Leviticus 18

1 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

Then the LORD said to Moses,

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

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

3 [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.

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

You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God.

5 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]:

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

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

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

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

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

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

9 “Do not have sex with your sister or your stepsister; it does not matter whether she was born in your house 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 “Do not have sex with your granddaughter, because that would disgrace you.

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

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

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

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

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

14 “Do not disgrace your (uncle/father’s brother) by having sex with his wife, because 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 “Do not have sex with [DOU] your daughter-in-law, because she is your son’s wife.

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

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

17 “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.

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

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

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

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

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

21 “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.

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

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

23 “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.

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/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).

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 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.

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

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

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

28 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.

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

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

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

30 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].”

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.”