^18:22You must not have sexual intercourse with a male as one has sexual intercourse with a woman;³² it is a detestable act.³³^18:23You must not have sexual intercourse³⁴ with any animal to become defiled with it, and a woman must not stand before an animal to have sexual intercourse with it;³⁵ it is a perversion.³⁶

Warning against the Abominations of the Nations

^18:24“ ‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things, for the nations which I am about to drive out before you³⁷ have been defiled with all these things.

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Footnotes

32 Heb “And with a male you shall not lay [as the] lyings of a woman” (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [], ). The specific reference here is to homosexual intercourse between males.
33 The Hebrew term תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, rendered “detestable act”) refers to the repugnant practices of foreigners, whether from the viewpoint of other peoples toward the Hebrews (e.g., Gen 43:32; 46:34; Exod 8:26) or of the Lord toward other peoples (see esp. Lev 18:26–27, 29–30). It can also designate, as here, detestable acts that might be perpetrated by the native peoples (it is used again in reference to homosexuality in Lev 20:13; cf. also its use for unclean food, Deut 14:3; idol worship, Isa 41:24; remarriage to a former wife who has been married to someone else in between, Deut 24:4).
34 See the note on v. above.
35 Heb “to copulate with it” (cf. Lev 20:16).
36 The Hebrew term תֶּבֶל (tevel, “perversion”) derives from the verb “to mix; to confuse” and therefore refers to illegitimate mixtures of species or violation of the natural order of things.
37 Heb “which I am sending away (Piel participle of שָׁלַח [shalakh, “to send”]) from your faces.” The rendering here takes the participle as anticipatory of the coming conquest events.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination. And you shall not lie with any animal and so make yourself unclean with it, neither shall any woman give herself to an animal to lie with it: it is perversion.

“Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these things, for by all these the nations I am driving out before you have become unclean,

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable.

“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.

“ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is detestable. You are not to have sexual intercourse with any animal, defiling yourself with it; a woman is not to present herself to an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.

“Do not defile yourselves by any of these practices, for the nations I am driving out before you have defiled themselves by all these things.

NLTNew Living Translation

“Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.

“A man must not defile himself by having sex with an animal. And a woman must not offer herself to a male animal to have intercourse with it. This is a perverse act.

“Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for the people I am driving out before you have defiled themselves in all these ways.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And you shall not lie with a male as lying with a woman; that is a detestable thing. And you shall not have sexual relations with any animal, becoming unclean with it; and a woman shall not stand before an animal to copulate with it—that is a perversion.

“ ‘You must not make yourself unclean in any of these things, because the nations whom I am driving out from your presence were made unclean by all of these.

KJV 1900King James Version

Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you:

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