21 “You are not to sacrifice any of your children in the fire[a] to Molech.(A) Do not profane the name(B) of your God; I am the Lord.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 18:21 Lit to make any of your children pass through the fire

21 And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the Lord.

Read full chapter

Molech Worship and Spiritism

20 The Lord spoke to Moses: “Say to the Israelites: Any Israelite or alien residing in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech(A) must be put to death; the people of the country are to stone him.(B) I will turn[a] against that man and cut him off from his people, because he gave his offspring to Molech, defiling my sanctuary(C) and profaning my holy name.(D) But if the people of the country look the other way when that man[b] gives any of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, then I will turn against that man and his family, and cut off from their people both him and all who follow[c] him in prostituting(E) themselves with Molech.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 20:3 Lit will set my face, also in vv. 5,6
  2. 20:4 Lit country ever close their eyes from that man when he
  3. 20:5 Lit prostitute themselves with

Punishments for Sin

20 The Lord said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.(A) The members of the community are to stone him.(B) I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;(C) for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled(D) my sanctuary(E) and profaned my holy name.(F) If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,(G) I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

Read full chapter

20 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

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.

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.

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:

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.

Read full chapter

31 They have built the high places of Topheth[a](A) in Ben Hinnom Valley[b](B) in order to burn their sons and daughters in the fire,(C) a thing I did not command; I never entertained the thought.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 7:31 Lit of the fireplace
  2. 7:31 A valley south of Jerusalem

31 They have built the high places of Topheth(A) in the Valley of Ben Hinnom(B) to burn their sons and daughters(C) in the fire—something I did not command, nor did it enter my mind.(D)

Read full chapter

31 And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart.

Read full chapter