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Leviticus 20
New King James Version
Leviticus 20
New King James Version
Penalties for Breaking the Law
20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 (A)“Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: (B)‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who [a]dwell in Israel, who gives any of his descendants to Molech, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall (C)stone him with stones. 3 (D)I will set My face against that man, and will [b]cut him off from his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molech, to defile My sanctuary and profane My holy name. 4 And if the people of the land should in any way [c]hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, 5 then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.
6 ‘And (E)the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people. 7 (F)Consecrate[d] yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 And you shall keep (G)My statutes, and perform them: (H)I am the Lord who [e]sanctifies you.
9 ‘For (I)everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. (J)His blood shall be upon him.
10 (K)‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress, shall surely be put to death. 11 The man who lies with his (L)father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. 12 If a man lies with his (M)daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed perversion. Their blood shall be upon them. 13 (N)If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them. 14 If a man marries a woman and her (O)mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you. 15 If a man mates with an (P)animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16 If a woman approaches any animal and mates with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood is upon them.
17 ‘If a man takes his (Q)sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. And they shall be [f]cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his [g]guilt. 18 (R)If a man lies with a woman during her [h]sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has [i]exposed her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be [j]cut off from their people.
19 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your (S)mother’s sister nor of your (T)father’s sister, for that would uncover his near of kin. They shall bear their guilt. 20 If a man lies with his (U)uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 If a man takes his (V)brother’s wife, it is an [k]unclean thing. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.
22 ‘You shall therefore keep all My (W)statutes and all My judgments, and perform them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell (X)may not vomit you out. 23 (Y)And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they commit all these things, and (Z)therefore I abhor them. 24 But (AA)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, (AB)who has separated you from the peoples. 25 (AC)You shall therefore distinguish between clean animals and unclean, between unclean birds and clean, (AD)and you shall not make yourselves [l]abominable by beast or by bird, or by any kind of living thing that creeps on the ground, which I have separated from you as [m]unclean. 26 And you shall be holy to Me, (AE)for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
27 (AF)‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’ ”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 20:2 As resident aliens
- Leviticus 20:3 Put him to death
- Leviticus 20:4 disregard
- Leviticus 20:7 Set yourselves apart for the Lord
- Leviticus 20:8 sets you apart
- Leviticus 20:17 Put to death
- Leviticus 20:17 iniquity
- Leviticus 20:18 Or customary impurity
- Leviticus 20:18 Lit. made bare
- Leviticus 20:18 Put to death
- Leviticus 20:21 indecent, impure
- Leviticus 20:25 detestable or loathsome
- Leviticus 20:25 defiled
Leviticus 20
New International Version
Leviticus 20
New International Version
Punishments for Sin
20 The Lord said to Moses, 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 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.(H)
7 “‘Consecrate yourselves(I) and be holy,(J) because I am the Lord your God.(K) 8 Keep my decrees(L) and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.(M)
9 “‘Anyone who curses their father(N) or mother(O) is to be put to death.(P) Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.(Q)
10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife(R)—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.(S)
11 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father.(T) Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.(U)
12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law,(V) both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.
13 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.(W) They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
14 “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother,(X) it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire,(Y) so that no wickedness will be among you.(Z)
15 “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal,(AA) he is to be put to death,(AB) and you must kill the animal.
16 “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.
17 “‘If a man marries his sister(AC), the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed(AD) from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.(AE)
18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period,(AF) he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.(AG)
19 “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,(AH) for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.
20 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt,(AI) he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.(AJ)
21 “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife,(AK) it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.(AL)
22 “‘Keep all my decrees and laws(AM) and follow them, so that the land(AN) where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations(AO) I am going to drive out before you.(AP) Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.(AQ) 24 But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”(AR) I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.(AS)
25 “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.(AT) Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me(AU) because I, the Lord, am holy,(AV) and I have set you apart from the nations(AW) to be my own.
27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium(AX) or spiritist among you must be put to death.(AY) You are to stone them;(AZ) their blood will be on their own heads.’”
Lévitique 20
Louis Segond
Lévitique 20
Louis Segond
20 L'Éternel parla à Moïse, et dit:
2 Tu diras aux enfants d'Israël: Si un homme des enfants d'Israël ou des étrangers qui séjournent en Israël livre à Moloc l'un de ses enfants, il sera puni de mort: le peuple du pays le lapidera.
3 Et moi, je tournerai ma face contre cet homme, et je le retrancherai du milieu de son peuple, parce qu'il a livré de ses enfants à Moloc, souillé mon sanctuaire et profané mon saint nom.
