Leviticus 20

Consequences for Immoral Behavior Leviticus 20:6–11

⁶Verse 6. “‘The person that turns to those who are mediums, and to the 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. ⁷Verse 7. “‘Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Yahweh your God. ⁸Verse 8. You shall keep my statutes, and do them. I am Yahweh who sanctifies you. ⁹Verse 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 him. ¹⁰Verse 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.

¹¹Verse 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 them.

Sexual Immorality Defined Leviticus 20:12–21

¹²Verse 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 them. ¹³Verse 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 them. ¹⁴Verse 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. ¹⁵Verse 15. “‘If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.

¹⁶Verse 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. ¹⁷Verse 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. ¹⁸Verse 18. “‘If a man lies with a woman having her monthly period, and uncovers her nakedness; he has made naked her fountain, and she has uncovered the fountain of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

¹⁹Verse 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. ²⁰Verse 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. ²¹Verse 21. “‘If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is an impurity. He has uncovered his brother’s nakedness. They shall be childless.

Call to Holiness and Distinction Leviticus 20:22–27

²²Verse 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. ²³Verse 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. ²⁴Verse 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. ²⁵Verse 25. “‘You shall therefore make a distinction between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean fowl and the clean: and 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.

²⁶Verse 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. ²⁷Verse 27. “‘A man or a woman that is a medium, or is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’”