Leviticus 20
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Penalties for Violations of Holiness
20 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say further to the Israelites:
“Any of the Israelites or of the aliens who reside in Israel who give any of their offspring to Molech shall be put to death; the people of the land shall stone them to death.(A) 3 I myself will set my face against them and will cut them off from the people, because they have given of their offspring to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.(B) 4 And if the people of the land should ever close their eyes to them, when they give of their offspring to Molech, and do not put them to death,(C) 5 I myself will set my face against them and against their family and will cut them off from among their people, them and all who follow them in prostituting themselves to Molech.
6 “If any turn to mediums or spiritualists, prostituting themselves to them, I will set my face against them and will cut them off from the people.(D) 7 Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.(E) 8 Keep my statutes and observe them: I am the Lord; I sanctify you.(F) 9 All who curse father or mother shall be put to death; having cursed father or mother, their bloodguilt is upon them.(G)
10 “If a man commits adultery with the wife of[a] his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.(H) 11 The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.(I) 12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall be put to death; they have committed perversion; their bloodguilt is upon them.(J) 13 If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.(K) 14 If a man takes a wife and her mother also, it is depravity; they shall be burned to death, both he and they, that there may be no depravity among you.(L) 15 If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he shall be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.(M) 16 If a woman approaches any animal and has sexual relations with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall be put to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.
17 “If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people; he has uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall be subject to punishment.(N) 18 If a man lies with a woman during her period and uncovers her nakedness, he has laid bare her flow, and she has laid bare her flow of blood; both of them shall be cut off from their people.(O) 19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to lay bare one’s own flesh; they shall be subject to punishment.(P) 20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall be subject to punishment; they shall die childless.(Q) 21 If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.(R)
22 “You shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances and observe them, so that the land to which I bring you to settle in may not vomit you out.(S) 23 You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.(T) 24 But I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God; I have separated you from the peoples.’(U) 25 You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean and between the unclean bird and the clean; you shall not bring abomination on yourselves by animal or by bird or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean.(V) 26 You shall be holy to me, for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from the other peoples to be mine.(W)
27 “A man or a woman who is a medium or a spiritualist shall be put to death; they shall be stoned to death; their bloodguilt is upon them.”(X)
Footnotes
- 20.10 Heb repeats if a man commits adultery with the wife of
Leviticus 20
English Standard Version
Punishment for Child Sacrifice
20 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, (A)Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 (B)I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary (C)unclean and (D)to profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not (E)put him to death, 5 then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in (F)whoring after Molech.
6 “If (G)a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, (H)I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7 (I)Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 (J)Keep my statutes and do them; (K)I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9 For (L)anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; (M)his blood is upon him.
Punishments for Sexual Immorality
10 “If a (N)man commits adultery with the wife of[a] his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 (O)If a man lies with his father's wife, he has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 12 (P)If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed (Q)perversion; their blood is upon them. 13 (R)If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them. 14 (S)If a man takes a woman and her mother also, it is depravity; he and they shall be burned with fire, that there may be no depravity among you. 15 (T)If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 (U)If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
17 (V)“If a man takes his sister, a daughter of his father or a daughter of his mother, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace, and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity. 18 (W)If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and uncovers her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 (X)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked (Y)one's relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20 (Z)If a man lies with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 (AA)If a man takes his brother's wife, it is impurity.[b] He has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
You Shall Be Holy
22 (AB)“You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my rules and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to live may not (AC)vomit you out. 23 (AD)And you shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and therefore I detested them. 24 But (AE)I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land (AF)flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, (AG)who has separated you from the peoples. 25 (AH)You shall therefore separate the clean beast from the unclean, and the unclean bird from the clean. You shall not make yourselves detestable by beast or by bird or by anything with which the ground crawls, which I have set apart for you to hold unclean. 26 (AI)You shall be holy to me, (AJ)for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
27 (AK)“A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be (AL)stoned with stones; (AM)their blood shall be upon them.”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 20:10 Hebrew repeats if a man commits adultery with the wife of
- Leviticus 20:21 Literally menstrual impurity
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
