Leviticus 20

Punishments for Sin

The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.^a The members of the community are to stone him.^b I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;^c for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled^d my sanctuary^e and profaned my holy name.^f If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,^g I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

“ ‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.^h

“ ‘Consecrate yourselvesⁱ and be holy,^j because I am the Lord your God.^k Keep my decrees^l and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.^m

“ ‘Anyone who curses their fatherⁿ or mother^o is to be put to death.^p Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.^q

“ ‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife^r—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.^s

“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father.^t Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.^u

“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law,^v both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.^w They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

“ ‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother,^x it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire,^y so that no wickedness will be among you.^z

“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal,^a he is to be put to death,^b and you must kill the animal.

“ ‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

“ ‘If a man marries his sister^c, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed^d from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.^e

“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period,^f he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.^g

“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,^h for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

“ ‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt,ⁱ he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.^j

“ ‘If a man marries his brother’s wife,^k it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.^l

“ ‘Keep all my decrees and laws^m and follow them, so that the landⁿ where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. You must not live according to the customs of the nations^o I am going to drive out before you.^p Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.^q But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”^r I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.^s

“ ‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.^t Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those which I have set apart as unclean for you. You are to be holy to me^u because I, the Lord, am holy,^v and I have set you apart from the nations^w to be my own.

“ ‘A man or woman who is a medium^x or spiritist among you must be put to death.^y You are to stone them;^z their blood will be on their own heads.’ ”