16 Bible Verses about Human Sacrifices

God tested Abraham. He said to him: Abraham! Abraham replied: Here I am. Take your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah. Offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you. Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey. He took two of his servants and his son Isaac with him. He had cut the wood for the burnt offering. Then he set out for the place that God had told him about.read more.
Two days later Abraham saw the place in the distance. He said to the servants: Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship. Then we will come back to you. Abraham made Isaac carry the wood for the sacrifice. Abraham carried a knife and live coals for starting the fire. As they walked along together, Isaac spoke up: Father! He answered: Yes, my son? Isaac asked: I see that you have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice? Abraham answered: God will provide one. And the two of them walked on together. They came to the place God had told him about. Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He tied up his son and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he picked up the knife to kill him. Jehovah's angel shouted from heaven: Abraham! Abraham! Here I am! he answered. Do not hurt the boy or harm him in any way! The angel said. Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son. Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it in place of his son.

Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech by burning them alive. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your God. I am Jehovah!

Tell the Israelites: 'If Israelites or foreigners living among you give one of their children as a sacrifice to the god Molech, they must be put to death. The common people must stone them to death. I will condemn them and exclude them from the people. They gave one of their children to Molech. They made my holy tent unclean, and dishonored my holy name.

Do not behave this way toward Jehovah your God, for every abominable act Jehovah hates they have done for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.

Do not sacrifice your children in the fires on your altars. Do not let your people practice divination or look for omens or use spells or charms.

The king of Moab realized that he was losing the battle. So he took seven hundred swordsmen with him and tried to force his way through the enemy lines and escape to the king of Edom. However they failed. He took his oldest son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him on the city wall as a sacrifice to the god of Moab. The Israelites were terrified and so they drew back from the city and returned to their own country.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he became king. He ruled sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what was right in the eyes of Jehovah his God, as David his father did. He walked in ways of the kings of Israel. He even offered his son to walk through the fire. He copied the disgusting ways of the nations. Jehovah sent the people of the nations out of the land before the children of Israel.

They broke all the laws of Jehovah their God. They made two metal bull-calves to worship. They also made an image of the goddess Asherah. Also they worshiped the stars and served the god Baal. They caused their sons and their daughters to go through the fire to be sacrificed. They made use of secret arts and unnatural powers, and gave themselves up to doing evil in the eyes of Jehovah, till they provoked him to anger.

He made his own son pass through fire. He burned him as an offering to Molech. He practiced reading the future; gave positions to those who had control of spirits and to wonder-workers. He did much evil in the eyes of Jehovah and provoked him to anger.

Josiah also made Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom unclean so that people would never again sacrifice their sons or daughters by burning them to the god Molech.

Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to rule. He ruled for sixteen years in Jerusalem. He did not do what Jehovah considered right, as his ancestor David had done. He followed the example of the kings of Israel. He even made metal idols for worshiping other gods such as the Baals. He burned sacrifices in the valley of Ben Hinnom. He sacrificed his son by burning him alive. This was one of the disgusting things done by the nations that Jehovah had driven out from the land Israel possessed.

He burned his son as a sacrifice in the valley of Ben Hinnom, he consulted fortunetellers, and he cast evil spells. He also practiced witchcraft, and appointed royal mediums and psychics. He did many things that made Jehovah furious.

They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their own sons and daughters whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land became polluted with blood.

The sons of Judah have done what is evil in my sight, declares Jehovah. They placed their detestable things in the house called by my name, to defile it. They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire. I did not command this. I would never think of such a thing. (It would not come from my heart.)

Then go out to the valley of Ben-hinnom (Hinnom Valley), which is by the entrance of the potsherd gate, and proclaim there the words that I tell you. Say: Hear the word of Jehovah, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Israel, 'Behold I am about to bring adversity upon this place. The ears of everyone who hears of it will quiver with fear. This is because they have forsaken me. They have made this an alien place and have burned sacrifices in it to other gods. These are gods that neither they nor their forefathers nor the kings of Judah had ever known. They have filled this place with the blood of the blameless (innocent).'read more.
They have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal. This is not something I commanded or spoke of, nor did it ever enter my mind (heart) (conscience).'

For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. Thus they have committed adultery with their idols and even caused their sons, whom they bore to me, to pass through the fire to them as food. Again, they have done this to me: they have defiled my sanctuary on the same day and have profaned my Sabbaths. For when they had slaughtered their children for their idols, they entered my sanctuary on the same day to profane it. Then they did within my house.