³¹ “‘You must keep the Israelites separate from things that make them unclean, so they will not die in their uncleanness for defiling my dwelling place,^[a](A) which is among them.’”

²⁰ But if those who are unclean do not purify themselves, they must be cut off from the community, because they have defiled^(A) the sanctuary of the Lord.^(B) The water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, and they are unclean.^(C)

¹¹ Therefore as surely as I live,^(A) declares the Sovereign^(B) Lord, because you have defiled my sanctuary^(C) with all your vile images^(D) and detestable practices,^(E) I myself will shave you; I will not look on you with pity or spare you.^(F)

¹³ If they fail to purify themselves after touching a human corpse,^(A) they defile the Lord’s tabernacle.^(B) They must be cut off from Israel.^(C) Because the water of cleansing has not been sprinkled on them, they are unclean;^(D) their uncleanness remains on them.

³⁸ They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary^(A) and desecrated my Sabbaths.^(B)

³ Send away male and female alike; send them outside the camp so they will not defile their camp, where I dwell among them.^(A)”

⁴ For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about^[a] long ago have secretly slipped in among you.^(A) They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.^(B)

Warning and Encouragement

¹⁴ Make every effort to live in peace with everyone^(A) and to be holy;^(B) without holiness no one will see the Lord.^{(C) 15} See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God^(D) and that no bitter root^(E) grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

²⁹ How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God^(A) underfoot,^(B) who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant^(C) that sanctified them,^(D) and who has insulted the Spirit^(E) of grace?^(F)