56 Bible Verses about Holiness, Worldly Separation
Most Relevant Verses
The nations I am chasing out did these disgusting things. I hated them for it! So do not follow their example. I am Jehovah your God. I have promised you their land that is rich with milk and honey. I have chosen you to be different from other people. That is why you must make a difference between animals and birds that I have said are clean and unclean. This will keep you from becoming disgusting to me.read more.
I am Jehovah, the Holy God. You have been chosen to be my people, and so you must be holy too.
Moses said: If you are not going with us, please do not make us leave this place. If you do go with us, everyone will know that you are pleased with your people and with me. That way, we will be different from the rest of the people on earth.
You must separate the Israelites from anything that keeps them from being presentable to me. Otherwise they will die. This is because they defile my tent, which is among them, and make it unclean.
Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people. Therefore you must follow my instructions. Do not live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am Jehovah your God!'
Jehovah your God will bring you into the land you are to possess. He will clear away many nations ahead of you. The nations he will clear: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, Hivites, and the Jebusites. These seven nations are larger and mightier than you. Jehovah your God will deliver them to you. You must crush them! Completely destroy them. You should make no covenant with them. Do not show them mercy. Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons.read more.
They will lead your young people away from me to serve other gods. So the anger of Jehovah will be kindled against you and will destroy you suddenly. Deal with them in this way: Destroy their altars and break down their sacred pillars. Cut down their idols and burn them with fire. You are a holy people to Jehovah your God. Jehovah your God has chosen you to be his own special people out of all the nations of the earth.
Guard yourself from every evil thing when your army goes to war against your enemies. If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission he must go outside the camp. He may not reenter the camp. When evening approaches he should bathe himself with water. He may reenter the camp at sundown.read more.
Set up a toilet area outside the camp and go out there. Keep a spade among your tools. When you sit down outside use the spade to dig and cover up your excrement. Jehovah your God walks in the middle of your camp. He is there to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you. Therefore your camp must be holy. He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.
After these things were done, the captains came to me and said: The people of Israel and the priests and Levites have not kept themselves separate from the people of the lands. They have taken part in the disgusting ways of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. They have taken their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons. They have mingled the holy race with peoples around them. In fact the leaders and officials were first to do this evil.
Get out of her my people! Touch no unclean thing! Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the vessels of Jehovah.
This is the law about animals, birds, and every living creature that swims in the water and every creature that swarms on the ground. This law helps you distinguish between clean and unclean, the animals you may eat and those you may not eat.'
Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron: Tell the Israelites: 'Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat: You may eat all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud.read more.
You must not eat those that either chew their cud or have divided hoofs. These are the kinds you must never eat: You must never eat camels. Camels are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs. Never eat rock badgers. Rock badgers are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs. You must never eat rabbits. Rabbits are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs. Never eat pigs. Pigs have completely divided hoofs but do not chew their cud. They are also unclean. Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you. Here are the kinds of creatures that live in the water that you may eat. You may eat anything in the seas and streams that have fins and scales. On the other hand, you must consider all swarming creatures living in the seas or the streams that have no fins or scales disgusting. They must remain disgusting to you. Never eat their meat. Consider their dead bodies repulsive. Every creature in the water without fins or scales is offensive to you. Here are the kinds of birds you must consider disgusting and must not eat. They are eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures, kites, all types of buzzards, all types of crows, ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons, little owls, cormorants, great owls, swans, pelicans, ospreys, storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats. Every swarming, winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you. However, you may eat winged insects that swarm if they use their legs to hop on the ground. You may eat any kind of locust, cricket, katydid, or grasshopper. Every kind of winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you.
Do not eat any detestable thing. These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope (chamois) and the mountain sheep.read more.
