Witchcraft And The Bible

Witches have been around since the dawn of man and up until the writing of the Torah everyone was free to believe, think, live and worship as was best suited and understood to their people, no matter how extreme or perverse it may have seemed to others. The Torah is the first five books of the Christian bible written by Hebrew Priests around 1491 B.C.E. Some argue, that the Torah was written by Moses. The oldest written accounts that I could find in my research that persecuted anyone for being a witch was in the Christian bible. I have included, in this blog, all the scripture I could find in the Christian bible that mentioned magick, witches or witchcraft.

Exodus 22:18

"Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live."

Leviticus 19:31

"Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God."

Leviticus 20:6

"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."

Leviticus 20:27

"A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit or that is a wizard shall surely be put to death. They shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them."

Deuteronomy 18:9-12

"When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee."

First Samuel 15:23

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king."

First Samuel 28:3-25

This is the story of the Witch of Endor from the King James Bible.

" Now Samuel had died and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. Saul gathered all of Israel and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines he was afraid and his heart trembled greatly. When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, neither by dreams, urim, or prophets, so Saul said to his servants: "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium that I may go to her and inquire of her." His servants said to him, "behold there is a medium at Endor." Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. They came to the woman by night. Saul spoke to her and said, "divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you." The woman said unto him, "Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and necromancers from the land. Why then are you lying a trap for my life to bring about my death?" Saul then swore to her by the Lord, "as the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing." Then the woman said, "whom shall I bring up for you?" Saul said, "bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel she cried out with a loud voice, and said to Saul, "why have you deceived me? You are Saul." Then the king said to her, "do not be afraid, what do you see?" The woman said to Saul, "I see God coming up out of the Earth." Then Saul said to her, "what is his appearance?" She said, "an old man is coming up and he's wrapped in a robe." Saul knew it was Samuel and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. Samuel then said to Saul, "why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" Saul answered, "I am in great distress for the Philistines are warring against me and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, neither by prophets or by dreams; therefore, I have summoned you up to tell me what I shall do." Samuel said, "why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek; therefore, the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also, with you , into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hands of the Philistines." Saul fell at once, full length, on the ground filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. There was no strength in him for he had not eaten all day or night. The woman came to Saul when she saw that he was terrified and said to him, "behold your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me. Now you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you and you eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way." Saul refused and said, "I will not eat," but his servants, together with the woman, urged him and he listened to their words. He arose from the Earth and sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house and she quickly killed it and took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it and put it before Saul and his servants and they ate. They then rose and went away that night.

First Chronicles 10:13-14

"So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord, even against the word of the Lord, which he kept not and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it, an inquired not of the Lord; therefore, he slew him and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse."

Second Chronicles 33:6

"And he caused his children to pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom: also he observed times and used enchantments and used witchcraft and dealt with a familiar spirit and with wizards; he wrought much evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger."

Second Kings 21:6

"And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards; he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger."

Isaiah 8:19

"And when they shall say unto you; "seek unto them that have familiar spirits and unto wizards that peep and mutter" should not a people seek unto their God, for the living to the dead?"

Acts 19:19

"Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together and burned them before all men, and they counted the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver."

Galatians 5:19-21

"Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, sedition's, heresies, envying s, murders, drunkenness, revelings and such like, of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Revelation 21:8

"But the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and murderers and whore mongers and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death."

Revelation 22:15

"For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whore mongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie."