Warnings About Various Sins

20 The Lord said to Moses, ² “You must also tell the ·people [^Lsons; children] of Israel these things: ‘If a person in your country gives one of his children to Molech [18:21], that person must be ·killed [put to death]. It doesn’t matter if he is a ·citizen [^Lson of Israel] or a ·foreigner living [^Lresident alien sojourning] in Israel; you must ·throw stones at [stone] him and ·kill him [put him to death]. ³ I will be against him and cut him off from his people, because he gave his children to Molech. He showed that he ·did not respect [profaned] my holy name, and he made my ·Holy Place [sanctuary] unclean. ⁴ The people of the ·community [^Lland] might ·ignore [close their eyes to; or connive with] that person and not kill the one who gave his children to Molech. ⁵ But I will ·be [^Lset my face] against him and his family, and I will cut him off from his people. I will do this to anyone who follows him in ·being unfaithful to me [^Lprostituting himself] by worshiping Molech.

⁶ “‘I will ·be [^Lset my face] against anyone who ·goes [turns] to mediums and ·fortune-tellers [wizards] for advice, because that person is ·being unfaithful to [^Lprostituting himself against] me. So I will cut him off from his people.

⁷ “‘Be my holy people. Be holy because I am the Lord your God. ⁸ ·Remember [Keep; Guard] and obey my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements]. I am the Lord, and I have ·made you holy [consecrated you].

⁹ “‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death. He has cursed his father or mother, so he has brought his own ·death [^Lblood] on himself [Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16].

Punishments for Sexual Sins

¹⁰ “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [commits adultery] with his neighbor’s wife, both the ·man and the woman are guilty of adultery and [^Ladulterer and the adulteress] must be put to death [18:20; Deut. 22:22]. ¹¹ If a man ·has sexual relations [^Llies] with his father’s wife, ·he has shamed [^Lexposing/revealing the nakedness of] his father, and both the man and his father’s wife must be put to death. They have brought ·it [^Lblood] on themselves [18:8; Deut. 22:30].

¹² “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [^Llies] with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is ·not natural [perverted]. They have brought ·their own deaths [^Lblood] on themselves.

¹³ “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [^Llies] with another man as a man does with a woman, these two men have ·done a hateful sin [committed an abomination]. They must be put to death. They have brought ·it [blood] on themselves [18:22].

¹⁴ “‘If a man ·has sexual relations with [or marries; ^Ltakes] both a woman and her mother, this is ·evil [lewd; depraved]. The people must burn that man and the two women in fire so that your people will not be ·evil [lewd; depraved].

¹⁵ “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death. You must also kill the animal. ¹⁶ If a woman approaches an animal and has sexual relations with it, you must kill the woman and the animal. They must be put to death. They have brought ·it [blood] on themselves [18:23; Ex. 22:19; Deut. 27:21].

¹⁷ “‘It is shameful for a brother to ·marry [^Ltake] his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and ·to have sexual relations with her [^Lhe sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness]. In front of everyone they must both be cut off from their people. The man has ·shamed [^Lexposed/revealed the nakedness of] his sister, and he is guilty of sin [18:9].

¹⁸ “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [^Llies] with a woman during her monthly period, both the woman and the man must be cut off from their people. They sinned because ·they showed the source of her blood [^Lhe uncovered her fountain and she has revealed the fountain of her blood; 18:19].

¹⁹ “‘Do not ·have sexual relations with [^Luncover the nakedness of] your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, because that would ·shame a close relative [^Lexpose one’s own flesh]. Both of you are guilty of this sin [18:12–13].

²⁰ “‘If a man ·has sexual relations [^Llies] with his uncle’s wife, he has ·shamed [^Lexposed/revealed the nakedness of] his uncle. That man and his uncle’s wife will die without children; they are guilty of sin.

²¹ “‘It is unclean [^Cin a ritual sense] for a man to ·marry [^Ltake] his brother’s wife. That man has ·shamed [^Lexposed/revealed the nakedness of] his brother, and they will have no children [18:16].

²² “‘·Remember [Keep; Guard] all my ·laws [statutes; ordinances; requirements] and ·rules [regulations], and obey them. I am leading you to your own land, and if you obey my laws and rules, that land will not ·throw [vomit] you out. ²³ I am ·forcing [driving] out ahead of you the people who live there. Because they did all these sins, I have hated them. Do not live ·the way those people lived [^Laccording to the statutes/ordinances/requirements of that nation].

²⁴ “‘I have told you that you will ·get [inherit] their land, which I will give to you as your ·very own [possession]; it is a ·fertile land [^Lland flowing with milk and honey; Ex. 3:8]. I am the Lord your God, and I have set you apart from other people and made you my own. ²⁵ So you must treat clean [^Cin a ritual sense] animals and birds differently from unclean animals and birds. Do not make yourselves detestable by any of these unclean birds or animals or things that crawl on the ground, which I have made unclean for you [11:1–47]. ²⁶ So you must be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from other people to be my own.

²⁷ “‘A man or woman who is a medium or a ·fortune-teller [wizard] must be put to death. You must stone them to death; they have brought ·it [^Lblood] on themselves [19:31; 20:6].’”