You may eat any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in two and chews the cud. Do not eat of these that chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel and the rabbit and the shaphan. Even though they chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof. They are unclean for you. The pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. Do not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses. These you may eat of all that are in water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat. Do not eat anything that does not have fins and scales. It is unclean for you. You may eat any clean bird. These are the ones you should not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, and every raven in its kind, and the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds, the swan, the great owl, the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. And all the teeming life with wings is unclean to you. Do not eat them.
He called the crowd again and said: Listen and understand! Nothing that goes into a person from the outside can make him unclean. That which comes from inside of a man can make him unclean. If any man has ears to hear, let him hear.read more.
When he entered the house away from the crowd his disciples asked him to explain. He replied: Do you not understand? Do you not know that which goes into the man from the outside cannot defile him? It is because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach and is eliminated? All foods are clean.
If any of you have a sore on your skin or a boil or an inflammation that could develop into a dreaded skin disease, you shall be brought to the priest. The priest will examine the sore. If the hairs in it have turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the surrounding skin, it is a dreaded skin disease, and the priest will pronounce you unclean.
the following regulations about the ritual purification of those of you cured of a dreaded skin disease: On the day you are to be pronounced clean, you should be brought to the priest.
When there is mildew on clothing, whether wool or linen, or on any woven piece of linen or wool cloth or on leather or anything made of leather, if it is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest.
Jehovah spoke to Moses and Aaron: When you come to Canaan that I am going to give to you, mildew may appear in a house. The owner of that house must come and tell the priest that there is something that looks like mildew in his house.read more.
Before the priest examines the house, he will order everything taken out of it so that nothing in the house will become unclean. Then the priest will go inside to examine the house.
Tell the Israelites: 'When a woman gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for seven days. This is the same number of days she is unclean for her monthly period.
Tell the Israelites: 'When a man has a discharge from his body, his discharge is unclean.
If you touch anything unclean such as an unclean dead body of a wild or tame animal or the body of an unclean, swarming creature and then ignore what you did, you are unclean and will be guilty. If you become unclean by touching human uncleanness of any kind and then ignore it knowing what you did you will be guilty.
Of all the swarming creatures that move on the ground, these are unclean for you. He who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. When the dead body of one of these creatures falls on something, that thing will be unclean. It may be a wooden article, clothing, leather, a sack, or anything used for any purpose. It should be put in water and will be unclean until evening. It will then be clean again. If any of these creatures falls into a piece of pottery, break the pottery because everything in it is unclean.read more.
If water from that pottery touches any food, the food is unclean. Any liquid that you drink from that pottery is unclean. Anything on which their dead bodies fall is unclean. If it is an oven or a stove, smash it. It is unclean and will remain unclean for you. A spring or a cistern holding water will remain clean. But anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean. If their dead bodies fall on seed that is to be planted, the seed is clean. If water is poured on the seed and their dead bodies fall on it, the seed is unclean for you. When any animal that you are allowed to eat dies, whoever touches its dead body will be unclean until evening. Those who eat any of its dead body must wash their clothes. They will be unclean until evening. Those who carry its dead body away will wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening.
Jehovah gave Moses these instructions for Aaron's sons, the priests: Touching a dead body will make you unclean. So do not go near a dead relative,
You must learn the difference (distinction) between what is holy and what is not holy and between the clean and the unclean. You must also teach the people of Israel everything that I commanded Moses to say to them.
They must teach my people the difference between what is holy and what is unholy. They must show the people how to tell the difference between what is clean and what is unclean.
They shouted: Men of Israel, help! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place; and moreover he brought Greeks also into the temple, and defiled this holy place.
We have been put to shame. We have been disgraced. Shame covers our faces, because foreigners have gone into the holy places of Jehovah's temple.
Jehovah said to Moses: Command the Israelites to send outside the camp anyone who has a serious skin disease or a discharge or anyone who is unclean from touching a dead body. Send all of these unclean men and women outside the camp. They must not make this camp where I live among you unclean.
Ezra the priest got to his feet and said to them: You have done wrong and taken strange women for your wives, thus increasing the sin of Israel. Give praise to Jehovah, the God of your fathers, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the strange women.
Jehovah continued to speak to Moses: Tell the Israelites: 'Never eat any fat from bulls, sheep, or goats. The fat from an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals you may use for any other purpose. However, you must not eat it.read more.
Those who eat the fat from an animal they sacrificed by fire to Jehovah must be excluded from the people. Never eat the blood of any bird or animal no matter where you live. Those who eat any blood must be excluded from the people.'
If you have a dreaded skin disease, you must wear torn clothes, leave your hair uncombed, cover the lower part of your face, and call out: Unclean, unclean! You remain unclean as long as you have the disease. You must live outside the camp, away from others.
When you bring a peace offering to Jehovah, sacrifice it properly so that you will be accepted. Eat your sacrifice on the day you bring it and on the next day. On the third day burn whatever is left over. If you eat any of it on the third day, it is repulsive and will not be accepted.read more.
Those who eat it will be punished because they have dishonored what is holy to Jehovah. They must be excluded from the people.
Those who touch a corpse and do not purify themselves remain unclean. This is because the water for purification has not been thrown over them. They defile Jehovah's tent, and they will no longer be considered God's people.
If there is among you any man who is unclean because of a nocturnal emission he must go outside the camp. He may not reenter the camp. When evening approaches he should bathe himself with water. He may reenter the camp at sundown. Set up a toilet area outside the camp and go out there.read more.
Keep a spade among your tools. When you sit down outside use the spade to dig and cover up your excrement. Jehovah your God walks in the middle of your camp. He is there to deliver you and to defeat your enemies before you. Therefore your camp must be holy. He must not see anything indecent among you or He will turn away from you.
King Uzziah had a skin disease until the day he died. Since he had a skin disease, he lived in a separate house and was barred from Jehovah's Temple. His son Jotham was in charge of the royal palace and governed the country.
The person who eats the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings that belong to Jehovah, in his uncleanness, that person will be cut off from his people. When someone touches anything unclean, whether human uncleanness, or an unclean animal, or any unclean detestable thing, and eats of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace offerings which belong to Jehovah, that person shall be cut off from his people.'
Tell them: 'In future generations if any of your descendants, while unclean, comes near the holy offerings the Israelites set apart for Jehovah, that person must be excluded from my presence. I am Jehovah. None of the descendants of Aaron who has a dreaded skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the sacred offerings until he is ritually clean. Any priest is unclean if he touches anything that is unclean through contact with a corpse or if he has an emission of semen or if he has touched an unclean animal or person.read more.
Any priest who becomes unclean remains unclean until evening. Even then he may not eat any of the sacred offerings until he has taken a bath.
Jehovah spoke to Moses: If any of you fail to do your duty by unintentionally doing something wrong with any of Jehovah's holy things, bring a guilt offering to Jehovah. It must be a ram that has no defects or its value in silver weighed according to the official standards of the holy place. You must make the payments you have failed to hand over and must pay an additional twenty percent. Give it to the priest. The priest will offer the animal as a sacrifice for your sin. You will be forgiven.
Jehovah continued to speak to Moses: Tell Aaron and his sons that they must respect the holy offerings that the Israelites set apart for me. In this way they will not dishonor my holy name. I am Jehovah.
Jehovah continued: Go to the people and tell them to spend today and tomorrow purifying themselves for worship. They must wash their clothes. They should be ready in three days. I will descend to Mount Sinai, where all of them can see me. Warn the people that they are forbidden to touch any part of the mountain. Anyone who touches the mountain will be put to death,read more.
with stones or arrows, and no one must touch the body of a person killed in this way. Even an animal that touches this mountain must be put to death. You may go up the mountain only after a signal is given on the trumpet.
Make linen undergarments to cover them down to their thighs. Aaron and his sons must wear them when they go into the tent of meeting or when they come near the altar to serve as priests in the holy place. They will be blameless and will not die. This is a long lasting law for him and his descendants.
