Leviticus Chapter 20
Showing all 27 verses for Leviticus Chapter 20.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, "
"The LORD spoke to Moses and said:"
This ordinary introduction reminds you that everything that follows, even the hardest parts, came from a God who was in active conversation with His people, not distant or silent. Jesus calls you to trust that God still speaks into the details of a community's life, wanting to guide it towards good.
"Again, 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. "
"Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite, or any foreigner living in Israel, who gives one of his children to Molech, must be put to death; the community is to stone him."
Child sacrifice to Molech was the ultimate betrayal of the vulnerable for the sake of a false god, and God's fierce response shows how seriously He takes the protection of children. Jesus calls you to see how deeply God defends the defenceless, and to let that same fierce love for children shape how you treat the vulnerable in your own life.
"And 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. "
"I myself will oppose that man and cut him off from his people, because he has given his child to Molech, defiling my sanctuary and dishonouring my holy name."
God says this sin defiles His sanctuary and profanes His name, showing that cruelty towards the vulnerable is never a private matter - it touches how God's whole character is represented in the world. Jesus calls you to remember that how you treat the weakest around you reflects on God Himself, so let your life honour Him by protecting rather than harming them.
"And 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: "
"If the people of the land look the other way when someone gives a child to Molech, and fail to put him to death,"
Turning a blind eye to this cruelty made the community complicit in it, showing that silence in the face of harm to the vulnerable is itself a moral failure. Jesus calls you to have the courage to act, not look away, when you see someone being hurt or exploited, even when it's easier not to get involved.
"Then 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. "
"then I myself will oppose that man and his family, and will cut off from their people both him and everyone who joins him in prostituting themselves to Molech."
Even here, God's response falls on those who actively pursued this cruelty, not on the innocent bystander swept along - His justice is precise, not indiscriminate. Jesus calls you to trust that God sees exactly who is responsible for harm, and that His justice is never careless or unfair.
"And 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. "
"If a person turns to mediums or spiritists, prostituting themselves by following them, I will oppose that person and cut them off from their people."
Seeking hidden knowledge through mediums instead of trusting God reveals a heart looking for control apart from Him. Jesus calls you to bring your questions and fears honestly to God rather than searching for shortcuts that leave your relationship with Him out of the picture.
"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. "
"Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God."
Being called to sanctify yourselves is really an invitation to let your identity as God's own people shape your choices, not a demand to earn approval. Jesus calls you to let His holiness draw you towards goodness out of love, not fear.
"And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you. "
"Keep my statutes and put them into practice. I am the LORD, who makes you holy."
Notice it's God who sanctifies - His people are made holy by His work, and their obedience is simply the fruit of that relationship, not the cause of it. Jesus calls you to rest in the fact that your goodness flows from what He has already done in you, not from your own striving to earn it.
"For 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. "
"Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death; he has cursed his parents, and he is responsible for the consequences."
Even here, the seriousness given to disrespecting parents shows how much God values the honour due to those who raised you. Jesus calls you to treat your parents with genuine respect and gratitude, recognising the weight that family bonds carry in God's eyes.
"And 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. "
"If a man commits adultery with another man's wife - specifically, with his neighbour's wife - both the man and the woman must be put to death."
Adultery breaks a promise that two people made before God, wounding trust at its very root. Jesus calls you to guard the promises you've made to those you love, understanding how deeply betrayal damages the ones who trusted you.
"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. "
"If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonoured his father; both of them must be put to death."
This law protects the sacredness of family bonds from being twisted into exploitation, recognising how deeply such betrayal damages a family's trust. Jesus calls you to guard the people closest to you from harm, keeping family relationships a place of safety rather than abuse.
"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. "
"If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death; they have committed a perversion."
Calling this 'confusion' names how deeply such exploitation twists the roles and trust that family relationships are meant to protect. Jesus calls you to be someone who protects rather than exploits the vulnerable people entrusted to your care.
"If 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. "
"If a man has sexual relations with another man as he would with a woman, both of them have done a detestable thing; they must be put to death."
This verse sits inside a specific ancient purity code that modern readers wrestle with; whatever era it addresses, the deeper heart-call running through this whole chapter is faithfulness, protecting the vulnerable, and not exploiting others - and Jesus calls you to hold every person, whoever they love, with the same welcome, dignity and non-judgement He showed everyone He met.
"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. "
"If a man marries both a woman and her mother, that is depraved; all three must be burned to death, so that no such depravity exists among you."
This law names a specific exploitation within a family, showing how seriously God takes the protection of people from being used by those who hold power over them. Jesus calls you to be vigilant against exploitation in any relationship, using whatever position you hold to protect rather than harm.
