Leviticus 18-20
1599 Geneva Bible
18 3 The Israelites ought not to follow the manners of the Egyptians and Canaanites. 6 The marriages that are unlawful.
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am the Lord your God.
3 After the [a]doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the manner of the land of Canaan, whither I will bring you, shall ye not do, neither walk in their ordinances.
4 But do after my judgments, and keep mine ordinances, to walk therein: I am the Lord your God.
5 Ye shall keep therefore my statutes, and my judgments, (A)which if a man do, he shall then live in them: [b]I am the Lord.
6 ¶ None shall come near to any of the kindred of his flesh to [c]uncover her shame: I am the Lord.
7 Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy father, nor the shame of thy mother, for she is thy mother, thou shalt not discover her shame.
8 (B)The shame of thy father’s [d]wife shalt thou not discover: for it is thy father’s shame.
9 Thou shalt not discover the shame of thy [e]sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home or born without: thou shalt not discover their shame.
10 The shame of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, thou shalt not, I say, uncover their shame: for it is thy [f]shame.
11 The shame of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father (for she is thy sister) thou shalt not, I say, discover her shame.
12 (C)Thou shalt not uncover the [g]shame of thy father’s sister: for she is thy father’s kinswoman.
13 Thou shalt not discover the shame of thy mother’s sister: for she is thy mother’s kinswoman.
14 Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy [h]father’s brother: that is, thou shalt not go in to his wife, for she is thine [i]aunt.
15 (D)Thou shalt not discover the shame of thy daughter-in-law: for she is thy son’s wife: therefore shalt thou not uncover her shame.
16 (E)Thou shalt not discover the shame of thy [j]brother’s wife: for it is thy brother’s shame.
17 Thou shalt not discover the shame of the wife and of her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son’s daughter, nor her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her shame: for they are thy kinsfolks, and it were wickedness.
18 Also thou shalt not take a wife with her sister, during her life to [k]vex her, in uncovering her shame upon her.
19 (F) Thou shalt not also go unto a woman to uncover her shame, as long as she is put [l]apart for her disease.
20 Moreover, thou shalt not give thy self to thy neighbor’s wife by carnal copulation, to be defiled with her.
21 (G)Also thou shalt not give thy [m]children to [n]offer them unto [o]Molech, neither shalt thou defile the Name of thy God: for I am the Lord.
22 Thou shalt not lie with the male as one lieth with a woman: for it is abomination.
23 (H)Thou shalt not also lie with any beast to be defiled therewith, neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: for it is [p]abomination.
24 Ye shall not defile yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the Nations are defiled which I will cast out before you:
25 And the land is defiled: therefore I will [q]visit the wickedness thereof upon it, and the land [r]shall vomit out her inhabitants.
26 Ye shall keep therefore mine ordinances, and my judgments, and commit none of these abominations, as well he that is of the same country, as the stranger that sojourneth among you.
27 (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled:
28 And shall not the land spew you out if ye defile it, as it [s]spewed out the people that were before you?)
29 For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, the persons that do so, shall [t]be cut off from among their people.
30 Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinances, that ye do not any of the abominable customs, which have been done before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: for I am the Lord your God.
19 A repetition of sundry Laws and Ordinances.
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto all the Congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, (I)Ye shall be [u]holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
3 ¶ Ye shall fear every man his mother and his father, and shall keep my Sabbath: for I am the Lord your God.
4 ¶ Ye shall not turn unto idols, nor make you molten gods: I am the Lord your God.
5 ¶ And when ye shall offer a peace offering unto the Lord, ye shall offer it [v]freely.
6 (J)It shall be eaten the day ye offer it, or on the morrow: and that which remaineth until the third day, shall be burnt in the fire.
7 For if it be eaten the third day, it shall be unclean, it shall not be [w]accepted.
8 Therefore he that eateth it, shall bear his iniquity, because he hath defiled the hallowed thing of the Lord, and that person shall be cut off from his people.
9 ¶ (K)When ye reap the harvest of your land, ye shall not reap every corner of your field, neither shalt thou gather the [x]gleanings of thy harvest.