Make a copper basin with a bronze stand for washing. Put it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and fill it with water. Aaron and his sons will use it for washing their hands and feet. Before they go into the tent of meeting, they must wash so that they will not die. Before they come near the altar to serve as priests and burn an offering by fire to Jehovah.read more.
They must wash their hands and feet, so that they will not die. This is a long lasting rule that they and their descendants are to observe.
You are to observe the Sabbath. It is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it will absolutely be put to death. Whoever does any work on it will be removed from his people. Work may be done for six days. The seventh day there is a Sabbath of complete rest. It is holy to Jehovah. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day will definitely be put to death.
When Aaron and his sons finished covering the holy things and the camp is ready to move, the Kohathites will come to carry all the holy articles. They must never touch the holy things, or they will die. The Kohathites will carry all the things from the tent of meeting.
He that despised Moses' Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. What about those who despise the Son of God? Those who treat as a cheap thing the blood of God's covenant that purified them from sin? Those who insult the Spirit of grace? Think how much worse the punishment they deserve will be!
Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu each took an incense burner. They put burning coals and incense in it. Then in Jehovah's presence they offered this unauthorized fire. A fire flashed from Jehovah and burned them. They died in the presence of Jehovah.
Korah son of Izhar, Dathan and Abiram sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth dared to challenge Moses. Korah was a descendant of Kohath and Levi. Dathan, Abiram, and On were descendants of Reuben. These four men were joined by two hundred and fifty Israelite men, well known leaders of the congregation. The assembly chose them. They came together to confront Moses and Aaron. They said: You have gone far enough! Everyone in the whole congregation is holy. Jehovah is among them. Why do you set yourselves above Jehovah's assembly?read more.
When Moses heard this, he bowed with his face touching the ground. Then he said to Korah and all his followers: In the morning Jehovah will show who belongs to him, who is holy. He will have that person come near him. Only the person Jehovah chooses will be allowed to come near him. Korah, you and all your followers must do this tomorrow: Take incense burners, Put burning coals and incense in them in Jehovah's presence. Jehovah will choose the man who is holy. You have gone far enough!
Some of the men of Bethshemesh looked inside the Ark. Jehovah killed seventy of them. This made the people of Bethshemesh very sad. They said: No other God is like Jehovah! Who can go near him and still live? We must send the chest away from here. But where can we send it?
As they came to the threshing place of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Ark of the Covenant. At once Jehovah God became angry with Uzzah. He killed him because of his irreverence. Uzzah died there beside the Ark of the Covenant.
Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the profane. They have not taught the difference between the unclean and the clean. They hide their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.
But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. They kept back part of the money. His wife was also knowledgeable of the transaction. They brought part of the funds to the apostles. Peter said: Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the money from the land sale?read more.
While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your power? Why did you conceive this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God. Hearing these words Ananias fell down and died. Great fear came over all those who heard these things. The young men arose, covered him up, and carried him out, and buried him. About three hours later, his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. Peter said to her: Tell me whether you sold the land for such a price? And she said: Yes, we did. Then Peter said: How is it that you have agreed together to put Jehovah's Spirit to the test? Look, those who buried your husband are at the door to carry you out. Then she fell down at his feet and died. The young men came in, and found her dead. They carried her out to be buried by her husband.
If you were of the world, the world would love its own. I chose you out of the world. The world hates you because you are not of the world.
Adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity (hatred) (hostility) toward God? Whoever would be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a people for God's own possession, that you may show the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. In time past you were no people, but now you are the people of God. You had not then received, but now have received mercy (compassion) (divine kindness). Beloved, I request that you as aliens and strangers abstain from fleshly lust (desires), which causes conflict in you.
I gave them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world even as I am not of the world.
The foundation of God stands firm having this seal: Jehovah knows those who belong to him, and: Everyone who names the name of Jehovah is to abstain from wickedness.
Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for the fatherless persons and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself without spot from the world.
