< Leviticus 18 >

1 And the Lord said to Moses,
Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 Say to the children of Israel, I am the Lord your God.
“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.
3 You may not do those things which were done in the land of Egypt where you were living; and you may not do those things which are done in the land of Canaan where I am taking you, or be guided in your behaviour by their rules.
You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.
4 But you are to be guided by my decisions and keep my rules, and be guided by them: I am the Lord your God.
You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God.
5 So keep my rules and my decisions, which, if a man does them, will be life to him: I am the Lord.
Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD.
6 You may not have sex connection with anyone who is a near relation: I am the Lord.
None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
7 You may not have sex relations with your father or your mother: she is your mother, you may not take her.
You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
8 And you may not have sex relations with your father's wife: she is your father's.
You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.
9 You may not take your sister, the daughter of your father or of your mother, wherever her birth took place, among you or in another country.
You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
10 You may not have sex relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, for they are part of yourself;
You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family.
11 Or your father's wife's daughter, the child of your father, for she is your sister.
You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 You may not have sex connection with your father's sister, for she is your father's near relation.
You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
13 You may not have sex connection with your mother's sister, for she is your mother's near relation.
You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.
14 You may not have sex relations with the wife of your father's brother, for she is of your family;
You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt.
15 Or with your daughter-in-law, for she is your son's wife, and you may not take her.
You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her.
16 You may not have sex relations with your brother's wife, for she is your brother's.
You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.
17 You may not take as wife a woman and her daughter, or her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter, for they are of one family: it is an act of shame.
You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.
18 And you may not take as wife a woman and at the same time her sister, to be in competition with her in her life-time.
You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.
19 And you may not go near a woman or have sex relations with her when she is unclean, at her regular time.
You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
20 And you may not have sex relations with your neighbour's wife, making yourself unclean with her.
You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.
21 And you may not make any of your children go through the fire as an offering to Molech, and you may not put shame on the name of your God: I am the Lord.
You must not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.
22 You may not have sex relations with men, as you do with women: it is a disgusting thing.
You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination.
23 And you may not have sex relations with a beast, making yourself unclean with it; and a woman may not give herself to a beast: it is an unnatural act.
You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.
24 Do not make yourself unclean in any of these ways; for so have those nations whom I am driving out from before you made themselves unclean:
Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves.
25 And the land itself has become unclean; so that I have sent on it the reward of its wrongdoing, and the land itself puts out those who are living in it.
Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.
26 So then keep my rules and my decisions, and do not do any of these disgusting things, those of you who are Israelites by birth, or any others who are living with you:
But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you.
27 (For all these disgusting things were done by the men of this country who were there before you, and the land has been made unclean by them; )
For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled.
28 So that the land may not put you out from it, when you make it unclean, as it put out the nations which were there before you.
So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you.
29 For all those who do any of these disgusting things will be cut off from among their people.
Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people.
30 So then, keep my orders, so that you may not do any of these disgusting things which were done before you, or make yourselves unclean through them: I am the Lord your God.
You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”

< Leviticus 18 >