< Leviticus 18 >

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them, I [am] the Lord your God.
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'I am Yahweh your God.
3 You shall not do according to the devices of Egypt, in which you lived: and according to the devices of the land of Chanaan, into which I bring you, you shall not do; and you shall not walk in their ordinances.
You must not do the things that the people do in Egypt, where you lived previously. You must not do the things that the people do in Canaan, the land to which I am taking you. Do not follow their customs.
4 You shall observe my judgements, and shall keep my ordinances, and shall walk in them: I [am] the Lord your God.
My laws are what you must do, and my commandments are what you must keep, so that you walk in them, because I am Yahweh your God.
5 So you shall keep all my ordinances, and all my judgements, and do them; which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] the Lord your God.
Therefore you must keep my decrees and my laws. If a person obeys them, he will live because of them. I am Yahweh.
6 No man shall draw near to any of his near kindred to uncover their nakedness; I [am] the Lord.
No one must sleep with any close relative to uncover his nakedness. I am Yahweh.
7 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother, for she is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.
Do not dishonor your father by sleeping with your mother. She is your mother! You must not dishonor her.
8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.
Do not sleep with any of your father's wives; you must not dishonor your father like that.
9 The nakedness of your sister by your father or by your mother, born at home or abroad, their nakedness you shall not uncover.
Do not sleep with any sister of yours, whether she is the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether she was raised at your home or distant from you. You must not sleep with your sisters.
10 The nakedness of your son's daughter, or your daughter's daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; because it is your nakedness.
Do not sleep with your son's daughter or with your daughter's daughter. That would be your own shame.
11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of the daughter of your father's wife; she is your sister by the same father: you shall not uncover her nakedness.
Do not sleep with your father's wife's daughter, who was born of your father. She is your sister, and you must not sleep with her.
12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister, for she is near akin to your father.
Do not sleep with your father's sister. She is a close relative to your father.
13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is near akin to your mother.
Do not sleep with your mother's sister. She is a close relative to your mother.
14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, and you shall not go in to his wife; for she is your relation.
Do not dishonor the brother of your father by sleeping with his wife. Do not go near her for that purpose; she is your aunt.
15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law, for she is your son's wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
Do not sleep with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not sleep with her.
16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness.
Do not sleep with your brother's wife; do not dishonor him in this way.
17 The nakedness of a woman and her daughter shall you not uncover; her son's daughter, and her daughter's daughter, shall you not take, to uncover their nakedness, for they are your kinswomen: it is impiety.
Do not sleep with a woman and her daughter, or with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They are close relatives to her, and sleeping with them would be wicked.
18 You shall not take a wife in addition to her sister, as a rival, to uncover her nakedness in opposition to her, while she is yet living.
You must not marry your wife's sister as a second wife and sleep with her while your first wife is alive.
19 And you shall not go in to a woman under separation for her uncleanness, to uncover her nakedness.
Do not sleep with a woman during her menstruation. She is unclean during that time.
20 And you shall not lie with your neighbour's wife, to defile yourself with her.
Do not sleep with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her in this way.
21 And you shall not give of your seed to serve a ruler; and you shall not profane my holy name; I [am] the Lord.
You must not give any of your children to put them into the fire, so that you sacrifice them to Molech, because you must not profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.
22 And you shall not lie with a man as with a woman, for it is an abomination.
Do not sleep with other men as with a woman. This would be wicked.
23 Neither shall you lie with any quadruped for copulation, to be polluted with it: neither shall a woman present herself before any quadruped to have connexion with it; for it is an abomination.
Do not sleep with any animal and defile yourself with it. No woman must consider sleeping with any animal. This would be perversion.
24 Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for in all these things the nations are defiled, which I drive out before you,
Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for in all these ways the nations are defiled, the nations that I will drive out from before you.
25 and the land is polluted; and I have recompensed their iniquity to them because of it, and the land is aggrieved with them that dwell upon it.
The land became defiled, so I punished their sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
26 And you shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and you shall do none of these abominations; neither the native, nor the stranger that joins himself with you:
You, therefore, must keep my commandments and decrees, and you must not do any of these detestable things, neither the native-born Israelite nor the foreigner who lives among you.
27 (for all these abominations the men of the land did who were before you, and the land was defiled, )
For this is the wickedness that the people in the land have committed, those who lived here before you, and now the land is defiled.
28 and lest the land be aggrieved with you in your polluting it, as it was aggrieved with the nations before you.
Therefore be careful so that the land does not vomit you up also after you have defiled it, as it vomited out the people who were before you.
29 For whoever shall do any of these abominations, the souls that do them shall be destroyed from amongst their people.
Whoever does any of these detestable things, the persons who do such things will be cut off from among their people.
30 And you shall keep mine ordinances, that you may not do any of the abominable practices, which have taken place before your time: and you shall not be polluted in them; for I [am] the Lord your God.
Therefore you must keep my command not to practice any of these detestable customs which were practiced here before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am Yahweh your God.'”

< Leviticus 18 >