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Leviticus 18
New International Version

Unlawful Sexual Relations

18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God.(A) 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.(B) 4 You must obey my laws(C) and be careful to follow my decrees.(D) I am the Lord your God.(E) 5 Keep my decrees and laws,(F) for the person who obeys them will live by them.(G) 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(H) by having sexual relations with your mother.(I) She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

8 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;(J) that would dishonor your father.(K)

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

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;(N) she is your father’s close relative.

13 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister,(O) 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.(P)

15 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.(Q) She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.(R)

16 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;(S) that would dishonor your brother.

17 “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.(T) 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 sister(U) 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(V) of her monthly period.(W)

20 “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife(X) and defile yourself with her.

21 “‘Do not give any of your children(Y) to be sacrificed to Molek,(Z) for you must not profane the name of your God.(AA) I am the Lord.(AB)

22 “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;(AC) that is detestable.(AD)

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.(AE)

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(AF) became defiled.(AG) 25 Even the land was defiled;(AH) so I punished it for its sin,(AI) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.(AJ) 26 But you must keep my decrees and my laws.(AK) The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27 for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28 And if you defile the land,(AL) it will vomit you out(AM) 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. 30 Keep my requirements(AN) 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.(AO)’”

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Leviticus 18
New American Standard Bible

Laws on Immoral Relations

18 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘(A)I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do [a]what is (B)done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do [b]what is (C)done 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, [c]to live in accord with them; (D)I am the Lord your God. 5 So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, (E)which, if [d]a person [e]follows them, then he will live by them; I am the Lord.

6 ‘None of you shall approach any blood relative [f]of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord. 7 (F)You 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 (G)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 9 As for (H)the nakedness of your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born in the household or born outside the household, you shall not uncover their nakedness. 10 The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for [g]their nakedness is yours. 11 The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father, she is your sister; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 12 (I)You 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 (J)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 (K)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 (L)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 17 (M)You 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 an outrageous sin. 18 And you shall not [h]marry a woman in addition to her sister [i]as a second wife while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness.

19 ‘(N)Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her (O)menstrual impurity. 20 And (P)you shall not have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her. 21 You shall not give any of your children (Q)to [j]offer them to Molech, nor shall you (R)profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. 22 (S)You shall not sleep with a male as [k]one sleeps with a female; it is an abomination. 23 (T)Also you shall not have sexual intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to [l]mate with it; it is a perversion.

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these things (U)the nations which I am driving out from you have become defiled. 25 For the land has become defiled, (V)therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land (W)has vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments, and you shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the stranger who resides among you 27 (for the people of the land who were there before you did all these abominations, and the land has become defiled), 28 so that the land will not vomit you out should you defile it, as it has vomited out the nation which was there before you. 29 For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. 30 So you are to keep (X)your [m]commitment to Me not to practice any of the abominable customs which have been practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves with them; (Y)I am the Lord your God.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 18:3 Lit according to the deed of
  2. Leviticus 18:3 Lit according to the deed of
  3. Leviticus 18:4 Lit to walk in them
  4. Leviticus 18:5 Lit the person
  5. Leviticus 18:5 Lit does them
  6. Leviticus 18:6 Lit of his flesh
  7. Leviticus 18:10 Lit they are your nakedness
  8. Leviticus 18:18 Lit take
  9. Leviticus 18:18 Lit to be
  10. Leviticus 18:21 Lit make them pass over
  11. Leviticus 18:22 Lit a woman’s bed
  12. Leviticus 18:23 Or lie
  13. Leviticus 18:30 Lit obligation
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Leviticus 18
The Message

Sex

18 1-5 God spoke to Moses: “Speak to the People of Israel. Tell them, I am God, your God. Don’t live like the people of Egypt where you used to live, and don’t live like the people of Canaan where I’m bringing you. Don’t do what they do. Obey my laws and live by my decrees. I am your God. Keep my decrees and laws: The person who obeys them lives by them. I am God.

6 “Don’t have sex with a close relative. I am God.

7 “Don’t violate your father by having sex with your mother. She is your mother. Don’t have sex with her.

8 “Don’t have sex with your father’s wife. That violates your father.

9 “Don’t have sex with your sister, whether she’s your father’s daughter or your mother’s, whether she was born in the same house or elsewhere.

10 “Don’t have sex with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter. That would violate your own body.

11 “Don’t have sex with the daughter of your father’s wife born to your father. She is your sister.

