Lev 20 | HCSB | STEP | The Lord spoke to Moses :

Leviticus 20

Molech Worship and Spiritism

1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or foreigner living in Israel who gives any of his children to ^{▼▼Molech: A Canaanite god associated with death and the underworld. The worship ritual of passing someone through the fire is connected with him. This ritual could have been either fire-walking or child sacrifice.}Molech ^b must be put to death; the people of the country are to stone him. ^c 3 I will turn ^{▼▼Lit will set My face} against that man and cut him off from his people, because he gave his ^{▼▼offspring/ seed: This term is used literally or metaphorically to refer to plants or grain, sowing or harvest, male reproductive seed, human children or physical descendants, and also to spiritual children or to Christ (G13:16).}offspring to Molech, defiling My sanctuary ^f and profaning My holy name. ^g 4 But if the people of the country look the other way when that man ^{▼▼Lit country ever close their eyes from that man when he} gives any of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, 5 then I will turn ^{▼▼Lit will set My face} against that man and his family, and cut off from their people both him and all who follow ^{▼▼Lit prostitute themselves with} him in prostituting ^k themselves with Molech.

6 “Whoever turns to mediums ^{▼▼Or spirits of the dead
,} ^m or spiritists ^{▼▼Or familiar spirits} and prostitutes himself with them, I will turn ^{▼▼Lit will set My face} against that person and cut him off from his people. 7 Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am ^{▼▼Yahweh/Yah: Or The Lord; the personal name of God in Hebrew; "Yah" is the shortened form of the name.}Yahweh your God. 8 Keep My statutes and do them; I am Yahweh who sets you apart.

Family and Sexual Offenses

9 “If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. ^q He has cursed his father or mother; his blood is on his own hands. ^{▼▼Lit on him}

10 If a man commits adultery ^s with a married woman – if he commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife – both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 If a man sleeps with his father’s wife, he has shamed his father. ^t Both of them must be put to death; their blood is on their own hands. ^{▼▼Lit on them} 12 If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, ^v both of them must be put to death. They have acted perversely; their blood is on their own hands. ^{▼▼Lit on them} 13 If a man sleeps with a man as with a woman, ^x they have both committed a detestable thing. ^y They must be put to death; their blood is on their own hands. ^{▼▼Lit on them} 14 If a man marries a woman and her mother, ^aa it is depraved. Both he and they must be burned with fire, ^ab so that there will be no depravity among you. 15 If a man has sexual intercourse with ^{▼▼Lit man gives his emission to} an animal, he must be put to death; you are also to kill the animal. 16 If a woman comes near any animal and mates with it, you are to kill the woman and the animal. ^ad They must be put to death; their own blood is on them. 17 If a man marries his sister, ^ae whether his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and they have sexual relations, ^{▼▼Lit and he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness
,} ^ag it is a disgrace. ^ah They must be cut off publicly from their people. He has had sexual intercourse with his sister; he will bear his punishment. 18 If a man sleeps with a menstruating woman and has sexual intercourse with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood. ^ai Both of them must be cut off from their people. 19 You must not have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, ^aj for it is exposing one’s own blood relative; both people will bear their punishment. 20 If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has shamed his uncle; ^ak they will bear their ^{▼▼guilt/guilty: The liability to be punished for a fault, a sin, an act, or an omission unless there is forgiveness or atonement; the term normally concerns an objective fact, not a subjective feeling.}guilt and die childless. 21 If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is impurity. ^am He has shamed his brother; ^an they will be childless.

Holiness in the Land

22 “You are to keep all My statutes and all My ordinances, and do them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out. ^ao 23 You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you, for they did all these things, and I abhorred them. ^ap 24 And I promised you: You will inherit their land, since I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. ^aq I am Yahweh your God who set you apart from the peoples. 25 Therefore you must distinguish the ^{▼▼clean: When something is clean, it is holy or acceptable to God. When it is unclean, it is unholy (such as an unclean spirit). The term can be used in a ritual sense to apply to moral standards for living.}clean animal from the ^{▼▼unclean: When something is clean, it is holy or acceptable to God. When it is unclean, it is unholy (such as an unclean spirit). The term can be used in a ritual sense to apply to moral standards for living.}unclean one, and the unclean bird from the clean one. Do not become contaminated ^at by any land animal, bird, or whatever crawls on the ground; I have set these apart as unclean for you. ^au 26 You are to be holy to Me because I, Yahweh, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be Mine. ^av

27 A man or a woman who is ^{▼▼Lit is in them} a medium or a spiritist must be put to death. They are to be stoned; their blood is on their own hands.” ^{▼▼Lit on them}