Leviticus 18:21
ContextNET © | You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, 1 so that you do not profane 2 the name of your God. I am the Lord! |
NIV © | "‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. |
NASB © | ‘You shall not give any of your offspring to offer them to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God; I am the LORD. |
NLT © | "Do not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. |
MSG © | "Don't give any of your children to be burned in sacrifice to the god Molech--an act of sheer blasphemy of your God. I am GOD. |
BBE © | And you may not make any of your children go through the fire as an offering to Molech, and you may not put shame on the name of your God: I am the Lord. |
NRSV © | You shall not give any of your offspring to sacrifice them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. |
NKJV © | ‘And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. |
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HEBREW | |
LXXM | |
NET © [draft] ITL | |
NET © | You must not give any of your children as an offering to Molech, 1 so that you do not profane 2 the name of your God. I am the Lord! |
NET © Notes |
1 tn Heb “And from your seed you shall not give to cause to pass over to Molech.” Smr (cf. also the LXX) has “to cause to serve” rather than “to cause to pass over.” For detailed remarks on Molech and Molech worship see N. H. Snaith, Leviticus and Numbers (NCBC), 87-88; P. J. Budd, Leviticus (NCBC), 259-60; and J. E. Hartley, Leviticus (WBC), 333-37, and the literature cited there. It could refer to either human sacrifice or a devotion of children to some sort of service of Molech, perhaps of a sexual sort (cf. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). The inclusion of this prohibition against Molech worship here may be due to some sexual connection of this kind, or perhaps simply to the lexical link between זֶרַע (zera’) meaning “seed, semen” in v. 20 but “offspring” in v. 21. 2 tn Heb “and you shall not profane.” Regarding “profane,” see the note on Lev 10:10 above. |