Leviticus 20
20
Punishment for Child Sacrifice
1The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Say to the people of Israel, #See ch. 18:21Any 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#See ch. 17:10 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 #ch. 19:30; Ezek. 5:11; 23:38, 39 unclean and #See ch. 18:21to profane my holy name. 4And 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 #Deut. 17:2, 3, 5put him to death, 5then 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 #See Ex. 34:15whoring after Molech.
6“If #See ch. 19:31 a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, #See ch. 17:10I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people. 7#See ch. 11:44Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8#See ch. 18:4 Keep my statutes and do them; #ch. 21:8, 15, 23; 22:32; Ex. 31:13; Ezek. 37:28I am the Lord who sanctifies you. 9For #See Ex. 21:17 anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; #ver. 11, 12, 13, 16, 27; [2 Sam. 1:16; 1 Kgs. 2:32, 33, 37]his blood is upon him.
Punishments for Sexual Immorality
10“If a #ch. 18:20; Deut. 22:22; John 8:4, 5man commits adultery with the wife of#20:10 Hebrew repeats if a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11#See ch. 18:8If 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#ch. 18:15 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have committed #ch. 18:23perversion; their blood is upon them. 13#See ch. 18:22If 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#ch. 18:17; Deut. 27:23If 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#ch. 18:23; Ex. 22:19; Deut. 27:21If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal. 16#[See ver. 15 above]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 # ch. 18:9; Deut. 27:22 “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#ch. 18:19; [ch. 15:24]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#ch. 18:12, 13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to make naked #ch. 18:6one’s relative; they shall bear their iniquity. 20#ch. 18:14If 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#ch. 18:16If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity.#20:21 Literally menstrual impurity He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
You Shall Be Holy
22 # See ch. 18:4 “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 #ch. 18:25, 28vomit you out. 23#ch. 18:3, 24, 30; Deut. 9:5And 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. 24But #Ex. 3:17; 6:8 I have said to you, ‘You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land #See Ex. 3:8 flowing with milk and honey.’ I am the Lord your God, #Ex. 33:16; 1 Kgs. 8:53; [Ex. 19:5; Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 1 Kgs. 8:53]who has separated you from the peoples. 25#See ch. 11:2-47; Deut. 14:4-20You 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#Ex. 19:6 You shall be holy to me, #ver. 7; See ch. 11:44for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.
27 # See ch. 19:31 “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be #ver. 2 stoned with stones; #ver. 9their blood shall be upon them.”
Currently Selected:
Leviticus 20: ESV
Highlight
Share
Copy
![None](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2F58%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.youversion.com%2Fapp-icons%2Fen.png&w=128&q=75)
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV:
Leviticus 20
20
1 AND THE Lord said to Moses,
2 Moreover, you shall say to the Israelites, Any one of the Israelites or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech [the fire god worshiped with human sacrifices] shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
3 I also will set My face against that man [opposing him, withdrawing My protection from him, and excluding him from My covenant] and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given of his children to Molech, defiling My sanctuary and profaning My holy name.
4 And if the people of the land do at all hide their eyes from the man when he gives one of his children [as a burnt offering] to Molech [the fire god] and they overlook it or neglect to take legal action to punish him, winking at his sin, and do not kill him [as My law requires],
5 Then I will set My face against that man and against his family and will cut him off from among their people, him and all who follow him to [unfaithfulness to Me, and thus] play the harlot after Molech.
6 The person who turns to those who have familiar spirits and to wizards, [being unfaithful to Israel's Maker Who is her Husband, and thus] playing the harlot after them, I will set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people [that he may not be included in the atonement made for them]. [Isa. 54:5.]
7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am the Lord your God.
8 And you shall keep My statutes and do them. I am the Lord Who sanctifies you.
9 Everyone who curses his father or mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or mother; his bloodguilt is upon him.
10 The man who commits adultery with another's wife, even his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. [John 8:4-11.]
11 And the man who lies carnally with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness; both of the guilty ones shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon their own heads.
12 And if a man lies carnally with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have wrought confusion, perversion, and defilement; their blood shall be upon their own heads.
13 If a man lies with a male as if he were a woman, both men have committed an offense (something perverse, unnatural, abhorrent, and detestable); they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
14 And if a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness and an outrageous offense; all three shall be burned with fire, both he and they [after being stoned to death], that there be no wickedness among you. [Josh. 7:15, 25.]
15 And if a man lies carnally with a beast, he shall surely be [stoned] to death, and you shall slay the beast.
16 If a woman approaches any beast and lies carnally with it, you shall [stone] the woman and the beast; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
17 If a man takes his sister, his father's or his mother's daughter, and sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a wicked and shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people; he has had sexual relations with his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.
18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her menstrual pains and shall uncover her nakedness, he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood; and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister or of your father's sister, for that is to make naked his close kin; they shall bear their iniquity.
20 And if a man shall lie carnally with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness; they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless [not literally, but in a legal sense].
21 And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless [not literally, but in a legal sense].
22 You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My ordinances and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out [as it did those before you]. [Lev. 18:28.]
23 You shall not walk in the customs of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they did all these things, and therefore I was wearied and grieved by them.
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, Who has separated you from the peoples.
25 You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean; and you shall not make yourselves detestable with beast or with bird or with anything with which the ground teems or that creeps, which I have set apart from you as unclean.
26 And you shall be holy to Me; for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
27 A man or woman who is a medium and has a familiar spirit or is a wizard shall surely be put to death, be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
![None](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimageproxy.youversionapi.com%2F58%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fweb-assets.youversion.com%2Fapp-icons%2Fen.png&w=128&q=75)
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation