The Skeptics Annotated Bible (125 page)

44 And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the feasts of the LORD.

24
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

2 Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually.

3 Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the LORD continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations.

4 He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before the LORD continually.

5 And thou shalt take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes thereof: two tenth deals shall be in one cake.

6 And thou shalt set them in two rows, six on a row, upon the pure table before the LORD.

7 And thou shalt put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be on the bread for a memorial, even an offering made by fire unto the LORD.

8 Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.

9 And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; and they shall eat it in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made by fire by a perpetual statute.

(24.10-16, 23)
Whoever curses or blasphemes must be stoned to death
A man curses and blasphemes while disputing with another man. Moses asks God what to do about it. God says that the whole community must stone him to death. “And the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.”
God’s 15th Killing
23 Does God approve of capital punishment?

10 And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and
this son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp
;

(24.10)
“This son of the Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp.”

11 And
the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses
: (and his mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)

(24.11)
“The Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses.”

12 And they put him in ward, that the mind of the LORD might be shewed them.

13
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,

14
Bring forth him that hath cursed
without the camp; and let all that heard him lay their hands upon his head,
and let all the congregation stone him.

(24.13-14)
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, bring forth him that hath cursed … and let all the congregation stone him.”

15 And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying,
Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.

(24.15)
“Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin.”

16 And
he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him
: as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the name of the LORD, shall be put to death.

(24.16)
“He that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him.”

(24.17-21) Miscellaneous barbaric laws.

17 And
he that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.

(24.17)
“He that killeth any man shall surely be put to death.”

18 And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast.

19 And
if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him
;

(24.19)
“If a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he hath done, so shall it be done to him.”

20
Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.

(24.20)
“Breach for breach, eye for eye, tooth for tooth: as he hath caused a blemish in a man, so shall it be done to him again.”

21 And he that killeth a beast, he shall restore it: and
he that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.

(24.21)
“He that killeth a man, he shall be put to death.”

22 Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger, as for one of your own country: for I am the LORD your God.

23 And
Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed out of the camp, and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.

(24.23)
“Moses spake to the children of Israel, that they should bring forth him that had cursed … and stone him with stones. And the children of Israel did as the LORD commanded Moses.”
(25.10)
“Proclaim liberty throughout all the land.”
42 Does God approve of slavery?

25
And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD.

3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof;

4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard.

5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land.

6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,

7 And for thy cattle, and for the beast that are in thy land, shall all the increase thereof be meat.

8 And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.

9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.