Leviticus 20
Christian Standard Bible
Molech Worship and Spiritism
20 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or alien residing in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech(A) must be put to death; the people of the country are to stone him.(B) 3 I will turn[a] against that man and cut him off from his people, because he gave his offspring to Molech, defiling my sanctuary(C) and profaning my holy name.(D) 4 But if the people of the country look the other way when that man[b] gives any of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will turn against that man and his family, and cut off from their people both him and all who follow[c] him in prostituting(E) themselves with Molech.
6 “Whoever turns to mediums[d](F) or spiritists[e] and prostitutes himself with them, I will turn against that person and cut him off from his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 Keep my statutes and do them; I am the Lord who sets you apart.
Family and Sexual Offenses
9 “If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death.(G) He has cursed his father or mother; his death is his own fault.[f]
10 “If a man commits adultery(H) with a married woman—if he commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 If a man sleeps with his father’s wife, he has violated the intimacy that belongs to his father.[g](I) Both of them must be put to death; their death is their own fault.[h] 12 If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law,(J) both of them must be put to death. They have acted perversely; their death is their own fault. 13 If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman,(K) they have both committed a detestable act.(L) They must be put to death; their death is their own fault. 14 If a man marries[i] a woman and her mother,(M) it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned,(N) so that there will be no depravity among you. 15 If a man has sexual intercourse with[j] an animal, he must be put to death; you are also to kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal.(O) They must be put to death; their death is their own fault. 17 If a man marries his sister,(P) whether his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and they have sexual relations,[k](Q) it is a disgrace.(R) They are to be cut off publicly from their people. He has had sexual intercourse with his sister; he will bear his iniquity. 18 If a man sleeps with a menstruating woman and has sexual intercourse with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood.(S) Both of them are to be cut off from their people. 19 You must not have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister,(T) for it is exposing one’s own blood relative; both people will bear their iniquity. 20 If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has violated the intimacy that belongs to his uncle;[l](U) they will bear their guilt and die childless. 21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is impurity.(V) He has violated the intimacy that belongs to his brother;[m](W) they will be childless.
Holiness in the Land
22 “You are to keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out.(X) 23 You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and I abhorred them.(Y) 24 And I promised you: You will inherit their land, since I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.(Z) I am the Lord your God who set you apart from the peoples. 25 Therefore you are to distinguish the clean animal from the unclean one, and the unclean bird from the clean one. Do not become contaminated(AA) by any land animal, bird, or whatever crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you.(AB) 26 You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be mine.(AC)
27 “A man or a woman who is[n] a medium or a spiritist must be put to death. They are to be stoned; their death is their own fault.”
Footnotes
- 20:3 Lit will set my face, also in vv. 5,6
- 20:4 Lit country ever close their eyes from that man when he
- 20:5 Lit prostitute themselves with
- 20:6 Or spirits of the dead
- 20:6 Or familiar spirits
- 20:9 Lit his blood on him
- 20:11 Lit has uncovered his father’s nakedness
- 20:11 Lit their blood on them, also in vv. 12,13,16,27
- 20:14 Lit takes, also in vv. 17,21
- 20:15 Lit man gives his emission to
- 20:17 Lit and he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness
- 20:20 Lit has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness
- 20:21 Lit has uncovered his brother’s nakedness
- 20:27 Lit is in them
Leviticus 20
New American Standard Bible
On Human Sacrifice and Immoralities
20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “You shall also say to the sons of Israel:
‘Anyone from the sons of Israel or from the strangers residing in Israel (A)who gives any of his [a]children to Molech, shall certainly be put to death; (B)the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his [b]children to Molech, (C)so as to defile My sanctuary and (D)to profane My holy name. 4 If the people of the land, however, [c]should ever disregard that man when he gives any of his [d]children to Molech, so as not to put him to death, 5 then I Myself will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut off from among their people both him and all those who play the prostitute with him, by playing the prostitute with Molech.
6 ‘As for the person who turns to [e](E)mediums and to spiritists, to play the prostitute with them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and (F)be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 So (G)you shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.
9 ‘(H)If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall certainly be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and has brought his [f]own death upon himself.
10 ‘(I)If there is a man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, one who commits adultery with his friend’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 (J)If there is a man who sleeps with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both of them must be put to death, they have brought their [g]own deaths upon themselves. 12 (K)If there is a man who sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. They have committed [h]incest, and have brought their [i]own deaths upon themselves. 13 (L)If there is a man who sleeps with a male as those who sleep with a woman, both of them have committed a detestable act; they must be put to death. They have brought their [j]own deaths upon themselves. 14 (M)If there is a man who [k]marries a woman and her mother, it is an outrageous sin; both he and they shall be burned with fire, so that there will be no such outrageous sin in your midst. 15 (N)If there is a man who has sexual intercourse with an animal, he must be put to death; you shall also kill the animal. 16 If there is a woman who approaches any animal to [l]mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they must be put to death. They have brought their [m]own deaths upon themselves.
17 ‘(O)If there is a man who takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he bears his guilt. 18 (P)If there is a man who sleeps with a menstruous woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood; so both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 (Q)You shall also not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for such a one has uncovered his [n]blood relative; they will bear their guilt. 20 (R)If there is a man who sleeps with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they will bear their sin. They will die childless. 21 (S)If there is a man who takes his brother’s wife, it is [o]detestable; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They will be childless.
22 ‘You are therefore to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances, and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to [p]live will not (T)vomit you out. 23 Furthermore, you shall not [q]follow (U)the customs of the nation which I am going to drive out before you, because they did all these things; (V)therefore I have felt disgust for them. 24 So I have said to you, “(W)You are to take possession of their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has (X)singled you out from the peoples. 25 (Y)You are therefore to make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make [r]yourselves detestable by animal or by bird, or by anything [s]that crawls on the ground, which I have distinguished for you as unclean. 26 So you are to be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy; and I (Z)have singled you out from the peoples to be Mine.
27 ‘Now a man or a woman (AA)who is a medium or a spiritist [t]must be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; they have brought their [u]own deaths upon themselves.’”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 20:2 Lit seed
- Leviticus 20:3 Lit seed
- Leviticus 20:4 Lit hiding they hide their eyes from
- Leviticus 20:4 Lit seed
- Leviticus 20:6 Or ghosts and spirits
- Leviticus 20:9 Lit bloodguilt upon
- Leviticus 20:11 Lit bloodguilt upon
- Leviticus 20:12 Lit disgracefulness
- Leviticus 20:12 Lit bloodguilt upon
- Leviticus 20:13 Lit bloodguilt upon
- Leviticus 20:14 Lit takes
- Leviticus 20:16 Lit lie
- Leviticus 20:16 Lit bloodguilt upon
- Leviticus 20:19 Lit flesh
- Leviticus 20:21 Or an abomination
- Leviticus 20:22 Lit dwell in it
- Leviticus 20:23 Lit walk in
- Leviticus 20:25 Lit your souls
- Leviticus 20:25 Lit with which the ground crawls
- Leviticus 20:27 Lit among them must
- Leviticus 20:27 Lit bloodguilt upon
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