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Leviticus - Chapter 20

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

2 'Say to the Israelites: "Anyone, be he Israelite or alien resident in Israel, who gives any of his children to Molech, will be put to death. The people of the country must stone him,

3 and I shall set my face against that man and outlaw him from his people; for by giving a child of his to Molech he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name.

4 If the people of the country choose to close their eyes to the man's action when he gives a child of his to Molech, and do not put him to death,

5 I myself shall turn my face against that man and his clan. I shall outlaw them from their people, both him and all those after him who prostitute themselves by following Molech.

6 "If anyone has recourse to the spirits of the dead or to magicians, to prostitute himself by following them, I shall set my face against him and outlaw him from his people.

7 "Sanctify yourselves and be holy, for I am Yahweh your God.

8 "You will keep my laws and put them into practice, for it is I, Yahweh, who make you holy.

9 Hence: "Anyone who curses father or mother will be put to death. Having cursed father or mother, the blood will be on that person's own head.

10 "The man who commits adultery with his neighbour's wife will be put to death, he and the woman.

11 "The man who has intercourse with his father's wife has infringed his father's sexual prerogative. Both of them will be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

12 "The man who has intercourse with his daughter-in-law: both of them will be put to death; they have violated nature, their blood will be on their own heads.

13 "The man who has intercourse with a man in the same way as with a woman: they have done a hateful thing together; they will be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

14 "The man who marries a woman and her mother: this is incest. They will be burnt alive, he and they; you will not tolerate incest.

15 "The man who has intercourse with an animal will be put to death; you will kill the animal too.

16 "The woman who approaches any animal to have intercourse with it: you will kill the woman and the animal. They will be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

17 "The man who marries his father's or his mother's daughter: if they have intercourse together, this is an outrage. They will be executed in public, for the man has had intercourse with his sister; he will bear the consequences of his guilt.

18 "The man who has intercourse with a woman during her monthly periods and exposes her nakedness: he has laid bare the source of her blood, and she has exposed the source of her blood, and both of them will be outlawed from their people.

19 "You will not have intercourse with your mother's sister or your father's sister. Whoever does so, has had intercourse with a close relation; they will bear the consequences of their guilt.

20 "The man who has intercourse with the wife of his paternal uncle has infringed his uncle's sexual prerogative; they will bear the consequences of their guilt and die childless.

21 "The man who marries his brother's wife: this is pollution; he has infringed his brother's sexual prerogative; they will die childless.

22 "You will keep all my laws, all my decisions, and put them into practice, so that the country where I am taking you to live will not vomit you out.

23 You will not follow the laws of the nations whom I am driving out before you; they practised all these things, which is why I detested them.

24 As I have already told you, you will take possession of their soil, I myself shall give you possession of it, a country flowing with milk and honey. "Since I, Yahweh your God, have set you apart from these peoples,

25 you for your part will make a distinction between clean animals and unclean ones and between unclean birds and clean ones, and will not make yourselves detestable with any animal or bird or reptile, which I have set apart from you as unclean.

26 "Be consecrated to me, for I, Yahweh, am holy, and I shall set you apart from all these peoples, for you to be mine.

27 "Any man or woman of yours who is a necromancer or magician will be put to death; they will be stoned to death; their blood will be on their own heads." '

Book of Leviticus Chapters

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