Leviticus 18
The Lord commands the Israelites to follow His laws and judgments, and not to imitate the customs of the Egyptians or the Canaanites. He lists various forms of incest and other immoral acts that are forbidden, including sexual relations with close relatives, neighbors' wives, and animals. The Lord warns that those who commit these abominations will be punished and that the land will vomit out those who defile it. He commands the Israelites to keep His commandments and avoid the pollutions of the previous inhabitants of the land.
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying2Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them: I am the Lord your God3You shall not act according to the custom of the land of Egypt, in which you have lived; nor shall you behave according to the habit of the region of Canaan, into which I will lead you; neither shall you walk in their ordinances4You shall accomplish my judgments, and you shall observe my precepts, and you shall walk in them. I am the Lord your God5Keep my laws and judgments; when a man does these, he shall live by them. I am the Lord6No man shall approach her who is a close blood-relative to him, so as to uncover her nakedness. I am the Lord7You shall not expose the nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness8You shall not expose the nakedness of your father’s wife; for it is the nakedness of your father9You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, whether from father or from mother, whether she was born at home or abroad10You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter, or your daughter’s daughter; for it is your own nakedness11You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, whom she bore to your father, and who is your sister12You shall not expose the nakedness of your father’s sister; for she is the flesh of your father13You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, because she is the flesh of your mother14You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother, nor shall you approach his wife, who is joined to you by affinity15You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law, for she is your son’s wife; neither shall you expose her dishonor16You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; for it is the nakedness of your brother17You shall not uncover the nakedness of your wife and her daughter. You shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, so as to uncover her dishonor; for they are her flesh, and such sexual intercourse is incest18You shall not take your wife’s sister as a rival mistress; nor shall you uncover her nakedness, while your wife is still living19You shall not approach a woman who is undergoing menstruation, nor shall you uncover her foulness20You shall not have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife, nor shall you be defiled by the mingling of seed21You shall not give some of your seed to be consecrated to the idol Moloch, nor to pollute the name of your God. I am the Lord22You shall not commit sexual acts with a male, in place of sexual intercourse with a female, for this is an abomination23You shall not commit sexual acts with any animal, nor shall you be defiled by it. A woman shall not lie down with a beast, nor commit sexual acts with it; for this is wickedness24Do not pollute yourselves with any of these things, by which all of the nations, which I will cast out in your sight, have been contaminate25and by which the land has been polluted. I will visit the wickedness of the land, so that it may vomit out its inhabitants26Keep my ordinances and judgments, and do not do any of these abominations: the native born, as well as the settler, who sojourns among you27For all these detestable things were done by the inhabitants of the land who were here before you, and they have polluted it28Therefore, beware, lest in a similar manner, it may vomit you out as well, if you do these same things, just as it vomited out the people who were before you29Every soul who shall commit any of these abominations shall perish from the midst of his people30Keep my commandments. Do not be willing to do the things which have been done by those who were before you, and do not be polluted by these things. I am the Lord your God
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