Leviticus 18

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses; he said:

² Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them: “I am Yahweh your God.

³ You must not behave as they do in Egypt where once you lived; you must not behave as they do in Canaan where I am taking you. You must not follow their laws.

⁴ You must follow my customs and keep my laws; by them you must lead your life. “I am Yahweh your God.

⁵ You must keep my laws and my customs. Whoever complies with them will find life in them. “I am Yahweh.

⁶ None of you may approach a woman who is closely related to him, to uncover her nakedness. I am Yahweh.

⁷ “You must not uncover the nakedness of your father or mother. She is your mother – you must not uncover her nakedness.

⁸ You must not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness.

⁹ You must not uncover the nakedness of your sister, whether she is your father’s or your mother’s daughter. Whether she is born in the same house or elsewhere, you must not uncover her nakedness.

¹⁰ You must not uncover the nakedness of the daughter of your son or daughter; for their nakedness is your own.

¹¹ You must not uncover the nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife, born of your father. She is your sister; you must not uncover her nakedness.

¹² You must not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; for it is your father’s flesh.

¹³ You must not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister; for it is your mother’s flesh.

¹⁴ You must not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother; you must therefore not approach his wife, for she is your aunt.

¹⁵ You must not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you must not uncover her nakedness.

¹⁶ You .must not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; for it is your brother’s nakedness.

¹⁷ You must not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter too; you must not take the daughter of her son or of her daughter to uncover their nakedness. They are your own flesh; it would be incest.

¹⁸ You must not take into your harem a woman and her sister at the same time, uncovering the latter’s nakedness while the former is still alive.

¹⁹ You must not approach and uncover the nakedness of a woman who is unclean by reason of her monthly periods.

²⁰ You must not give your marriage bed to your neighbour’s wife; you would thereby become unclean.

²¹ You must not hand over any of your children to have them passed to Molech,[*a] nor must you profane the name of your God in this way. I am Yahweh.

²² You must not lie with a man as with a woman. This is a hateful thing.

²³ You must not lie with any animal; you would thereby become unclean. A woman must not offer herself to an animal, to have intercourse with it. This would be a foul thing.

²⁴ Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these practices, for it was by such things that the nations that I have expelled to make way for you made themselves unclean.

²⁵ The land became unclean; I exacted the penalty for its fault and the land had to vomit out its inhabitants.

²⁶ But you must keep my laws and customs, you must not do any of these hateful things, neither native nor stranger living among you.

²⁷ For all these hateful things were done by the people who inhabited this land before you, and the land became unclean.

²⁸ If you make it unclean, will it not vomit you out as it vomited the nation that was here before you?

²⁹ Yes, anyone who does one of these hateful things, whatever it may be, any person doing so must be cut off from his people.

³⁰ Keep to my rules; do not observe the hateful practices that were observed before you came, then you will not be made unclean by them. I am Yahweh your God.”‘