12 “Don’t have sex with your father’s sister; she is your aunt, closely related to your father.

13 “Don’t have sex with your mother’s sister; she is your aunt, closely related to your mother.

14 “Don’t violate your father’s brother, your uncle, by having sex with his wife. She is your aunt.

15 “Don’t have sex with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; don’t have sex with her.

16 “Don’t have sex with your brother’s wife; that would violate your brother.

17 “Don’t have sex with both a woman and her daughter. And don’t have sex with her granddaughters either. They are her close relatives. That is wicked.

18 “Don’t marry your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sex with her while your wife is living.

19 “Don’t have sex with a woman during the time of her menstrual period when she is unclean.

20 “Don’t have sex with your neighbor’s wife and violate yourself by her.

21 “Don’t give any of your children to be burned in sacrifice to the god Molech—an act of sheer blasphemy of your God. I am God.

22 “Don’t have sex with a man as one does with a woman. That is abhorrent.

23 “Don’t have sex with an animal and violate yourself by it.

“A woman must not have sex with an animal. That is perverse.

24-28 “Don’t pollute yourself in any of these ways. This is how the nations became polluted, the ones that I am going to drive out of the land before you. Even the land itself became polluted and I punished it for its iniquities—the land vomited up its inhabitants. You must keep my decrees and laws—natives and foreigners both. You must not do any of these abhorrent things. The people who lived in this land before you arrived did all these things and polluted the land. And if you pollute it, the land will vomit you up just as it vomited up the nations that preceded you.

29-30 “Those who do any of these abhorrent things will be cut off from their people. Keep to what I tell you; don’t engage in any of the abhorrent acts that were practiced before you came. Don’t pollute yourselves with them. I am God, your God.”

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Leviticus 18
Amplified Bible

Laws on Immoral Relations

18 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, and you shall not do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes (practices, customs). 4 You are to follow My judgments (precepts, ordinances) and keep My statutes and live by them. I am the Lord your God. 5 So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, by which, if a person keeps them, he shall live; I am the Lord.(A)

6 ‘[a]No one shall approach any blood relative of his [b]to uncover nakedness (have intimate relations). I am the Lord. 7 You shall not uncover the [c]nakedness of your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 9 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, either the daughter of your father or of your mother, whether born at home or born elsewhere. 10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; their nakedness you shall not uncover, for they are your own nakedness [that is, your own descendants]. 11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter; born to your father, she is your sister. 12 You 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 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother’s wife; you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son’s wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness. 16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover their nakedness (have intimate relations with them); they are [her] blood relatives; it is an outrageous offense. 18 You shall not marry a woman in addition to her sister as a rival while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness.

19 ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her menstrual impurity and ceremonial uncleanness. 20 You shall not have intimate relations with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her. 21 You shall not give any of your children to offer them [by fire as a sacrifice] to Molech [the god of the Ammonites], nor shall you profane the name of your God [by honoring idols as gods]. I am the Lord. 22 You shall not lie [intimately] with a male as one lies with a female; it is repulsive.(B) 23 You shall not have intimate relations with any animal to be defiled with it; nor shall a woman stand before an animal to mate with it; it is a perversion.

24 ‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these the nations which I am casting out before you have become defiled. 25 For the land has become defiled; therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, and the land vomits out its inhabitants. 26 But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments (precepts) and shall not commit any of these repulsive acts, neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives temporarily among you 27 (for all these repulsive acts have been done by the men who lived in the land before you, and the land has become defiled); 28 [do none of these things] so that the land will not vomit you out, should you defile it, as it has vomited out the nation which has been before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these repulsive acts, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people [excluding them from the atonement made for them]. 30 So keep My command: do not practice any of the repulsive customs which have been practiced before you, so as not to defile yourselves by them; I am the Lord your God.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 18:6 This passage (vv 6-18) states incestuous prohibitions.
  2. Leviticus 18:6 This Hebrew euphemism for sexual relations occurs in each verse in the passage.
  3. Leviticus 18:7 The father’s nakedness is a reference to his wife in her role as his sexual partner, i.e. the nakedness that belongs to him alone by virtue of their marriage (cf 1 Cor 7:4). Otherwise, the literal meaning would refer to intimate relations with the father himself, including homosexuality. The text itself states that this is not the meaning, especially in 20:11a (The man who lies...has uncovered his father’s nakedness).
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