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The LORD spoke to Moses:
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“You shall say to the people of Israel: Any man, whether from among the people of Israel or from among the strangers who live in Israel’s midst, who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death; the people of the land shall stone him with stones.
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I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, with the intent of defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name.
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But if the people of the land close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death,
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then I myself will set my face against that man and against his clan, and will cut him off from among his people, together with all who go after him in unfaithfulness, committing unfaithfulness by worshiping Molech.
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The person who turns to mediums or to spiritists, committing unfaithfulness by seeking them, I myself will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.
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So you shall consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am the LORD your God.
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You shall keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
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If anyone curses his father or his mother, he shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood shall be upon himself.
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If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife, committing adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
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If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness; both of them shall surely be put to death, and their blood shall be upon themselves.
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If a man lies with his daughter-in-law, both of them shall surely be put to death; they have done a shameful thing, and their blood shall be upon themselves.
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If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have done an abomination; they shall surely be put to death, and their blood shall be upon themselves.
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If a man takes a woman and her mother, it is lewdness; he and the two women shall be burned with fire, so that there may be no lewdness among you.
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If a man lies with an animal, he shall surely be put to death, and you shall kill the animal also.
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If a woman approaches any animal to mate with it, you shall kill the woman and the animal; they shall surely be put to death, and their blood shall be upon themselves.
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If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter or his mother’s daughter, and they lie together, 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 guilt.
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If a man lies with a woman who is unclean because of her monthly impurity, and uncovers her nakedness and exposes her flow, while she has uncovered the flow of her blood, both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
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You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, for that is to uncover the nakedness of one’s own relative; they shall bear their guilt.
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If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered his uncle’s nakedness; they shall bear their sin, and they shall die childless.
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If a man takes his brother’s wife, it is impurity; he has uncovered his brother’s nakedness, and they shall be childless.
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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.
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You shall not walk in the customs of the nation that I am driving out before you, for they have done all these things, and I abhor them.
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But I have said to you: You shall inherit their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land flowing with milk and honey. I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the peoples.
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You shall therefore distinguish between the clean animal and the unclean, and between the unclean birds and the clean, so that you do not make yourselves detestable by animals, by birds, or by anything that creeps on the ground, which I have set apart for you as unclean.
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You shall be holy to Me, for I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
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If a man or a woman has a familiar spirit or a spirit of divination, they shall surely be put to death; they shall be stoned with stones, and their blood shall be upon themselves.”
🔥⚖️🚫 Summary of Leviticus 20 – Punishment for Grave Sin and the Call to Holiness
Leviticus 20 continues from Leviticus 18 and 19, but places greater emphasis on the serious consequences (death penalty or banishment) for various grave sins, especially those related to idolatry, sorcery, and sexual sin.
This chapter shows that holiness cannot be separated from the enforcement of law and judgment against sin.
🟥 1. Idolatry and Child Sacrifice (verses 1–5)
- Whoever offers his child to Molech → must be put to death.
- If the people close their eyes to that sin, the Lord Himself will oppose and destroy the offender and his family.
- The worship of Molech is a great evil because it defiles the name of the Lord and makes the land unclean.
🧙♀️ 2. Sorcery and Occult Practices (verses 6, 27)
- Anyone who seeks mediums, spirits, diviners → will be cut off from the people of the Lord.
- Mediums and spirit-callers → must be put to death by stoning.
The Lord requires a people who trust and depend fully on Him, not on dark powers.
⚠️ 3. Serious Sexual Sins and Their Penalties (verses 10–21)
- A list of forbidden sexual sins:
Adultery → death penalty
Same-sex relations (verse 13) → death penalty
Relations with a father’s wife, daughter-in-law, sister, aunt, etc. → banishment or death penalty
Relations with animals → death penalty
📌 This is not only a moral offense, but also an insult to the holiness of the body and the family institution.
🕊️ 4. A Call to Holiness and Distinction (verses 22–26)
- The people must obey the law of the Lord so that they will not be vomited out of the land like the nations before them.
- The Lord calls them:
“You shall be holy to Me, for I, the LORD, am holy…” (verse 26)
- The Lord also set His people apart from the other nations so that they would be His own special possession.
📖 Main Teaching
- Holiness requires firmness toward sin—not tolerance of deviation.
- Idolatry and occult practices are deeply hated by the Lord because they destroy relationship with Him.
- Sexual sin is not merely a personal offense, but sin against the body, the family, and the community.
- The Lord establishes moral standards so that His people will be different and become a light to the nations.
- God’s love does not cancel His justice—He is holy and just.
✨ Spiritual Meaning
- In the New Testament, physical punishments like this are no longer carried out as civil law, but the moral principle remains:
➤ Sin brings spiritual death, and requires genuine repentance. - Jesus came to bear the penalty for our sins on the cross, but not to tolerate sin.
- As followers of Christ, we are called to:
➤ Hate sin, love righteousness, and live holy lives. - Holiness is not only about worship, but also about sexuality, justice, relationships, and honesty.
- We are a chosen people set apart for the glory of the Lord (1 Peter 2:9).
