Leviticus · Free Bible Version
Leviticus 20 Free Bible Version
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 The Lord told Moses,
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Tell the Israelites: These regulations are for both Israelites and foreigners living among them. Anyone who sacrifices their children to Molech must be executed. The community must stone them to death.
2 “Moreover, you shall tell the children of Israel, ‘Anyone of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners in Israel, who gives any of his offspring to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone that person with stones.
3 I will disown them and expel them from their people, because by sacrificing their children to Molech they have polluted my sanctuary and disgraced my reputation.
3 I also will set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given of his offspring to Molech, to defile my sanctuary, and to profane my holy name.
4 If the community decides to look the other way and not execute those who sacrifice their children to Molech, then I will take action against them myself.
4 If the people of the land all hide their eyes from that person when he gives of his offspring to Molech, and don’t put him to death,
5 I will disown them and their family, and expel them from their people—and not just them, but everyone who follows them in spiritually prostituting themselves with Molech.
5 then I will set my face against that man and against his family, and will cut him off, and all who play the prostitute after him to play the prostitute with Molech, from among their people.
6 I will also disown and expel from their people anyone who goes to mediums or spiritists and in this way commits spiritual prostitution with them.
6 “‘The person that turns to those who are mediums and wizards, to play the prostitute after them, I will even set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.
7 So dedicate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God.
7 “‘Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Yahweh your God.
8 Keep my rules and put them into practice. I am the Lord who makes you holy.
8 You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am Yahweh who sanctifies you.
9 Anyone who curses their father or mother must be executed. They have cursed their father or mother; they bear the responsibility for their punishment.
9 “‘For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon himself.
10 Any man who commits adultery with someone else's wife must be executed, as well as the woman.
10 “‘The man who 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 A man who has sex with his father's wife has brought shame on his father. Both the man and the woman must be executed. Both must surely be put to death; they bear the responsibility for their punishment.
11 “‘The man who lies with his father’s wife has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both of them shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon themselves.
12 A man who has sex with his daughter-in-law must be executed, as well as the woman. They have done something perverse; they bear the responsibility for their punishment.
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 shall be upon themselves.
13 Men who have sex with other men as with a woman have done something disgusting. They must be executed; they bear the responsibility for their punishment.
13 “‘If a man lies with a male, as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon themselves.
14 A man who marries both a woman and her mother has acted perversely. They must all be burned to death so that there will be no such wickedness among you.
14 “‘If a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness. They shall be burned with fire, both he and they, that there may be no wickedness among you.
15 A man who has sex with an animal must be executed, and the animal must be killed too.
15 “‘If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.
16 A woman who gives herself to an animal to have sex with it must be executed, along with the animal. They must both be killed; they bear the responsibility for their punishment.
16 “‘If a woman approaches any animal and lies with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them.
17 A man who marries his sister, whether she's his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, and they have sex, has done something shameful. They must be expelled from their people in front of everybody. He has brought shame on his sister; he bears the responsibility for his punishment.
17 “‘If a man takes his sister—his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter—and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is a shameful thing. They shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his iniquity.
18 A man who has sex with a woman having her period has exposed where her blood flow comes from, and she has too. They must both be expelled from their people.
18 “‘If a man lies with a woman having her monthly period, and uncovers her nakedness, he has made her fountain naked, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
19 Don't have sex with your aunt, whether on your father's or your mother's side, because it brings shame on your own family. Both will bear responsibility for their sin.
19 “‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, nor of your father’s sister, for he has made his close relative naked. They shall bear their iniquity.
20 A man who has sex with his uncle's wife brings shame on his uncle. They will bear responsibility for their sin; they shall die without having children.
20 If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness. They shall bear their sin. They shall die childless.
21 A man who marries his brother's wife does something that is unclean. He has brought shame on his brother; the couple will have no children.
21 “‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.
22 So keep all my rules and regulations, so that the land where I'm taking you to live won't vomit you out.
22 “‘You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them, that the land where I am bringing you to dwell may not vomit you out.
23 Don't follow the practices of the nations I'm expelling for you. I detested them because they did all these evil things.
23 You shall not walk in the customs of the nation which I am casting out before you; for they did all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.
24 But I have promised you that you will take over their land. I'm going to give it to you to own, a land that flows with milk and honey. I am the Lord your God, who has made you a distinctive people different from all others.
24 But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess it, a land flowing with milk and honey.” I am Yahweh your God, who has separated you from the peoples.
25 So make sure you observe the difference between clean and unclean animals and birds. Don't make yourselves unclean because of any animal or bird, or by anything that runs along the ground. I have made the difference clear: they are unclean for you.
25 “‘You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean. You shall not make yourselves abominable by animal, or by bird, or by anything with which the ground teems, which I have separated from you as unclean for you.
26 You shall be holy to me because I am holy. I am the Lord, and I have made you a distinctive people different from all other nations. You belong to me.
26 You shall be holy to me, for I, Yahweh, am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be mine.
27 Anyone, man or woman, who is a medium or a spiritist must be executed. They are to be stoned to death; they bear the responsibility for their punishment.”
27 “‘A man or a woman that is a medium or is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones. Their blood shall be upon themselves.’”
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)