Chapter 18

Laws on Immoral Relations

1 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘aI am the Lord your God.

3 ‘You shall not do 1what is adone in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do 1what is bdone in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes.

4 ‘You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, 1to live in accord with them; aI am the Lord your God.

5 ‘So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, aby which a man may live if he does them; I am the Lord.

6 ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative 1of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord.

7 ‘aYou shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you are not to uncover her nakedness.

8 ‘aYou shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness.

9 ‘aThe nakedness of your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover.

10 ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for 1their nakedness is yours.

11 ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, 1born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness.

12 ‘aYou shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s blood relative.

13 ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s blood relative.

14 ‘aYou shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother; you shall not approach his wife, she is your aunt.

15 ‘aYou shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife, you shall not uncover her nakedness.

16 ‘aYou shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness.

17 ‘aYou shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are blood relatives. It is 1lewdness.

18 ‘You shall not 1marry a woman in addition to 2her sister 3as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness.

19 ‘aAlso you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her bmenstrual impurity.

20 ‘aYou shall not have intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her.

21 ‘You shall not give any of your offspring ato 1offer them to Molech, nor shall you bprofane the name of your God; I am the Lord.

22 ‘aYou shall not lie with a male as 1one lies with a female; it is an abomination.

23 ‘aAlso you shall not have intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to 1mate with it; it is a perversion.

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these athe nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled.

25 ‘For the land has become defiled, atherefore I have brought its 1punishment upon it, so the land bhas spewed out its inhabitants.

26 ‘But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you

27 (for the men of the land who have been before you have done all these abominations, and the land has become defiled);

28 so that the land will not spew you out, should you defile it, as it has spewed out the nation which has been before you.

29 ‘For whoever does any of these abominations, 1those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people.

30 ‘Thus you are to keep aMy charge, that you do not practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves with them; bI am the Lord your God.’ ”