The Man Who Cursed God

¹⁰ Now there was a son of an Israelite woman and an Egyptian father. The son was walking among the Israelites. And a fight broke out in the camp between him and an Israelite. ¹¹ The son of the Israelite woman began cursing and speaking against the Lord. So the people took him to Moses. (The mother’s name was Shelomith. She was the daughter of Debri from the family of Dan.) ¹² The people held him as a prisoner. They waited for the Lord’s command to be made clear to them.

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁴ “Take the one who spoke against me outside the camp. Then bring together all the people who heard him. They must put their hands on his head.^[a] Then all the people must throw stones at him and kill him. ¹⁵ Tell the people of Israel this: ‘If anyone curses his God, he is guilty of sin. ¹⁶ Anyone who speaks against the Lord must be put to death. All the people must kill him by throwing stones at him. Foreigners must be punished just like the person born in Israel. If someone speaks against the Lord, he must be put to death.

²³ Then Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And they took the person who had cursed outside the camp. Then they killed him with stones. So the people of Israel did as the Lord had commanded Moses.