Study Desk

I will be against them and separate them from their people, because they gave their children to Molech. They showed that they did not respect my holy name. And they made my holy place unclean.

Maybe the common people will ignore them. Maybe they will not kill those who gave their children to Molech.

"A man must not have sexual relations with his uncle's wife. It would be like having sexual relations with his uncle. That man and his uncle's wife will be punished for their sins. They will die without children.

"It is wrong for a man to take his brother's wife. It would be like having sexual relations with his brother! They will have no children.

In this way people will show respect for his children. I, the Lord , have separated the high priest for his special work."

A priest's daughter might become a widow, or she might be divorced. If she does not have any children to support her, and she goes back to her father's house where she lived as a child, she can eat some of her father's food. But only people from a priest's family can eat this food.

Then they can leave you, take their children, and go back to their family. They can go back to the property of their ancestors,

Also, you may get children as slaves if they come from the families of the foreigners living in your land. These child slaves will belong to you.

You may even pass these foreign slaves on to your children after you die so that they will belong to them. They will be your slaves forever. You may make slaves of these foreigners. But you must not be a cruel master over your own brothers, the Israelites.

"Those who sold themselves will become free, even if no one buys them back. At the year of Jubilee, they and their children will become free.

"Then I will turn to you. I will let you have many children. I will keep my agreement with you.

I will send wild animals against you. They will take your children away from you. They will destroy your animals. They will kill many of your people. The roads will all be empty.

So Moses did what the Lord commanded. He counted all the firstborn children of the Israelites.

If that is true, you will have much trouble when you drink this special water. You will not be able to have any children. And if you are pregnant now, your baby will die. And the Lord will cause your people to speak evil of you and curse you.' "Then the priest must tell the woman to make an oath. She must agree for the Lord to cause these things to happen to her if she lies.

The priest must say, ‘You must drink this water that causes trouble. If you have sinned, you will not be able to have children. Any baby you have will die before it is born.' And the woman should say, ‘I agree to do as you say.'

If the woman has sinned against her husband, the water will bring her trouble. The water will go into her body and cause her much suffering. Any baby that is in her will die before it is born, and she will never be able to have children. All the people will turn against her.

But if the woman has not sinned against her husband and she is pure, the priest will say that she is not guilty. Then she will be normal and able to have children.

Every firstborn in Israel—man or animal—is mine, because I killed all the firstborn children and animals in Egypt. And I chose to take the firstborn sons to belong to me.

Did the Lord bring us to this new land to be killed in war? The enemy will kill us and take our wives and children! It would be better for us to go back to Egypt."

You said, ‘The Lord is slow to become angry. He is full of great love. He forgives those who are guilty and break the law. But he always punishes those who are guilty. He punishes them, and he also punishes their children, their grandchildren, and even their great-grandchildren for those bad things.'