1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Moreover, thou shalt say to the children of Israel, Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that giveth of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I also will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from among his people; because he hath given of his seed unto Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name. 4 And if the people of the land do at all hide their eyes from that man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and put him not to death; 5 then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that play the harlot after him, to play the harlot with Molech, from among their people. 6 And the soul that turneth unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto the wizards, to play the harlot after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. 7 Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am Jehovah your God. 8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am Jehovah who sanctifieth you. 9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him. 10 And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death. 11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife hath uncovered his father’s nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 12 And if a man lie with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death: they have wrought confusion; their blood shall be upon them. 13 And if a man lie with mankind, as with womankind, both of them have committed abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 14 And if a man take a wife and her mother, it is wickedness: they shall be burnt with fire, both he and they; that there be no wickedness among you. 15 And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast. 16 And if a woman approach unto any beast, and lie down thereto, thou shalt kill the woman, and the beast: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. 17 And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a shameful thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity. 18 And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath made naked her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people. 19 And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister; for he hath made naked his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity. 20 And if a man shall lie with his uncle’s wife, he hath uncovered his uncle’s nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless. 21 And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is impurity: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless. 22 Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all mine ordinances, and do them; that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, vomit you not out. 23 And ye shall not walk in the customs of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. 24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey: I am Jehovah your God, who hath separated you from the peoples. 25 Ye shall therefore make a distinction between the clean beast and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by bird, or by anything wherewith the ground teemeth, which I have separated from you as unclean. 26 And ye shall be holy unto me: for I, Jehovah, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that ye should be mine. 27 A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood shall be upon them.
Leviticus · American Standard Version (1901)
Leviticus 20 American Standard Version (1901)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Moses
Drawn from the Nile, he led Israel out of Egypt and received God's Law.
Cited in the guide: Exodus 2–Deuteronomy 34
Cross references (26)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 2 Deuteronomy 21:21; Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 24:23; Leviticus 24:14; Leviticus 20:27
- 3 Leviticus 18:21; Leviticus 17:10; Ezekiel 23:38–39; Ezekiel 5:11; 2 Corinthians 6:16
- 4 Deuteronomy 17:2–5; Acts 17:30; 1 Samuel 3:13–14; 1 Kings 20:42; Deuteronomy 13:8
- 5 Psalm 106:39; Hosea 2:13; Hosea 2:5; Leviticus 17:7; Jeremiah 32:39
- 6 Leviticus 19:31; Isaiah 8:19; Deuteronomy 18:10–14; 1 Chronicles 10:13–14; Leviticus 20:27
- 7 Leviticus 11:44; Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:15–16; Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 3:12
- 8 Exodus 31:13; James 1:22; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Revelation 22:14; Leviticus 21:8
- 9 Exodus 21:17; Mark 7:10; Deuteronomy 27:16; Matthew 15:4; Proverbs 20:20
- 10 John 8:4–5; Deuteronomy 22:22–24; Deuteronomy 5:18; Leviticus 18:20; Exodus 20:14
- 11 Deuteronomy 27:23; Deuteronomy 27:20; Leviticus 18:7–8; 1 Corinthians 5:1; Amos 2:7
- 12 Leviticus 18:15; Genesis 38:18; Leviticus 18:23; Deuteronomy 27:23; Genesis 38:16
- 13 1 Corinthians 6:9; Leviticus 18:22; Jude 7; 1 Timothy 1:10; Deuteronomy 23:17
- 14 Leviticus 18:17; Deuteronomy 27:23; Amos 2:7; Joshua 7:15; Joshua 7:25
- 15 Leviticus 18:23; Deuteronomy 27:21; Exodus 22:19
- 16 Exodus 19:13; Hebrews 12:20; Exodus 21:32; Exodus 21:28
- 17 Leviticus 18:9; Deuteronomy 27:22; Genesis 20:12; Ezekiel 22:11; 2 Samuel 13:12
- 18 Leviticus 18:19; Leviticus 15:24; Ezekiel 22:10; Ezekiel 18:6
- 19 Leviticus 18:6; Exodus 6:20; Leviticus 18:12–30
- 20 Leviticus 18:14; Job 18:19; Psalm 109:13; Jeremiah 22:30; Luke 1:25
- 21 Leviticus 18:16; Matthew 14:3–4
- 22 Leviticus 18:25–28; Ezekiel 36:27; Leviticus 18:4–5; Psalm 119:20; Psalm 105:45
- 23 Leviticus 18:24; Deuteronomy 9:5; Leviticus 18:30; Leviticus 18:3; Leviticus 18:27
- 24 Deuteronomy 14:2; Exodus 3:8; Exodus 6:8; Exodus 3:17; Deuteronomy 7:6
- 25 Deuteronomy 14:3–21; Leviticus 11:1–47; Ephesians 5:7–11; Acts 10:11–15; Acts 10:28
- 26 1 Peter 1:15–16; Leviticus 20:7; Leviticus 20:24; Leviticus 19:2; Deuteronomy 7:6
- 27 Leviticus 19:31; Leviticus 20:6; 1 Samuel 28:7–9; Deuteronomy 18:10–12; Exodus 22:18
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… put no obstacle to godliness in our way, if we are ever carried away by ingratitude, and, forgetting their benefits to us, hold them in contempt, then the oracle will have place which says, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)