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Set Yourselves Apart as Holy

20 Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “You shall also say to the sons of Israel:

‘Any man from the sons of Israel or from the sojourners sojourning in Israel (A)who gives any of his seed to Molech shall surely be put to death; (B)the people of the land shall stone him with stones. I will also set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people because he has given some of those who are his seed to Molech, (C)so as to defile My sanctuary and (D)to profane My holy name. If the people of the land, however, [a]should ever turn a blind eye to that man when he gives any of those who are his seed to Molech, so as not to put him to death, 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 harlot after him, in playing the harlot after Molech.

‘As for the person who turns to [b](E)mediums and to spiritists, to play the harlot after them, I will also set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. Therefore, you shall set yourselves apart as holy and (F)be holy, for I am Yahweh your God. (G)And you shall keep My statutes and do them; I am Yahweh who makes you holy.

(H)If there is anyone who curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother. His bloodguiltiness is upon him.

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 shall surely be put to death. 11 (J)If there is a man who lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 12 (K)If there is a man who lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed [c]perversion. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 13 (L)If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them. 14 (M)If there is a man who [d]marries a woman and her mother, it is lewdness; both he and they shall be burned with fire so that there will be no lewdness in your midst. 15 (N)If there is a man who lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; you shall also kill the animal. 16 If there is a woman who approaches any animal to [e]mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.

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 lies with a [f]menstruous woman and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood; thus 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 made naked his [g]blood relative; they will bear their guilt. 20 (R)If there is a man who lies with his aunt, 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 an [h]impure act; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They will be childless.

22 ‘You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My judgments and do them, so that the land to which I am bringing you to [i]inhabit will not (T)vomit you out. 23 Moreover, you shall not walk in (U)the statutes of the nation which I will cast out before you, for they did all these things, and (V)therefore I have loathed them. 24 Hence I have said to you, “(W)You yourselves shall possess their land, and I Myself will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am Yahweh your God, who has (X)separated you from the peoples. 25 (Y)You are therefore to separate between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make [j]yourselves detestable by animal or by bird or by anything [k]that creeps on the ground, which I have separated for you as unclean. 26 Thus you shall be holy to Me, for I Yahweh am holy; and I (Z)have separated you from the peoples to be Mine.

27 ‘Now a man or a woman (AA)who is a medium or a [l]spiritist shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their bloodguiltiness is upon them.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 20:4 Lit hiding they hide their eyes from
  2. Leviticus 20:6 Or ghosts and spirits
  3. Leviticus 20:12 Or incest
  4. Leviticus 20:14 Lit takes
  5. Leviticus 20:16 Lit lie
  6. Leviticus 20:18 Lit sick
  7. Leviticus 20:19 Lit flesh
  8. Leviticus 20:21 Or abhorrent
  9. Leviticus 20:22 Lit dwell in it
  10. Leviticus 20:25 Lit your souls
  11. Leviticus 20:25 Lit with which the ground creeps
  12. Leviticus 20:27 Lit spiritist among them

Worship of Molech forbidden

20 The Lord said to Moses, You will also say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or any immigrant living in Israel who gives their children to Molech must be executed. The common people will stone such a person. Moreover, I will set my own face against such a person, cutting them off from their people, because they gave their children to Molech, making my sanctuary unclean and degrading my holy name by doing so. But if the common people choose to look the other way when someone gives their children to Molech and do not execute such a person, I will set my own face against such a person and their extended family, cutting off from their people both the guilty party and anyone with them who faithlessly followed Molech. I will also oppose anyone who resorts to dead spirits or spirits of divination and faithlessly follows those things. I will cut such an individual off from their people.

Sexual prohibitions

You must be holy and keep yourselves holy because I am the Lord your God. You will keep my rules and do them; I am the Lord, who makes you holy. If anyone curses their father or mother, they must be executed. They have cursed their own father and mother; that person’s blood is on their own heads. 10 If a man commits adultery with a married woman, committing adultery with a neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress must be executed. 11 If a man has sexual intercourse with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both of them must be executed; their blood is on their own heads. 12 If a man has sexual intercourse with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be executed. They have acted perversely; their blood is on their own heads. 13 If a man has sexual intercourse with a man as he would with a woman, the two of them have done something detestable. They must be executed; their blood is on their own heads. 14 If a man marries a woman and her mother as well, it is shameful. They will be burned with fire—the man and the two women—so that no such shameful thing will be found among you. 15 If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be executed and you must kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any kind of animal to mate with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be executed; their blood is on their own heads. 17 If a man marries his sister—his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter—and they have sexual contact with each other, it is a disgrace. They will be cut off in the sight of their people. Such a man has had sexual contact with his sister; he will be liable to punishment. 18 If a man sleeps with a woman during her menstrual period and has sexual contact with her, he has exposed the source of her blood flow and she has uncovered the same. Both of them will be cut off from their people. 19 You must not have sexual contact with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, because that exposes your own close relative; both of you will be liable to punishment. 20 If a man has sexual intercourse with his aunt, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. The man and the aunt will be liable to punishment; they will die childless. 21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is indecent. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; the man and the woman will be childless.

Conclusion concerning conduct

22 You must keep all my rules and all my regulations, and do them so that the land I am bringing you to, where you will live, won’t vomit you out. 23 You must not follow the practices[a] of the nations that I am throwing out before you, because they did all these things and I was disgusted with them. 24 But I have told you, “You will certainly possess their fertile land; I am giving it to you to possess. It is a land full of milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from all other peoples. 25 So you must separate between clean and unclean animals, and between clean and unclean birds. Do not become detestable through some animal, bird, or anything that moves on the fertile ground that I have separated from you as unclean. 26 You must be holy to me, because I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from all other peoples to be my own. 27 If someone, whether male or female, is a medium with the dead or a diviner,[b] they must be executed. They will be stoned; their blood is on their own head.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 20:23 Or rules or customs
  2. Leviticus 20:27 Or has a spirit of the dead or a spirit of divination