mediums and spiritists.^(C) He did much evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing^(D) his anger.

¹¹ The king^(A) of Assyria deported Israel to Assyria and settled them in Halah, in Gozan on the Habor River and in towns of the Medes.^(B)

¹⁶ They forsook all the commands of the Lord their God and made for themselves two idols cast in the shape of calves,^(A) and an Asherah^(B) pole. They bowed down to all the starry hosts,^(C) and they worshiped Baal.^{(D) 17} They sacrificed^(E) their sons and daughters in the fire. They practiced divination and sought omens^(F) and sold^(G) themselves to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, arousing his anger.

¹⁸ So the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence.^(H) Only the tribe of Judah was left,

¹⁶ so that you do not become corrupt^(A) and make for yourselves an idol,^(B) an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, ¹⁷ or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the air,^{(C) 18} or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below.