Leviticus 18

1 The Lord told Moses,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

2 “Tell the Israelites: I am the Lord your God.

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.

3 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.

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 Do what I tell you and keep my rules. 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 If you keep my rules and do what I tell you, you will live. 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 Don't have sex with a close relative.

None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.

7 Don't shame your father by having sex with your mother. She is your mother; don't have sex with 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 Don't have sex with any of your father's wives and shame your father.

You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.

9 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.

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

You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family.

11 Don't have sex with the daughter of any of your father's wives and your father, 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 Don't have sex with your father's sister. She is a close relative of your father.

You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.

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

You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.

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

You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt.

15 Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Don't have sex with 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 Don't have sex with your brother's wife and bring shame on your brother.

You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.

17 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.

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 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.

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

You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.

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

You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.

21 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.

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

You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination.

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

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 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.

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 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.

Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.

26 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.

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

For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled.

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

So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you.

29 Consequently anyone who does any of these disgusting things must be expelled from their people.

Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people.

30 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.”

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.”