Leviticus 20

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

1The LORD spoke to Moses. He said:

2Again, 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 any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones.

2Tell the people of Israel this. Anyone must not give one of his children to Molech, a false god. This is true for Israelites and for foreigners living in Israel. Whoever does it must be put to death. The people of the land must throw stones at him until he dies.

3And I 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.

3I will turn against that man. I will cut him off from his people. He gave his child to Molech. That made my holy tent unclean. It also brought shame on my holy name.

Note"Cut off from his people" means the person is no longer counted as part of Israel. It is not the same as being sent on a trip.

4And if the people of the land do any ways hide their eyes from the man, when he giveth of his seed unto Molech, and kill him not:

4The people of the land might look the other way. They might see a man give his child to Molech and not put him to death.

5Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off, and all that go a whoring after him, to commit whoredom with Molech, from among their people.

5Then I myself will turn against that man and his family. I will cut them off from their people. I will also cut off everyone who follows him and leaves me for Molech.

6And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

6Some people go to those who claim to talk with the dead or do magic. Anyone who leaves me to follow them is being unfaithful to me. I will turn against that person. I will cut him off from his people.

NoteThe King James Bible says "familiar spirits" and "wizards." These are not the wizards in storybooks. They were people who said they could talk with the dead or use magic power.

7Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God.

7So set yourselves apart for me, and be holy. I am the LORD your God.

8And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

8Keep my rules and live by them. I am the LORD, and I am the one who makes you holy.

9For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him.

9Anyone who curses his father or his mother must be put to death. He cursed his own father or mother. He brought this death on himself.

10And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, even he that committeth adultery with his neighbour’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

10A married man might have sex with another man's wife, his neighbor's wife. That breaks the promise of marriage. Both the man and the woman must be put to death.

11And 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.

11A man must not have sex with his father's wife. That shames his own father. Both of them must be put to death. They brought this on themselves.

12And 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.

12If a man has sex with his son's wife, both must be put to death. They have done a twisted thing. They brought this on themselves.

13If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

13If a man has sex with another man the way he would with a woman, both have done something God hates. They must be put to death. They brought this on themselves.

14And 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.

14A man might marry a woman and her mother too. That is very wicked. He and both women must be burned with fire. Then such wickedness will not stay among you.

15And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast.

15If a man has sex with an animal, he must be put to death. You must kill the animal too.

16And 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.

16A woman might go to an animal to have sex with it. Then you must kill the woman and the animal. Both must be put to death. They brought this on themselves.

17And 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 wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

17A man might marry his sister and have sex with her. She may be his father's daughter or his mother's daughter. That is a shameful thing. Both must be cut off in front of their people. He shamed his sister, and he must carry the guilt.

18And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.

18A man might have sex with a woman while she is bleeding each month. Then he has uncovered where her blood comes from, and so has she. Both of them must be cut off from their people.

19And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister, nor of thy father’s sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.

19Do not have sex with your mother's sister or your father's sister. Those women are your own close family. Both people will carry the guilt for it.

20And 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.

20If a man has sex with his uncle's wife, he shames his uncle. The two of them will carry their sin. They will die without children.

21And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.

21If a man marries his brother's wife, that is an unclean thing. He shames his brother. The two of them will have no children.

22Ye shall therefore keep all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: that the land, whither I bring you to dwell therein, spue you not out.

22So keep all my rules and all my laws, and live by them. Then the land I am bringing you to will not spit you out.

23And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them.

23Do not live the way the nations lived. I am driving them out ahead of you. They did all these things, and I turned away from them in disgust.

24But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.

24But I told you that their land will be yours. I will give it to you to keep. It is a land full of milk and honey. I am the LORD your God. I have set you apart from other people.

25Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean: and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast, or by fowl, or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground, which I have separated from you as unclean.

25So you must tell clean animals and unclean animals apart. Do the same with clean and unclean birds. Do not make yourselves unclean with any animal or bird. Do not do it with any creature that crawls on the ground. I have marked those as unclean for you.

Note"Clean" and "unclean" here do not mean washed or dirty. Clean animals were ones Israel could eat. Unclean animals were ones God told them not to eat or touch.

26And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.

26You must be holy for me, because I, the LORD, am holy. I have set you apart from other nations to be mine.

27A man also or 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.

27A man or a woman might claim to talk with the dead or do magic. That person must be put to death. People must throw stones at them until they die. They brought this on themselves.