Leviticus 18

1 Yahweh also said to Moses/me,

And 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.

Say to the children of Israel, 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 may not do those things which were done in the land of Egypt where you were living; and you may not do those things which are done in the land of Canaan where I am taking you, or be guided in your behaviour by their rules.

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

But you are to be guided by my decisions and keep my rules, and be guided by 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]:

So keep my rules and my decisions, which, if a man does them, will be life to him: I am the Lord.

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

You may not have sex connection with anyone who is a near relation: I am the Lord.

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

You may not have sex relations with your father or your mother: she is your mother, you may not take her.

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

And you may not have sex relations with your father's wife: she is your father's.

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 may not take your sister, the daughter of your father or of your mother, wherever her birth took place, among you or in another country.

10 “Do not have sex with your granddaughter, because that would disgrace you.

You may not have sex relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, for they are part of yourself;

11 “Do not have sex with your half-sister, because she is your sister.

Or your father's wife's daughter, the child of your father, for she is your sister.

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

You may not have sex connection with your father's sister, for she is your father's near relation.

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

You may not have sex connection with your mother's sister, for she is your mother's near relation.

14 “Do not disgrace your (uncle/father’s brother) by having sex with his wife, because she is your aunt.

You may not have sex relations with the wife of your father's brother, for she is of your family;

15 “Do not have sex with [DOU] your daughter-in-law, because she is your son’s wife.

Or with your daughter-in-law, for she is your son's wife, and you may not take her.

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

You may not have sex relations with your brother's wife, for she is your brother's.

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 may not take as wife a woman and her daughter, or her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter, for they are of one family: it is an act of shame.

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

And you may not take as wife a woman and at the same time her sister, to be in competition with her in her life-time.

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

And you may not go near a woman or have sex relations with her when she is unclean, at her regular time.

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

And you may not have sex relations with your neighbour's wife, making yourself unclean 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.

And you may not make any of your children go through the fire as an offering to Molech, and you may not put shame on the name of your God: I am the Lord.

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

You may not have sex relations with men, as you do with women: it is a disgusting thing.

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.

And you may not have sex relations with a beast, making yourself unclean with it; and a woman may not give herself to a beast: it is an unnatural act.

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 make yourself unclean in any of these ways; for so have those nations whom I am driving out from before you made themselves unclean:

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.

And the land itself has become unclean; so that I have sent on it the reward of its wrongdoing, and the land itself puts out those who are living in it.

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

So then keep my rules and my decisions, and do not do any of these disgusting things, those of you who are Israelites by birth, or any others who are living with 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 all these disgusting things were done by the men of this country who were there before you, and the land has been made unclean by them; )

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 that the land may not put you out from it, when you make it unclean, as it put out the nations which were there before you.

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

For all those who do any of these disgusting things will be cut off from among their 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].”

So then, keep my orders, so that you may not do any of these disgusting things which were done before you, or make yourselves unclean through them: I am the Lord your God.