4 Si le peuple du pays détourne ses regards de cet homme, qui livre de ses enfants à Moloc, et s'il ne le fait pas mourir,
5 je tournerai, moi, ma face contre cet homme et contre sa famille, et je le retrancherai du milieu de son peuple, avec tous ceux qui se prostituent comme lui en se prostituant à Moloc.
6 Si quelqu'un s'adresse aux morts et aux esprits, pour se prostituer après eux, je tournerai ma face contre cet homme, je le retrancherai du milieu de son peuple.
7 Vous vous sanctifierez et vous serez saints, car je suis l'Éternel, votre Dieu.
8 Vous observerez mes lois, et vous les mettrez en pratique. Je suis l'Éternel, qui vous sanctifie.
9 Si un homme quelconque maudit son père ou sa mère, il sera puni de mort; il a maudit son père ou sa mère: son sang retombera sur lui.
10 Si un homme commet un adultère avec une femme mariée, s'il commet un adultère avec la femme de son prochain, l'homme et la femme adultères seront punis de mort.
11 Si un homme couche avec la femme de son père, et découvre ainsi la nudité de son père, cet homme et cette femme seront punis de mort: leur sang retombera sur eux.
12 Si un homme couche avec sa belle-fille, ils seront tous deux punis de mort; ils ont fait une confusion: leur sang retombera sur eux.
13 Si un homme couche avec un homme comme on couche avec une femme, ils ont fait tous deux une chose abominable; ils seront punis de mort: leur sang retombera sur eux.
14 Si un homme prend pour femmes la fille et la mère, c'est un crime: on les brûlera au feu, lui et elles, afin que ce crime n'existe pas au milieu de vous.
15 Si un homme couche avec une bête, il sera puni de mort; et vous tuerez la bête.
16 Si une femme s'approche d'une bête, pour se prostituer à elle, tu tueras la femme et la bête; elles seront mises à mort: leur sang retombera sur elles.
17 Si un homme prend sa soeur, fille de son père ou fille de sa mère, s'il voit sa nudité et qu'elle voie la sienne, c'est une infamie; ils seront retranchés sous les yeux des enfants de leur peuple: il a découvert la nudité de sa soeur, il portera la peine de son péché.
18 Si un homme couche avec une femme qui a son indisposition, et découvre sa nudité, s'il découvre son flux, et qu'elle découvre le flux de son sang, ils seront tous deux retranchés du milieu de leur peuple.
19 Tu ne découvriras point la nudité de la soeur de ta mère, ni de la soeur de ton père, car c'est découvrir sa proche parente: ils porteront la peine de leur péché.
20 Si un homme couche avec sa tante, il a découvert la nudité de son oncle; ils porteront la peine de leur péché, ils mourront sans enfant.
21 Si un homme prend la femme de son frère, c'est une impureté; il a découvert la nudité de son frère: ils seront sans enfant.
22 Vous observerez toutes mes lois et toutes mes ordonnances, et vous les mettrez en pratique, afin que le pays où je vous mène pour vous y établir ne vous vomisse point.
23 Vous ne suivrez point les usages des nations que je vais chasser devant vous; car elles ont fait toutes ces choses, et je les ai en abomination.
24 Je vous ai dit: C'est vous qui posséderez leur pays; je vous en donnerai la possession: c'est un pays où coulent le lait et le miel. Je suis l'Éternel, votre Dieu, qui vous ai séparés des peuples.
25 Vous observerez la distinction entre les animaux purs et impurs, entre les oiseaux purs et impurs, afin de ne pas rendre vos personnes abominables par des animaux, par des oiseaux, par tous les reptiles de la terre, que je vous ai appris à distinguer comme impurs.
26 Vous serez saints pour moi, car je suis saint, moi, l'Éternel; je vous ai séparés des peuples, afin que vous soyez à moi.
27 Si un homme ou une femme ont en eux l'esprit d'un mort ou un esprit de divination, ils seront punis de mort; on les lapidera: leur sang retombera sur eux.
Leviticus 20
King James Version
Leviticus 20
King James Version
20 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Again, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
3 And I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4 And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:
5 Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.
6 And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.
7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.
8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you.
9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.
10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man's wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
11 And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
12 And if a man lie with his daughter in law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them.
13 If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you.
15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.
16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
22 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.
23 And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people.
25 Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.
26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.
27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.
Leviticus 20
English Standard Version
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 Hebrew menstrual impurity
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Louis Segond (LSG)
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.