The Skeptics Annotated Bible (118 page)

32 Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and
honour the face of the old man
, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.

(19.32)
“Honour the face of the old man.”
Respect your elders.

33 And
if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.

(19.33)
“If a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him.”

34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and
thou shalt love him as thyself
; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.

(19.34)
“Thou shalt love him
[the stranger]
as thyself.”
112 How should strangers be treated?

35
Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment,
in meteyard,
in weight, or in measure.

(19.35)
“Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment … in weight, or in measure.”

36
Just balances, just weights
, a just ephah, and a just hin,
shall ye have
: I am the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt.

(19.36)
“Just balances, just weights … shall ye have.”
Treat others fairly; don’t cheat.

37 Therefore shall ye observe all my statutes, and all my judgments, and do them: I am the LORD.

20
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

(20.2-5) If you burn your children to death by “giving your seed to Molech,” you’ll be stoned to death.

2 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.

(20.2)
“Whosoever … giveth any of his seed unto Molech … the people … shall stone him with stones.”
66 Does God approve of human sacrifice?

3 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.

4 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:

5
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.

(20.4-5)
“If the people … hide their eyes from the man … and kill him not: Then I will set my face against that man, and against his family.”

6 And
the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.

(20.6) “
The soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”

7
Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy
: for I am the LORD your God.

(20.7)
“Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy.”
113 Is only God holy?

8 And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the LORD which sanctify you.

(20.9-16) People who must be stoned (or burned) to death.
23 Does God approve of capital punishment?