Leviticus 18

1 The LORD said to Moses,

The Lord told Moses,

2 "Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'I am the LORD your God.

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

3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived: and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you; neither shall you walk in their statutes.

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 ordinances, and you shall keep my statutes, and 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 You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances; which if a man does, 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 "'None of you shall approach anyone who are his close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.

Don't have sex with a close relative.

7 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother. You shall 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 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife: it is your father's nakedness.

Don't have sex with any of your father's wives and shame your father.

9 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home, or born 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 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter, or of your daughter's daughter, even their nakedness: for theirs is your 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 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, conceived by your father, since she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness.

Don't have sex with the daughter of any of your father's wives and your father, she is your sister.

12 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister: she is your father's flesh.

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

13 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister: for she is your mother's flesh

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

14 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, you shall not approach his wife: she is your aunt.

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

15 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law: she is your son's wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Don't have sex with her.

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

Don't have sex with your brother's wife and bring shame on your brother.

17 "'You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter. You shall not take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are near kinswomen: it is wickedness.

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 "'You shall not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival, to uncover her nakedness, while her sister is yet alive.

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 "'You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.

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

20 "'You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife, and defile yourself with her.

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

21 "'You shall not give any of your children to sacrifice to Molech; neither shall you profane the name of your 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 "'You shall not have sexual relations with a male, as with a woman. That is detestable.

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

23 "'You shall not have sexual relations with any animal to become defiled with it, nor shall any woman give herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it. It is a perversion.

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

24 "'Do not defile yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled.

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 The land was defiled: therefore I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out her 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 You therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner 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 abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land became defiled);

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

28 that the land not vomit you out also, when you defile it, 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 "'For whoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.

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

30 Therefore you shall keep my requirements, that you do not practice any of these abominable customs, which were practiced before you, and that you do not defile yourselves with them: 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.”