Leviticus 18

Laws on Immoral Relations

1Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2“Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘1I am the Lord your God. 3You shall not do 2what is 3done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do 4what is 5done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes. 4You are to perform My judgments and keep My statutes, 6to live in accord with them; 7I am the Lord your God. 5So you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, 8which, if 9a person 10follows them, then he will live by them; I am the Lord.

6‘None of you shall approach any blood relative 11of his to uncover nakedness; I am the Lord. 712You 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. 813You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife; it is your father’s nakedness. 9As for 14the 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. 10The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for 15their nakedness is yours. 11The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father, she is your sister; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 1216You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s blood relative. 13You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s blood relative. 1417You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt. 1518You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 1619You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is your brother’s nakedness. 1720You 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. 18And you shall not 21marry a woman in addition to her sister 22as a second wife while she is alive, to uncover her nakedness.

19‘23Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during her 24menstrual impurity. 20And 25you shall not have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, to be defiled with her. 21You shall not give any of your children 26to 27offer them to Molech, nor shall you 28profane the name of your God; I am the Lord. 2229You shall not sleep with a male as 30one sleeps with a female; it is an abomination. 2331Also you shall not have sexual intercourse with any animal to be defiled with it, nor shall any woman stand before an animal to 32mate with it; it is a perversion.

24‘Do not defile yourselves by any of these things; for by all these things 33the nations which I am driving out from you have become defiled. 25For the land has become defiled, 34therefore I have brought its punishment upon it, so the land 35has vomited out its inhabitants. 26But 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), 28so that the land will not vomit you out should you defile it, as it has vomited out the nation which was there before you. 29For whoever does any of these abominations, those persons who do so shall be cut off from among their people. 30So you are to keep 36your 37commitment 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; 38I am the Lord your God.’”