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Penalties for Disobeying God's Laws

¹ The Lord told Moses ² to say to the community of Israel:

Death by stoning is the penalty for any citizens or foreigners in the country who sacrifice their children to the god Molech. ³ They have disgraced both the place where I am worshiped and my holy name, and so I will turn against them and no longer let them belong to my people. ⁴ Some of you may let them get away with human sacrifice, ⁵ but not me. If any of you worship Molech, I will turn against you and your entire family, and I will no longer let you belong to my people.

⁶ I will be your enemy if you go to someone who claims to speak with the dead, and I will destroy you from among my people. ⁷ Dedicate yourselves to me and be holy because I am the Lord your God. ⁸ I have chosen you as my people, and I expect you to obey my laws.

⁹ If you curse your father or mother, you will be put to death, and it will be your own fault.

¹⁰ If any of you men have sex with another man's wife, both you and the woman will be put to death.

¹¹ Having sex with one of your father's wives disgraces him. So both you and the woman will be put to death, just as you deserve. ¹² It isn't natural to have sex with your daughter-in-law, and both of you will be put to death, just as you deserve. ¹³ It's disgusting for men to have sex with one another, and those who do will be put to death, just as they deserve. ¹⁴ It isn't natural for a man to marry both a mother and her daughter, and so all three of them will be burned to death. ^15-16 If any of you have sex with an animal, both you and the animal will be put to death, just as you deserve.

¹⁷ If you marry one of your sisters, you will be punished, and the two of you will be disgraced by being openly forced out of the community. ¹⁸ If you have sex with a woman during her monthly period, both you and the woman will be cut off from the people of Israel. ¹⁹ The sisters of your father and mother are your own relatives, and you will be punished for having sex with any of them. ²⁰ If you have sex with your uncle's wife, neither you nor she will ever have any children. ²¹ And if you marry your sister-in-law, neither of you will ever have any children.^[a]

²² Obey my laws and teachings. Or else the land I am giving you will become sick of you and throw you out. ²³ The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things, and I hated them for it, so don't follow their example. ²⁴ I am the Lord your God, and I have promised you their land that is rich with milk and honey. I have chosen you to be different from other people. ²⁵ That's why you must make a difference between animals and birds that I have said are clean and unclean^[b]—this will keep you from becoming disgusting to me. ²⁶ I am the Lord, the holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too. ²¹ And if you marry your sister-in-law, neither of you will ever have any children.^[a]

²² Obey my laws and teachings. Or else the land I am giving you will become sick of you and throw you out. ²³ The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things, and I hated them for it, so don't follow their example. ²⁴ I am the Lord your God, and I have promised you their land that is rich with milk and honey. I have chosen you to be different from other people. ²⁵ That's why you must make a difference between animals and birds that I have said are clean and unclean^[b]—this will keep you from becoming disgusting to me. ²⁶ I am the Lord, the holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too.

²⁷ If you claim to receive messages from the dead, you will be put to death by stoning, just as you deserve.