Leviticus - The Old Testament

¹ Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:

² 'Speak to the Israelites and say: "I am Yahweh your God:

³ You must not behave as they do in Egypt where you used to live; you must not behave as they do in Canaan where I am taking you, nor must you follow their laws.

⁴ You must observe my customs and keep my laws, following them. "I, Yahweh, am your God:

⁵ hence you will keep my laws and my customs. Whoever complies with them will find life in them. "I am Yahweh.

⁶ "None of you will approach a woman who is closely related to him, to have intercourse with her. I am Yahweh.

⁷ "You will not have intercourse with your father or your mother. She is your mother -- you will not have intercourse with her.

⁸ "You will not have intercourse with your father's wife; it is your father's sexual prerogative.

⁹ "You will not have intercourse with your sister, whether she is your father's or your mother's daughter. Whether she was born in the same house or elsewhere, you will not have intercourse with her.

¹⁰ "You will not have intercourse with your son's or your daughter's daughter; for their sexual privacy is your own.

¹¹ "You will not have intercourse with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father. She is your sister; you will not have intercourse with her.

¹² "You will not have intercourse with your father's sister; for she is your father's own flesh and blood.

¹³ "You will not have intercourse with your mother's sister; for she is your mother's own flesh and blood.

¹⁴ "You will not have intercourse with your father's brother; you will not approach his wife. She is your aunt.

¹⁵ "You will not have intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; you will not have intercourse with her.

¹⁶ "You will not have intercourse with your brother's wife; it is your brother's sexual prerogative.

¹⁷ "You will not have intercourse with a woman and her daughter; nor will you take her son's or her daughter's daughter, to have intercourse with them. They are your own flesh and blood; it would be incest.

¹⁸ "You will not take a woman and her sister into your harem at the same time, to have intercourse with the latter while the former is still alive.

¹⁹ "You will not approach and have intercourse with a woman who is in a state of menstrual pollution.

²⁰ "Furthermore, you will not have intercourse with your fellow-citizen's wife; you would become unclean by doing so.

²¹ "You will not allow any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, thus profaning the name of your God. I am Yahweh.

²² "You will not have intercourse with a man as you would with a woman. This is a hateful thing.

²³ "You will not have intercourse with any kind of animal; you would become unclean by doing so. Nor will a woman offer herself to an animal, to have intercourse with it. This would be a violation of nature.

²⁴ "Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these practices, for it was by such things that the nations that I am driving out before you made themselves unclean.

²⁵ The country has become unclean; hence I am about to punish it for its guilt, and the country itself will vomit out its inhabitants.

²⁶ "You, however, must keep my laws and customs and not do any of these hateful things: none of your citizens, none of your resident aliens.

²⁷ For all these hateful things were done by the people who lived in the country before you, and the country became unclean.

²⁸ If you make it unclean, will it not vomit you out as it vomited out the nations there before you?

²⁹ Yes, anyone who does any of these hateful things, whatever it may be, any person doing so, will be outlawed from his people;

³⁰ so keep my rules and do not observe any of the hateful laws which were in force before you came; then you will not be made unclean by them. I am Yahweh your God." '