Leviticus 18

1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

2 Speak to the children of Israel, and you shall say to them, I [am] the Lord your God.

“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD 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 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 You shall observe my judgments, and shall keep my ordinances, and shall walk in them: 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 So you shall keep all my ordinances, and all my judgments, and do them; which if a man do, he shall live in them: I [am] the Lord your God.

Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD.

6 No man shall draw near to any of his near kindred to uncover their nakedness; I [am] the Lord.

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

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.

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 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.

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

9 The nakedness of your sister by your father or by your mother, born at home or abroad, their nakedness you shall not uncover.

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 The nakedness of your son's daughter, or your daughter's daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; because it is your nakedness.

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

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.

You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister, for she is near akin to your father.

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

13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is near akin to your mother.

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

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.

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

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 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness.

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

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.

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 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 take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.

19 And you shall not go in to a woman under separation for her uncleanness, to uncover her nakedness.

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

20 And you shall not lie with your neighbor's wife, to defile yourself with her.

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

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 be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.

22 And you shall not lie with a man as with a woman, for it is an abomination.

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

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.

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 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 by any of these practices, for by all these things the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves.

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.

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

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 (for all these abominations the men of the land did who were before you, and the land was defiled, )

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

28 and lest the land be aggrieved with you in your polluting it, as it was aggrieved with the nations before you.

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

29 For whoever shall do any of these abominations, the souls that do them shall be destroyed from among their people.

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

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.”