A Case History of Blasphemy

¹⁰ Now a son of an Israeli woman and an Egyptian man^[a] went out among the Israelis. The Israeli woman’s son got into a fight with an Israeli man in the camp. ¹¹ Then the Israeli woman’s son blasphemed the Name and cursed, so they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, from the tribe of Dan. ¹² They placed him in custody until a decision would be made^[b] to them according to the word^[c] of the Lord. ¹³ Then the Lord spoke to Moses, ¹⁴ “Take the one who cursed outside the camp. Everyone who heard him is to lay their hands on his head. Then the entire congregation is to stone him to death. ¹⁵ Moreover, tell the Israelis that anyone who curses his God will bear the consequences of his own sin, ¹⁶ because the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord is certainly to be put to death. The entire congregation is to stone him to death. As it is for the resident alien, so it is to be with the native born: when he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death.

²³ So Moses spoke to the Israelis and they brought the one who cursed outside the camp and stoned him to death with boulders. The Israelis did just as the Lord had commanded Moses.