Leviticus 18

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:

Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

2 Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: I am the Lord your God.

“Speak to the Israeli people and tell them [that I, Yahweh, say this] this: I am Yahweh, your God.

3 You shall not act according to the custom of the land of Egypt, in which you have lived; nor shall you behave according to the habit of the region of Canaan, into which I will lead you; neither shall you walk in their ordinances.

[So you must do what I want you to do]; you must not do the things that the people in Egypt, where you lived previously, do; and you must not do what is done by the people in Canaan, the land to which I am taking you. Do not imitate their behavior.

4 You shall accomplish my judgments, and you shall observe my precepts, and you shall walk in them. I am the Lord your God.

You must obey all of my laws [DOU], because it is I, Yahweh your God, [who am commanding those laws].

5 Keep my laws and judgments; when a man does these, he shall live by them. I am the Lord.

If you obey all my laws and decrees, you will continue to remain alive [for a long time]. I, Yahweh, [am the one who is promising that to you]. [These are some of my laws]:

6 No man shall approach her who is a close blood-relative to him, so as to uncover her nakedness. I am the Lord.

“Do not have sex with any of your close relatives. It is I, Yahweh, [who am commanding that].

7 You shall not expose the nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness.

“Do not disgrace your father by having sex with your mother [DOU].

8 You shall not expose the nakedness of your father’s wife; for it is the nakedness of your father.

“Do not have sex with any of your father’s [other] wives, because that would disgrace your father.

9 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, whether from father or from mother, whether she was born at home or abroad.

“Do not have sex with your sister or your stepsister; it does not matter whether she was born in your house or somewhere else.

10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter, or your daughter’s daughter; for it is your own nakedness.

“Do not have sex with your granddaughter, because that would disgrace you.

11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, whom she bore to your father, and who is your sister.

“Do not have sex with your half-sister, because she is your sister.

12 You shall not expose the nakedness of your father’s sister; for she is the flesh of your father.

“Do not have sex with your father’s sister, because she is your father’s close relative.

13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, because she is the flesh of your mother.

“Do not have sex with your mother’s sister, because she is your mother’s close relative.

14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, nor shall you approach his wife, who is joined to you by affinity.

“Do not disgrace your (uncle/father’s brother) by having sex with his wife, because she is your aunt.

15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law, for she is your son’s wife; neither shall you expose her dishonor.

“Do not have sex with [DOU] your daughter-in-law, because she is your son’s wife.

16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; for it is the nakedness of your brother.

“Do not have sex with your brother’s wife, because that would disgrace your brother.

17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your wife and her daughter. You shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, so as to uncover her dishonor; for they are her flesh, and such sexual intercourse is incest.

“Do not have sex with the daughter or granddaughter of any woman whom you have previously had sex with; they are [her] (OR, [your]) close relatives. Having sex with any of them would be a wicked thing to do.

18 You shall not take your wife’s sister as a rival mistress; nor shall you uncover her nakedness, while your wife is still living.

“While your wife is still living, do not marry your wife’s sister and have sex with her.

19 You shall not approach a woman who is undergoing menstruation, nor shall you uncover her foulness.

“Do not have sex with any woman while she is having her monthly menstrual period.

20 You shall not have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, nor shall you be defiled by the mingling of seed.

“Do not (defile yourself/make yourself unacceptable to me) by having sex with someone else’s wife.

21 You shall not give some of your seed to be consecrated to the idol Moloch, nor to pollute the name of your God. I am the Lord.

“Do not give any of your children to be burned to be a sacrifice to the god Molech, because that would show that you do not revere me [MTY], Yahweh, your God.

22 You shall not commit sexual acts with a male, in place of sexual intercourse with a female, for this is an abomination.

“No man should have sex with another man; that is detestable.

23 You shall not commit sexual acts with any animal, nor shall you be defiled by it. A woman shall not lie down with a beast, nor commit sexual acts with it; for this is wickedness.

“No one, man or woman, should (defile himself/cause himself to become unacceptable to me) by having sex with an animal; that is a perverse act.

24 Do not pollute yourselves with any of these things, by which all of the nations, which I will cast out in your sight, have been contaminated

“Do not (defile yourselves/cause yourselves to become unacceptable to me) in any of those ways, because doing those things is how the people of the nations that I expelled as you advanced became (unacceptable to me/defiled).

25 and by which the land has been polluted. I will visit the wickedness of the land, so that it may vomit out its inhabitants.

They even caused the land to become defiled, so I punished them for their sins, and [it was as though] the land vomited out the people who lived there.

26 Keep my ordinances and judgments, and do not do any of these abominations: the native born, as well as the settler, who sojourns among you.

You must all obey my laws and decrees. That includes you people who were born here and the foreigners who live among you.

27 For all these detestable things were done by the inhabitants of the land who were here before you, and they have polluted it.

All those detestable things were done by the people who lived in this land before you came here, and they caused the land to become defiled.

28 Therefore, beware, lest in a similar manner, it may vomit you out as well, if you do these same things, just as it vomited out the people who were before you.

So if you defile the land, I will get rid of [MET] you like I got rid of the people of those nations that were here before you came.

29 Every soul who shall commit any of these abominations shall perish from the midst of his people.

“You must not allow people who do any of those detestable things to associate with you who are my people.

30 Keep my commandments. Do not be willing to do the things which have been done by those who were before you, and do not be polluted by these things. I am the Lord your God.

Obey everything that I command you to do, and do not defile yourselves by practicing any of the detestable customs that were practiced [by the people who were there] before you came. I, Yahweh your God, [am the one who is commanding these things].”