Leviticus 18
GOD'S WORD® Translation

1The LORD spoke to Moses, 2"Tell the Israelites: I am the LORD your God. 3You used to live in Egypt. Don't live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don't live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. 4Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am the LORD your God. 5Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am the LORD.

6"Never have sexual intercourse with anyone related to you by blood. I am the LORD. 7"Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her. 8Never have sexual intercourse with your stepmother. She is related to you through your father. 9Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father's daughter or your mother's daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house. 10Never have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether she is your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, because she is related to you. 11Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister. 12Never have sexual intercourse with your father's sister. She is your paternal aunt. 13Never have sexual intercourse with your mother's sister. She is your maternal aunt. 14Never have sexual intercourse with the wife of your father's brother. She, too, is your aunt. 15Never have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Never have sexual intercourse with her. 16Never have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother's wife. 17Never have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter or a woman and her granddaughter. They are related. Doing this is perverted. 18While your wife is living, never marry her sister as a rival wife and have sexual intercourse with her.

19"Never have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is unclean during her monthly period. 20Never have sexual intercourse with your neighbor's wife and become unclean with her. 21Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech [by burning them alive]. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your God. I am the LORD. 22Never have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting. 23Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural.

24"Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations which I am forcing out of your way have become unclean. 25The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it. 26Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things. 27The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean. 28If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you. 29Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people. 30So you must follow my instructions. Don't live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am the LORD your God."

GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Quotations are used by permission. Copyright 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved.

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