10 Thou shalt not gather the grapes of thy vineyard clean, neither gather every grape of thy vineyard, but thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God.
11 ¶ Ye shall not steal, neither [y]deal falsely, neither lie one to another.
12 ¶ (L)Also ye shall not swear by my Name falsely, neither shalt thou defile the Name of thy God: I am the Lord.
13 ¶ Thou shalt not do thy neighbor [z]wrong, neither rob him. (M)The workman’s hire shall not abide with thee until the morning.
14 ¶ Thou shalt not curse the deaf, (N)neither put a stumbling block before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the Lord.
15 ¶ Ye shall not do unjustly in judgment: (O)Thou shalt not favor the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty, but thou shalt judge thy neighbor justly.
16 ¶ Thou shalt not [aa]walk about with tales among thy people: Thou shalt not [ab]stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am the Lord.
17 ¶ Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart, but thou shalt plainly rebuke thy neighbor, [ac]and suffer him not to sin.
18 ¶ Thou shalt not avenge, nor be mindful of wrong against the children of thy people, (P)but shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord.
19 ¶ Ye shall keep mine ordinances. Thou shalt not let thy cattle gender with [ad]others of divers kinds. Thou shalt not sow thy field with mingled seed, neither shall a garment of divers things, as of linen and woolen come upon thee.
20 ¶ Whosoever also lieth and meddleth with a woman that is a bondmaid, affianced to a husband, and not redeemed, nor freedom given her, [ae]she shall be scourged, but they shall not die, because she is not made free.
21 And he shall bring for his trespass offering unto the Lord, at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, a ram for a trespass offering.
22 Then the Priest shall make an atonement for him with the ram of the trespass offering before the Lord, concerning his sin which he hath done, and pardon shall be given him for his sin which he hath committed.
23 ¶ Also when ye shall come into the land, and have planted every tree for meat, ye [af]shall count the fruit thereof as uncircumcised: three years shall it be uncircumcised unto you: it shall not be eaten:
24 But in the fourth year all the fruit thereof shall be holy to the praise of the Lord.
25 And the fifth year shall ye eat of the fruit of it, that it may [ag]yield to you the increase thereof: I am the Lord your God.
26 ¶ Ye shall not eat the flesh with the [ah]blood: ye shall not use witchcraft, nor [ai]observe times.
27 (Q)Ye shall not [aj]cut round the corners of your heads, neither shalt thou [ak]mar the tufts of thy beard.
28 (R)Ye shall not cut your flesh for the [al]dead, nor make any print of a [am]mark upon you: I am the Lord.
29 ¶ Thou shalt not make thy daughter common, to cause her to be a [an]whore, lest the land also fall to whoredom, and the land be full of wickedness.
30 ¶ Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my Sanctuary: I am the Lord.
31 ¶ Ye shall not regard them that work with spirits, (S)neither Soothsayers: ye shall not seek to them to be defiled by them, I am the Lord your God.
32 ¶ Thou shalt [ao]rise up before the hoary head, and honor the person of the old man, and dread thy God: I am the Lord.
33 ¶ And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not [ap]vex him.
34 (T)But the stranger that dwelleth with you, shall be as one of yourselves, and thou shalt love him as thyself: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
35 ¶ Ye shall not do unjustly in judgment, in [aq]line, in weight, or in measure.
36 (U)You shall have just balances, true weights, a true [ar]Ephah, and a true Hin, I am the Lord your God, which have brought you out of the land of Egypt.
37 Therefore shall ye observe all mine ordinances, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the Lord.
20 2 They that give of their seed to Molech, must die. 6 They that have recourse to sorcerers. 10 The man that committeth adultery, 11 incest, or fornication with the kindred or affinity. 24 Israel a peculiar people to the Lord.
1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Thou shalt say also to the children of Israel, (V)Whosoever he be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that dwell in Israel, that giveth his children unto [as]Molech, he shall die the death, the people of the land shall stone him to death.
3 And I will [at]set my face against that man and cut him off from among his people, because he hath given his children unto Molech, for to defile my Sanctuary, and to pollute mine holy Name.
