Old Testament · Leviticus

Leviticus 20

Punishments for Disobedience

(Leviticus 26:14–39; Deuteronomy 28:15–68)

1And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2And to the sons of Israel you shall say: A man^a, a man from the sons of Israel, or from the sojourner who sojourns in Israel, who gives of his seed to Molech, shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3And I, I will set My face against that man, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people, because of his seed he gave to Molech, in order to defile My sanctuary and to profane My holy name.

4And if the people of the land surely hide their eyes from that man when he gives of his seed to Molech, so as not to put him to death, 5then I, I will set My face against that man and against his family, and I will cut him off, and all who go whoring after him, to go whoring after Molech, from the midst of their people.

6And the soul^b who turns to the ghosts and to the familiar spirits, to go whoring after them, I will set My face against that soul, and I will cut him off from the midst of his people.

7And you shall sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy, for I am the LORD your God. 8And you shall keep My statutes^c and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.

9For a man, a man who curses his father and his mother shall surely be put to death; his father and his mother he has cursed; his blood is upon him.

Punishments for Sexual Immorality

(Proverbs 5:1–23; 1 Corinthians 5:1–8)

10And a man who commits adultery with the wife^d of a man, who commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

11And a man who lies with the wife of his father — the nakedness of his father he has uncovered — both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

12And a man who lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; confusion they have made; their blood is upon them.

13And a man who lies with a male as one lies with a woman, an abomination both of them have done; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

14And a man who takes a woman and her mother — it is lewdness — in the fire they shall burn him and them, that there be no lewdness in your midst.

15And a man who gives his lying with a beast shall surely be put to death; and the beast you shall kill.

16And a woman who approaches any beast to lie down with it, you shall kill the woman and the beast; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.

17And a man who takes his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother, and he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness — it is a disgrace — and they shall be cut off before the eyes of the sons of their people; the nakedness of his sister he has uncovered; he shall bear his iniquity.

18And a man who lies with a woman in her sickness and uncovers her nakedness — her fountain he has laid bare, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood — both of them shall be cut off from the midst of their people.

19And the nakedness of your mother's sister and your father's sister you shall not uncover; for his near kin he has laid bare; their iniquity they shall bear.

20And a man who lies with his aunt — the nakedness of his uncle he has uncovered — their sin they shall bear; childless they shall die.

21And a man who takes the wife of his brother — it is impurity; the nakedness of his brother he has uncovered — childless they shall be.

Distinguish between Clean and Unclean

22And you shall keep all My statutes and all My judgments^e, and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell in it not vomit you out. 23And you shall not walk in the statutes of the nation which I am sending away from before you; for all these things they did, and I abhorred them.

24And I said to you, You shall possess their ground^f, and I, I will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey; I am the LORD your God, who has separated you from the peoples.

25And you shall separate between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean bird and the clean; and you shall not make your souls detestable by beast or by bird or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have set apart for you as unclean. 26And you shall be holy to Me, for holy am I, the LORD, and I have separated you from the peoples to be Mine.

27And a man or a woman, when there is in them a ghost or a familiar spirit, shall surely be put to death; with stones they shall stone them; their blood is upon them.