"And if a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death: and ye shall slay the beast. "
"If a man has sexual intercourse with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal too."
Even in this strange and ancient law, the underlying concern is keeping sexuality within its proper, dignified bounds rather than degrading it. Jesus calls you to treat intimacy as something sacred and relational, never reduced to something disordered or dehumanising.
"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. "
"If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill the woman and the animal; they must be put to death."
This law, like the one before it, treats sexual purity as something serious enough to warrant the strongest boundaries in that ancient community. Jesus calls you to bring the same seriousness to guarding purity and dignity in your own relationships today, out of respect for the sacredness God gives to intimacy.
"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 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. "
"If a man marries his sister, whether his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, and they have sexual relations, that is a disgraceful thing; they must be cut off in front of their people. He has violated his sister; he will bear the consequences of his guilt."
Naming incest between siblings as 'a wicked thing' protects the safety that family bonds are meant to provide, especially for those younger or more vulnerable within them. Jesus calls you to be a guardian of safety within your own family, never someone who exploits the trust and closeness family relationships require.
"And 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. "
"If a man sleeps with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has exposed it too; both of them will be cut off from their people."
This law asked a husband to show restraint and consideration during his wife's most physically vulnerable time, rather than disregarding her need for rest and dignity. Jesus calls you to be attentive and considerate towards those you love, especially in moments when they are physically or emotionally vulnerable.
"And 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. "
"Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister or your father's sister, because that exposes a close relative; both parties will bear the consequences of their guilt."
Protecting close family relationships from being sexualised kept those bonds safe places of trust rather than exploitation. Jesus calls you to keep the relationships closest to you defined by safety and respect, not blurred by anything that would damage the trust within them.
"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. "
"If a man sleeps with his uncle's wife, he has dishonoured his uncle; they will bear the consequences of their sin and will die without children."
Even the consequence named here, dying childless, points to how such betrayals of family trust unravel the very legacy and relationships they were meant to protect. Jesus calls you to build your life on faithfulness within your family, understanding that broken trust has ripple effects far beyond the moment itself.
"And 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. "
"If a man marries his brother's wife, that is impure; he has dishonoured his brother, and they will remain childless."
This law again guards the boundary of a brother's marriage from being violated, protecting trust within the wider family. Jesus calls you to respect the marriages and commitments of those around you, never treating someone else's covenant as an opportunity for yourself.
"Ye 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. "
"You must keep all my statutes and judgements and put them into practice, so that the land I am bringing you to live in does not vomit you out."
Keeping these statutes wasn't arbitrary - it was tied to actually being able to stay and flourish in the good land God was giving them. Jesus calls you to see that living by God's ways isn't a restriction on your freedom, but the very thing that lets you flourish where He has placed you.
"And 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. "
"Do not follow the customs of the nations I am driving out ahead of you; because they did all these things, I detested them."
God warns against copying the harmful patterns of the surrounding culture, not because those people were beyond His concern, but because their practices caused real damage. Jesus calls you to think critically about the norms around you, choosing what is genuinely good rather than simply following the crowd.
"But 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. "
"But I have told you: you will inherit their land; 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 other peoples."
God's gift of a good land flowing with milk and honey shows His heart is generous provision, not harsh restriction - the boundaries exist to protect a good gift, not spoil it. Jesus calls you to trust that God's guidelines for your life are meant to protect real blessing, not withhold it from you.
"Ye 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. "
"You must therefore distinguish between clean and unclean animals, and between unclean and clean birds; do not defile yourselves by eating any animal, bird, or creature that moves along the ground which I have set apart for you as unclean."
These dietary distinctions were a daily, physical reminder of Israel's call to live thoughtfully and distinctly rather than blend in unthinkingly. Jesus calls you to bring the same mindfulness to your daily choices, even the ordinary ones, as expressions of a life set apart for good.
"And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine. "
"You are to be holy to me, because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from other peoples to belong to me."
Being 'severed' or set apart wasn't about superiority, but about belonging distinctly to God for His purposes in the world. Jesus calls you to embrace your identity as someone set apart for good, not to feel separate from others in pride, but to represent Him well among them.
"A 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. "
"A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death; you are to stone them, and they are responsible for the consequences."
This severe penalty reflects how seriously ancient Israel guarded its people from being drawn away from trusting God into deceptive spiritual shortcuts. Jesus calls you, rather than fearing punishment, to simply keep your trust anchored in Him, so nothing false ever has room to take His place in your life.