Leviticus 20:1-27

What would happen if the people did not obey the rules

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Talk to Israel's people. Say, “If any Israelite or foreign person gives his children to the god called Molech, he must die.” The people must throw stones at him to kill him. 3 I, the Lord, will turn away from that person. I will make him separate from his people. That person did not respect the Lord. He did not respect the Lord's holy name. 4 Israel's people may not think that his sin was important. So they might not kill him. 5 But the Lord himself will become an enemy of the man and of his family. The Lord will send him away with all the people who worship the god called Molech.

6 A person must not ask someone who does magic for help. They are turning away from the Lord. He will send them away from his people.

7 The people must be holy. I am the Lord your God. 8 They must always obey all my rules. I am the Lord who makes them holy.

9 If a person says bad things about his mother or his father, you must kill him. He has destroyed their honour. His sin will cause his death.

10 If a man has sex with another man's wife you must kill him and the woman.

11 A man is sinning if he has sex with his father's wife. You must kill the man and the woman. They have destroyed the father's honour. Their sin causes their death.

12 A man is sinning if he has sex with his son's wife. You must kill them both. They have done a strange thing. Their own sin causes their death.

13 A man is sinning if he has sex with another man. You must kill both of the men. They should be ashamed. Their sin causes their death.

14 A man is sinning if he marries a woman and her mother. You must burn the man and both the women in the fire. Then their sin will not make my people unclean.

15 A man is sinning if he has sex with an animal. You must kill the man and the animal.

16 A woman is sinning if she has sex with an animal. You must kill the woman and the animal. Their sin causes their death.

17 It is a sin if a man marries his sister. She may be the daughter of his father or of his mother. It is a sin if he has sex with her. The people must send them away. He has taken away his sister's honour. He must carry the punishment for his sin.

18 A man must not have sex with a woman when she is bleeding. If he does, it is a sin. They have not obeyed the rules of the Lord. The people must send them away.

19 A man must not have sex with his mother's sister or with his father's sister. They are both doing a wrong thing. They are taking away the family's honour. Their sin causes their punishment.

20 A man is sinning if he has sex with his aunt. He is taking away his father's brother's honour. They will have no children.

21 It makes the people unclean if a man marries his brother's wife. He has taken away his brother's honour. They will not have any children.

22 If the people want to remain in the land that I am giving to them, they must obey my laws and my rules. 23 The people who are living in Canaan now are doing bad things. I, the Lord, hate them because they do these things. I will send them out of Canaan. 24 I, the Lord, will give their land to Israel's people. I will give it to you and to your children to keep for all time. In that land, there is plenty of food and drink, enough for everyone. I am the Lord your God. I want you to be separate from other people.

25 The people must know which animals are clean. And they must know which animals are unclean. They must know which birds are clean. And they must know which birds are unclean. They must not eat any animal or bird that is unclean. 26 I am the Lord and I am holy. So my people must be holy for me. I have made them separate from other people. They belong to me.

27 A man or a woman who uses magic is doing a wrong thing. People must throw stones at that person until they die. Their sin will cause their death.’