Leviticus 18

1 And the Lord said to Moses,

The Lord told Moses,

2 Say to the children of Israel, I am the Lord your God.

“Tell the Israelites: 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.

Don't follow the ways of Egypt where you used to live, and don't follow the ways of Canaan where I'm going to take you. Don't adopt their practices.

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.

Do what I tell you and keep my rules. 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.

If you keep my rules and do what I tell you, you will live. I am the Lord.

6 You may not have sex connection with anyone who is a near relation: I am the Lord.

Don't have sex with a close relative.

7 You may not have sex relations with your father or your mother: she is your mother, you may not take her.

Don't shame your father by having sex with your mother. She is your mother; don't have sex with her.

8 And you may not have sex relations with your father's wife: she is your father's.

Don't have sex with any of your father's wives and shame 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.

Don't have sex with your sister, whether she's your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, or whether she was born in the same house as you or somewhere else.

10 You may not have sex relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, for they are part of yourself;

Don't have sex with your granddaughter, your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, because that would be shameful thing for you.

11 Or your father's wife's daughter, the child of your father, for she is your sister.

Don't have sex with the daughter of any of your father's wives and 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.

Don't have sex with your father's sister. She is a close relative of your father.

13 You may not have sex connection with your mother's sister, for she is your mother's near relation.

Don't have sex with your mother's sister. She is a close relative of your mother.

14 You may not have sex relations with the wife of your father's brother, for she is of your family;

Don't bring shame on your uncle by having sex with his wife. She is your aunt.

15 Or with your daughter-in-law, for she is your son's wife, and you may not take her.

Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Don't have sex with her.

16 You may not have sex relations with your brother's wife, for she is your brother's.

Don't have sex with your brother's wife and bring shame on 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.

Don't have sex with both a woman and her daughter. Don't have sex with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They are her close relatives. That is something I loathe.

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.

Don't marry your wife's sister and have sex with her while your wife is still alive. They will be hostile wives to one other.

19 And you may not go near a woman or have sex relations with her when she is unclean, at her regular time.

Don't have sex with a woman during the time she is unclean because of her period.

20 And you may not have sex relations with your neighbour's wife, making yourself unclean with her.

Don't commit any sex act with any other man's wife. This would pollute you and make you unclean.

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.

Don't give any of your children as a human sacrifice to Molech, for you must not disgrace the character 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.

Don't have sex with a man as with a woman. That is something disgusting.

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.

Don't have sex with any animal. This would pollute you and make you unclean.

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:

A woman must not give herself to an animal to have sex with it. That is something disgusting. Don't pollute yourselves and make yourselves unclean by doing anything like this. That's the reason I'm expelling these nations from the land—they polluted themselves because of all these practices.

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 polluted, so I am punishing it for the sins committed by the people who live there, and the land will vomit them out.

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:

You, however, must do what I tell you and keep my rules. You must not do any of these disgusting acts, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living 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; )

The people who lived in the land before you practiced all these disgusting things, and the land became polluted.

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.

If you pollute the land, it will vomit you out just like it did the nations before you.

29 For all those who do any of these disgusting things will be cut off from among their people.

Consequently anyone who does any of these disgusting things must be expelled from their 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 accept my demand that you don't follow any of these disgusting practices done before you arrived. Don't pollute yourselves and make yourselves unclean. I am the Lord your God.”