4 And if the [au]people of the land hide their eyes, and wink at that man when he giveth his children unto Molech, and kill him not,
5 Then will I 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.
6 ¶ If any turn after such as work with spirits, and after soothsayers to go a [av]whoring after them, then will I set my face against that person, and will cut him off from among his people.
7 ¶ Sanctify yourselves therefore, (W)and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.
8 Keep ye therefore mine ordinances, and do them: I am the Lord which doth sanctify you.
9 ¶ (X)If there be any that curseth his father or his mother he shall die the death, seeing he hath cursed his father and his mother, [aw]his blood shall be upon him.
10 ¶ (Y)And the man that committeth adultery with another man’s wife, because he hath committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall die the death.
11 And the man that lieth with his father’s wife, because he hath uncovered his father’s (Z)shame, they shall both die: their blood shall be upon them.
12 Also the man that lieth with his daughter-in-law, they both shall die the death, they have wrought [ax]abomination, their blood shall be upon them.
13 ¶ (AA) The man also that lieth with the male, as one lieth with a woman, they have both committed abomination: they shall die the death, their blood shall be upon them.
14 Likewise he that taketh a wife and her mother, [ay]committeth wickedness: they shall burn him and them with fire, that there be no wickedness among you.
15 (AB)Also the man that lieth with a beast, shall die the death, and ye shall slay the beast.
16 And if a woman come to any beast, and lie therewith, then thou shalt kill the woman and the beast: they shall die the death, their blood shall be upon them.
17 Also the man that taketh his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and seeth her shame, and she seeth his shame, it is villainy: therefore they shall be cut off in the sight [az]of their people, because he that uncovered his sister’s shame, he shall bear his iniquity.
18 (AC)The man also that lieth with a woman having her [ba]disease, and uncovereth her shame, and openeth her fountain, and she open the fountain of her blood, they shall be even both cut off from among their people.
19 Moreover, thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy mother’s sister, (AD)nor of thy father’s sister: because he hath uncovered his [bb]kin, they shall bear their iniquity.
20 Likewise the man that lieth with his father’s brother’s wife, and uncovereth his uncle’s shame: they shall bear their iniquity, and shall die [bc]childless.
21 So the man that taketh his brother’s wife, committeth filthiness, because he hath uncovered his brother’s [bd]shame, they shall be childless.
22 ¶ Ye shall keep therefore all mine (AE)ordinances and all my judgments, and do them, that the land whither I bring you to dwell therein, (AF)spew you not out.
23 Wherefore ye shall not walk in the manners of this nation which I cast out before you: for they have committed all these things, (AG)therefore I abhorred them.
24 But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, even a land that [be]floweth with milk and honey: I am the Lord your God, which have separated you from other people.
25 (AH)Therefore shall ye put difference between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean fowls and clean, neither shall ye [bf]defile your fowls with beasts and fowls, nor with any creeping thing, that the ground bringeth forth, which I have separated from you as unclean.
26 Therefore shall ye be (AI)holy unto me: for I the Lord am holy, and I have separated you from other people that ye should be mine.
27 ¶ (AJ)And if a man or woman have a spirit of divination, or soothsaying in them, they shall die the death: they shall stone them to death, their blood shall be upon them.
Footnotes
- Leviticus 18:3 Ye shall preserve yourselves from these abominations following, which the Egyptians and Canaanites use.
- Leviticus 18:5 And therefore ye ought to serve me alone, as my people.
- Leviticus 18:6 That is, to lie with her, though it be under title of marriage.
- Leviticus 18:8 Which is thy stepmother.
- Leviticus 18:9 Either by father or mother, born in marriage or otherwise.
- Leviticus 18:10 They are her children whose shame thou hast uncovered.
- Leviticus 18:12 Or, secrets.
- Leviticus 18:14 Which thine uncle doth discover.
- Leviticus 18:14 Hebrew, thy father’s brother’s wife.
- Leviticus 18:16 Because the idolaters, among whom God’s people had dwelt and should dwell, were given to these horrible incests, God chargeth his to beware of the same.
- Leviticus 18:18 By seeing thine affliction more bent to her sister than to her.
- Leviticus 18:19 Or while she hath her flowers.
- Leviticus 18:21 Hebrew, of thy seed.
- Leviticus 18:21 Or, to make them pass.
- Leviticus 18:21 Which was an idol of the Ammonites, unto whom they burned and sacrificed their children, 2 Kings 23:10. This seemed to be the chief and principal of all idols: and as the Jews write, was of a great stature, and hollow within, having seven places or chambers within him: one was to receive meal that was offered: another turtle doves: the third, a sheep: the fourth, a ram: the fifth a calf: the sixth an ox: the seventh a child. This idol’s face was like a calf: his hands were ever stretched out to receive gifts: his priests were called Chemarim, 2 Kings 23:5; Hos. 10:5; Zeph. 1:4.
- Leviticus 18:23 Or, confusion.
- Leviticus 18:25 I will punish the land where such incestuous marriages and pollutions are suffered.
- Leviticus 18:25 He compareth the wicked to evil humors and surfeiting, which corrupt the stomach, and oppress nature, and therefore must be cast out by vomit.
- Leviticus 18:28 Both for their wicked marriages, unnatural copulations, idolatry or spiritual whoredom with Molech and such like abominations.
- Leviticus 18:29 Either by the civil sword or by some plague that God will send upon such.
- Leviticus 19:2 That is, void of all pollution, idolatry, and superstition both of soul and body.
- Leviticus 19:5 Of your own accord.
- Leviticus 19:7 To wit, of God.
- Leviticus 19:9 Or, gatherings and leavings.
- Leviticus 19:11 In that which is committed to your credit.
- Leviticus 19:13 Or, oppress him by violence.
- Leviticus 19:16 As a slanderer, backbiter, or quarrel picker.
- Leviticus 19:16 By consenting to his death, or conspiring with the wicked.
- Leviticus 19:17 Hebrew, suffer not sin upon him.
- Leviticus 19:19 As a horse to leap an ass, or a mule a mare.
- Leviticus 19:20 Hebrew, a beating shall be, some read, they shall be beaten.
- Leviticus 19:23 It shall be unclean as that thing, which is not circumcised.
- Leviticus 19:25 Or, that God may multiply.
- Leviticus 19:26 Whether it be strangled, or otherwise.
- Leviticus 19:26 To measure lucky or unlucky days.
- Leviticus 19:27 As did the Gentiles in sign of mourning.
- Leviticus 19:27 Or, cut, or tear.
- Leviticus 19:28 Hebrew, soul or person.
- Leviticus 19:28 By whipping your bodies or burning marks therein.
- Leviticus 19:29 As did the Cyprians, and Locrians.
- Leviticus 19:32 In token of reverence.
- Leviticus 19:33 Or, do him wrong.
- Leviticus 19:35 As in measuring the ground.
- Leviticus 19:36 By these two measures he meaneth all others. Of Ephah, read Exod. 16:36, and of Hin, Exod. 29:40.
- Leviticus 20:2 By Molech he meaneth any kind of idol, Lev. 18:21.
- Leviticus 20:3 Read Lev. 17:10 and 18:21.
- Leviticus 20:4 Though the people be negligent to do their duty, and defend God’s right, yet he will not suffer wickedness to go unpunished.
- Leviticus 20:6 To esteem sorcerers or conjurers is spiritual whoredom, or idolatry.
- Leviticus 20:9 He is worthy to die.
- Leviticus 20:12 Or, confusion.
- Leviticus 20:14 It is an execrable and detestable thing.
- Leviticus 20:17 Hebrew, in the eyes of the children of their people.
- Leviticus 20:18 Or, flowers.
- Leviticus 20:19 Hebrew, flesh.
- Leviticus 20:20 They shall be cut off from their people, and their children shall be taken as bastards, and not counted among the Israelites.
- Leviticus 20:21 Read Lev.18:16.
- Leviticus 20:24 Full of abundance of all things.
- Leviticus 20:25 By eating them contrary to my commandment.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
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