Leviticus 20 - Modern English Version (MEV)

Penalties for Violating the Law

20 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Again, you shall say to the children of Israel: Whoever from the children of Israel or from the foreigners who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molek, he shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him. 3 I will set My face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given some of his descendants to Molek to defile My sanctuary and to defile My holy name. 4 If the people of the land in any way hide their eyes from the man when he gives of his children to Molek and do not put him to death, 5 then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut them off from their people, both him and those who follow after him as whores after Molek.

6 The person who turns to spirits through mediums and necromancers in order to whore after them, I will even set My face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. 8 You shall keep My statutes, and do them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.

9 For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall be surely put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood guilt shall be upon him.

10 If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

11 If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness. Both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood guilt shall be upon them.

12 If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death. They have committed a perversion. Their blood guilt shall be upon them.

13 If a man lies with another man as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood guilt shall be upon them.

14 If a man lies with a woman and also her mother, it is wickedness. Both he and they shall be burned with fire, so that there is no wickedness among you.

15 If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal.

16 If a woman approaches an animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood guilt shall be upon them.

17 If a man lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or mother, they have exposed each other’s nakedness; it is a wicked thing and they shall be cut off from the sight of their people. He has exposed his sister’s nakedness, and he shall bear his iniquity.

18 If a man lies with a woman during her menstrual period and exposes her nakedness, her fountain of blood is then exposed. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

19 You shall not have relations with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, for this is to expose the nakedness of one’s relative. They shall bear their iniquity.

20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin. They shall die childless.

21 If a man lies with his brother’s wife, it is impurity. He has exposed his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

22 You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My decrees and do them, so that the land to where I am bringing you will not vomit you out. 23 You shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. 24 But I have said to you: You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess it, a land that flows with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from other peoples.

25 You shall therefore make distinction between the clean animal from the unclean, and the unclean fowl from the clean, and you shall not make yourselves detestable by animal, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that crawls on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean. 26 You shall be holy unto Me; for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from other peoples, that you should be Mine.

27 A man or woman who speaks to spirits as a medium or necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall stone them. Their blood guilt shall be upon them.