Chapter 18

1The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 2Speak to the Israelite people and say to them: I the LORD am your God. 3You shall not copy the practices of the land of Egypt where you dwelt, or of the land of Canaan to which I am taking you; nor shall you follow their laws. 4My rules alone shall you observe, and faithfully follow My laws: I the LORD am your God. 5You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which man shall live: I am the LORD.

6None of you shall come near anyone of his own flesh to uncover nakedness: I am the LORD.

7aYour father’s nakedness, that is, the nakedness of your mother, you shall not uncover; she is your mother—you shall not uncover her nakedness.

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

9The nakedness of your sister—your father’s daughter or your mother’s, whether born into the household or outside—do not uncover their nakedness.

10The nakedness of your son’s daughter, or of your daughter’s daughter—do not uncover their nakedness; for their nakedness is yours.b

11The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, who was born into your father’s household—she is your sister; do not uncover her nakedness.

12Do not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is your father’s flesh.

13Do not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister; for she is your mother’s flesh.

14Do not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother: do not approach his wife; she is your aunt.

15Do not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law: she is your son’s wife; you shall not uncover her nakedness.

16aDo not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife; it is the nakedness of your brother.

17Do not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; nor shall you marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and uncover her nakedness: they are kindred; it is depravity. 18Do not marry a woman as a rival to her sister and uncover her nakedness in the other’s lifetime. 19Do not come near a woman during her period of uncleanness to uncover her nakedness. 20Do not have carnal relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her. 21Do not allow any of your offspring to be offered up to Molech, and do not profane the name of your God: I am the LORD. 22Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence. 23Do not have carnal relations with any beast and defile yourself thereby; and let no woman lend herself to a beast to mate with it; it is perversion. 24Do not defile yourselves in any of those ways, for it is by such that the nations that I am casting out before you defiled themselves. 25Thus the land became defiled; and I called it to account for its iniquity, and the land spewed out its inhabitants. 26But you must keep My laws and My rules, and you must not do any of those abhorrent things, neither the citizen nor the stranger who resides among you; 27for all those abhorrent things were done by the people who were in the land before you, and the land became defiled. 28So let not the land spew you out for defiling it, as it spewed out the nation that came before you. 29All who do any of those abhorrent things—such persons shall be cut off from their people. 30You shall keep My charge not to engage in any of the abhorrent practices that were carried on before you, and you shall not defile yourselves through them: I the LORD am your God.