Leviticus 18
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
The Lord told Moses,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: I am the Lord your God.
“Tell the Israelites: I am the Lord your God.
3 You shall not do according to the custom of the land of Egypt, in which you dwelt: neither shall you act according to the manner of the country of Chanaan, into which I will bring you, nor shall you walk in their ordinances.
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 You shall do my judgments, and shall observe my precepts, and shall walk in them. I am the Lord your God.
Do what I tell you and keep my rules. I am the Lord your God.
5 Keep my laws and my judgments, which if a man do, he shall live in them. I am the Lord.
If you keep my rules and do what I tell you, you will live. I am the Lord.
6 No man shall approach to her that is near of kin to him, to uncover her nakedness. I am the Lord.
Don't have sex with a close relative.
7 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother: she is thy mother, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
Don't shame your father by having sex with your mother. She is your mother; don't have sex with her.
8 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s wife: for it is the nakedness of thy father.
Don't have sex with any of your father's wives and shame your father.
9 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy sister by father or by mother, whether born at home or abroad.
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 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or thy daughter’s daughter: because it is thy own nakedness.
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 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, whom she bore to thy father, and who is thy sister.
Don't have sex with the daughter of any of your father's wives and your father, she is your sister.
12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: because she is the flesh of thy father.
Don't have sex with your father's sister. She is a close relative of your father.
13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: because she is thy mother’s flesh.
Don't have sex with your mother's sister. She is a close relative of your mother.
14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother: neither shalt thou approach to his wife, who is joined to thee by affinity.
Don't bring shame on your uncle by having sex with his wife. She is your aunt.
15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: because she is thy son’s wife, neither shalt thou discover her shame.
Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Don't have sex with her.
16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: because it is the nakedness of thy brother.
Don't have sex with your brother's wife and bring shame on your brother.
17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy wife and her daughter. Thou shalt not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to discover her shame: because they are her flesh, and such copulation is incest.
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 Thou shalt not take thy wife’s sister for a harlot, to rival her, neither shalt thou discover her nakedness, while she is yet living.
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 Thou shalt not approach to a woman having her flowers, neither shalt thou uncover her nakedness.
Don't have sex with a woman during the time she is unclean because of her period.
20 Thou shalt not lie with thy neighbour’s wife, nor be defiled with mingling of seed.
Don't commit any sex act with any other man's wife. This would pollute you and make you unclean.
21 Thou shalt not give any of thy seed to be consecrated to the idol Moloch, nor defile the name of thy 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 Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind, because it is an abomination.
Don't have sex with a man as with a woman. That is something disgusting.
23 Thou shalt not copulate with any beast, neither shalt thou be defiled with it. A woman shall not lie down to a beast, nor copulate with it: because it is a heinous crime.
Don't have sex with any animal. This would pollute you and make you unclean.
24 Defile not yourselves with any of these things with which all the nations have been defiled, which I will cast out before you,
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 with which the land is defiled: the abominations of which I will visit, that it may vomit out its inhabitants.
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 Keep ye my ordinances and my judgments, and do not any of these abominations: neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among 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 detestable things the inhabitants of the land have done, that; were before you, and have defiled it.
The people who lived in the land before you practiced all these disgusting things, and the land became polluted.
28 Beware then, lest in like manner, it vomit you also out, if you do the like things, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
If you pollute the land, it will vomit you out just like it did the nations before you.
29 Every soul that shall commit any of these abominations, shall perish from the midst of his people.
Consequently anyone who does any of these disgusting things must be expelled from their people.
30 Keep my commandments. Do not the things which they have done, that have been before you, and be not defiled therein. 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.”
