Leviticus 18

1 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,

And the Lord said to Moses,

2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, 'I am Yahweh your God.

Say to the children of Israel, I am the Lord your God.

3 You must not do the things that the people do in Egypt, where you lived previously. You must not do the things that the people do in Canaan, the land to which I am taking you. Do not follow their customs.

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 My laws are what you must do, and my commandments are what you must keep, so that you walk in them, because I am Yahweh your God.

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 Therefore you must keep my decrees and my laws. If a person obeys them, he will live because of them. I am Yahweh.

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

6 No one must sleep with any close relative to uncover his nakedness. I am Yahweh.

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

7 Do not dishonor your father by sleeping with your mother. She is your mother! You must not dishonor her.

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

8 Do not sleep with any of your father's wives; you must not dishonor your father like that.

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

9 Do not sleep with any sister of yours, whether she is the daughter of your father or the daughter of your mother, whether she was raised at your home or distant from you. You must not sleep with your sisters.

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 sleep with your son's daughter or with your daughter's daughter. That would be your own shame.

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 sleep with your father's wife's daughter, who was born of your father. She is your sister, and you must not sleep with her.

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

12 Do not sleep with your father's sister. She is a close relative to your father.

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

13 Do not sleep with your mother's sister. She is a close relative to your mother.

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

14 Do not dishonor the brother of your father by sleeping with his wife. Do not go near her for that purpose; 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 sleep with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not sleep with her.

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

16 Do not sleep with your brother's wife; do not dishonor him in this way.

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

17 Do not sleep with a woman and her daughter, or with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They are close relatives to her, and sleeping with them would be wicked.

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 You must not marry your wife's sister as a second wife and sleep with her while your first wife is alive.

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 sleep with a woman during her menstruation. She is unclean during that time.

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 sleep with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her in this way.

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

21 You must not give any of your children to put them into the fire, so that you sacrifice them to Molech, because you must not profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.

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 Do not sleep with other men as with a woman. This would be wicked.

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

23 Do not sleep with any animal and defile yourself with it. No woman must consider sleeping with any animal. This would be perversion.

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 in any of these ways, for in all these ways the nations are defiled, the nations that I will drive out from before you.

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 The land became defiled, so I punished their sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.

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, therefore, must keep my commandments and decrees, and you must not do any of these detestable things, neither the native-born Israelite nor the foreigner who lives 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 For this is the wickedness that the people in the land have committed, those who lived here before you, and now the land is 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 Therefore be careful so that the land does not vomit you up also after you have defiled it, as it vomited out the people who were before you.

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 Whoever does any of these detestable things, the persons who do such things will be cut off from among their people.

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

30 Therefore you must keep my command not to practice any of these detestable customs which were practiced here before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am Yahweh your God.'”

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.