HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 480
LEVIT IC U S 2 0
27 “Do not trim off the hair on your temples or
trim your beards.
28 “Do not cut your bodies for the dead, and do
not mark your skin with tattoos. I am the Lord.
29 “Do not defile your daughter by making her
a prostitute, or the land will be filled with prostitution and wickedness.
30 “Keep my Sabbath days of rest, and show
reverence toward my sanctuary. I am the Lord.
31 “Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the
dead. I am the Lord your God.
32 “Stand up in the presence of the elderly,
and show respect for the aged. Fear your God.
I am the Lord.
33 “Do not take advantage of foreigners who
live among you in your land. 34 Treat them like
native-born Israelites, and love them as you
love yourself. Remember that you were once
foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the
Lord your God.
35 “Do not use dishonest standards when
measuring length, weight, or volume. 36 Your
scales and weights must be accurate. Your containers for measuring dry materials or liquids
must be accurate.* I am the Lord your God who
brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 “You must be careful to keep all of my decrees and regulations by putting them into practice. I am the Lord.”
Punishments for Disobedience
The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the people
of Israel these instructions, which apply
both to native Israelites and to the foreigners living in Israel.
“If any of them offer their children as a sacrifice to Molech, they must be put to death.
20
• Sin
LE V IT IC U S 2 0 :1 -2 7
Sometimes it seems that the Old
Testament should come with a warning
label: CONTAINS VIOLENT CONTENT.
People are stoned to death, often for
crimes that would hardly bring a slap on
the wrist today. Why did God command
such harsh punishment? One of the
Old Testament’s major themes is the
absolute holiness of God, set against the
seriousness of sin. Sin destroys what God
created as good and eventually destroys
all relationships and the community
itself. Such severe punishment is best
understood as an extension of God’s
holiness and his great concern for the
well-being of his people.
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The people of the community must stone them
to death. 3 I myself will turn against them and
cut them off from the community, because they
have defiled my sanctuary and brought shame
on my holy name by offering their children to
Molech. 4 And if the people of the community
ignore those who offer their children to Molech
and refuse to execute them, 5 I myself will turn
against them and their families and will cut
them off from the community. This will happen
to all who commit spiritual prostitution by worshiping Molech.
6 “I will also turn against those who commit
spiritual prostitution by putting their trust in
mediums or in those who consult the spirits of
the dead. I will cut them off from the community.
7 So set yourselves apart to be holy, for I am
the Lord your God. 8 Keep all my decrees by putting them into practice, for I am the Lord who
makes you holy.
9 “Anyone who dishonors* father or mother
must be put to death. Such a person is guilty of
a capital offense.
10 “If a man commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the man and the woman who
have committed adultery must be put to death.
11 “If a man violates his father by having sex
with one of his father’s wives, both the man and
the woman must be put to death, for they are
guilty of a capital offense.
12 “If a man has sex with his daughter-in-law,
both must be put to death. They have committed a perverse act and are guilty of a capital
offense.
13 “If a man practices homosexuality, having
sex with another man as with a woman, both
men have committed a detestable act. They
must both be put to death, for they are guilty of
a capital offense.
14 “If a man marries both a woman and her
mother, he has committed a wicked act. The
man and both women must be burned to death
to wipe out such wickedness from among you.
15 “If a man has sex with an animal, he must
be put to death, and the animal must be killed.
16 “If a woman presents herself to a male
animal to have intercourse with it, she and the
animal must both be put to death. You must kill
both, for they are guilty of a capital offense.
17 “If a man marries his sister, the daughter of
either his father or his mother, and they have
sexual relations, it is a shameful disgrace. They
must be publicly cut off from the community.
Since the man has violated his sister, he will be
punished for his sin.
18 “If a man has sexual relations with a woman
during her menstrual period, both of them must
19:36 Hebrew Use an honest ephah [a dry measure] and
an honest hin [a liquid measure]. 20:9 Greek version reads
Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of. Compare Matt 15:4;
Mark 7:10.