Leviticus 18

Unlawful Sexual Relations

18The Lord said to Moses, ²“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God.^{o 3}You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.^{p 4}You must obey my laws^q and be careful to follow my decrees.^r I am the Lord your God.^{s 5}Keep my decrees and laws,^t for the person who obeys them will live by them.^u I am the Lord.

⁶“ ‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.

⁷“ ‘Do not dishonor your father^v by having sexual relations with your mother.^w She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

⁸“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;^x that would dishonor your father.^y

⁹“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,^z either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.^a

¹⁰“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.

¹¹“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

¹²“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister;^b she is your father’s close relative.

¹³“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister,^c because she is your mother’s close relative.

¹⁴“ ‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.^d

¹⁵“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.^e She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.^f

¹⁶“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;^g that would dishonor your brother.

¹⁷“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.^h Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

¹⁸“ ‘Do not take your wife’s sisterⁱ as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

¹⁹“ ‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness^j of her monthly period.^k

²⁰“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife^l and defile yourself with her.

²¹“ ‘Do not give any of your children^m to be sacrificed to Molek,ⁿ for you must not profane the name of your God.^o I am the Lord.^p

²²“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;^q that is detestable.^r

²³“ ‘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.^s

²⁴“ ‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you^t became defiled.^{u 25}Even the land was defiled;^v so I punished it for its sin,^w and the land vomited out its inhabitants.^{x 26}But you must keep my decrees and my laws.^y The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, ²⁷for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸And if you defile the land,^z it will vomit you out^a as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

²⁹“ ‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. ³⁰Keep my requirements^b and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.^c’ ”