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
- Leviticus 18:3 Lit according to the deed of
- Leviticus 18:3 Lit according to the deed of
- Leviticus 18:4 Lit to walk in them
- Leviticus 18:5 Lit the person
- Leviticus 18:5 Lit does them
- Leviticus 18:6 Lit of his flesh
- Leviticus 18:10 Lit they are your nakedness
- Leviticus 18:18 Lit take
- Leviticus 18:18 Lit to be
- Leviticus 18:21 Lit make them pass over
- Leviticus 18:22 Lit a woman’s bed
- Leviticus 18:23 Or lie
- Leviticus 18:30 Lit obligation
Leviticus 18
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Prohibited Pagan Practices
18 Yahweh spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am Yahweh your God.(A) 3 Do not follow the practices of the land of Egypt,(B) where you used to live, or follow the practices of the land of Canaan,(C) where I am bringing you. You must not follow their customs.(D) 4 You are to practice My ordinances(E) and you are to keep My statutes(F) by following them; I am Yahweh your God. 5 Keep My statutes and ordinances; a person will live(G) if he does them.(H) I am Yahweh.
6 “You are not to come near(I) any close relative[a] for sexual intercourse;(J) I am Yahweh. 7 You are not to shame your father(K) by having sex with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual intercourse with her. 8 You are not to have sex with your father’s wife;(L) it will shame your father.(M) 9 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s,(N) whether born at home or born elsewhere. You are not to have sex with her. 10 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, because it will shame your family.[b] 11 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s wife’s daughter,[c] who is adopted by[d] your father; she is your sister. 12 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister;(O) she is your father’s close relative. 13 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister,(P) for she is your mother’s close relative. 14 You are not to shame your father’s brother by coming near his wife to have sexual intercourse; she is your aunt.(Q) 15 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law.(R) She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sex with her. 16 You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; it will shame your brother.(S) 17 You are not to have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter.(T) You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sex with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.(U) 18 You are not to marry a woman as a rival to her sister and have sexual intercourse with her during her sister’s lifetime.(V)
19 “You are not to come near(W) a woman during her menstrual impurity to have sexual intercourse with her.(X) 20 You are not to have sexual intercourse with[e] your neighbor’s wife, defiling yourself with her.(Y)
21 “You are not to make any of your children pass through the fire to Molech.(Z) Do not profane the name(AA) of your God; I am Yahweh. 22 You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman;(AB) it is detestable.(AC) 23 You are not to have sexual intercourse with[f] any animal, defiling yourself with it; a woman is not to present herself to an animal to mate with it;(AD) it is a perversion.
24 “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. 25 The land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.(AE) 26 But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances. You must not commit any of these detestable things—not the native or the foreigner who lives among you. 27 For the men who were in the land prior to you have committed all these detestable things, and the land has become defiled. 28 If you defile the land, it will vomit(AF) you out as it has vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 Any person who does any of these detestable practices must be cut off from his people. 30 You must keep My instruction to not do any of the detestable customs(AG) that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them; I am Yahweh your God.”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 18:6 Lit any flesh of his flesh
- Leviticus 18:10 Lit because they are your nakedness
- Leviticus 18:11 This must refer to a daughter from a previous marriage.
- Leviticus 18:11 Lit daughter, a relative of
- Leviticus 18:20 Lit to give your emission of semen to
- Leviticus 18:23 Lit to give your emission to
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.