Leviticus 18 - Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

Defilement of the Land by Sexual Immorality

18 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them this.”

Encouragement to Obedience

I am the Lord your God.

3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived. You shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. Do not walk in[a] their religious practices. 4 Follow my ordinances and keep my regulations by walking in them. I am the Lord your God. 5 Keep my regulations and my ordinances. Anyone who does them will have life through them. I am the Lord.

Laws Against Incestuous Relationships

6 No one shall approach his own flesh and blood[b] to uncover their nakedness.[c] I am the Lord.

7 You shall not uncover the nakedness that is reserved for your father, that is, the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is nakedness that is reserved for your father.

9 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your half-sister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether born in the household or outside it.

10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter. That would be like uncovering your own nakedness.

11 The nakedness of the daughter of your father’s wife, the adopted child[d] of your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness.

12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister. She has the same flesh as your father.

13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, because she is the same flesh as your mother.

14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother by approaching his wife. She is your aunt.

15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife. Her nakedness is reserved for your brother.

17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of both a woman and her daughter. You shall not take[e] her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and so uncover nakedness that belongs to her. They are her flesh. It is a depraved act.

18 You shall not take a woman and then take her sister as a rival by uncovering her sister’s nakedness during that first wife’s lifetime.

Additional Sexual Laws

19 And you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during the period when she is unclean.

20 You shall not give the wife of your fellow citizen your deposit of semen for seed,[f] so that you become unclean with her.

21 You shall not dedicate any of your seed to Molek,[g] thereby defiling the name of your God. I am the Lord.

22 You shall not lie down with[h] a male as you do with a woman. It is an abomination.

23 And you shall not give your emission to any animal, so that you become unclean by it. No woman shall stand in front of an animal to let it mate with her. It is an unnatural perversion.

24 You must not make yourselves unclean in any of these ways, for in all these ways the nations that I am casting out before you have made themselves unclean. 25 In this way the land became unclean, so I have come to deal with its guilt, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.

26 But you yourselves must keep my regulations and ordinances. You must not practice any of these abominations. This applies both to the native and to the alien who resides among you. 27 Because the people of the land who were there before you practiced all these abominations, the land became unclean. 28 So do not let the land vomit you out for making it unclean, as it vomited out the nation that was there before you. 29 If anyone does any of these abominations, the lives of those who practice them will be cut off from the midst of their people. 30 Keep my instructions. Do not perform any of the abominable[i] practices which were done before you arrived, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the Lord your God.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 18:3 The law codes use three different terms for obedience: walk in, do, and guard or keep the laws.
  2. Leviticus 18:6 Literally shall not draw near to any flesh (sheer) of his flesh (basar). The prohibition includes relationships of blood and marriage.
  3. Leviticus 18:6 This euphemism may include sexual misconduct that falls short of intercourse. See Noah and Ham in Genesis 9.
  4. Leviticus 18:11 An alternate interpretation is followed by many translations: The daughter of your father with another wife is your sister. You shall not uncover her nakedness. But it seems this offense was already covered in verse 9 and that the reference here is to a stepsister.
  5. Leviticus 18:17 This term can refer to marriage or to intercourse.
  6. Leviticus 18:20 Literally to the wife of your fellow citizen you shall not give your laying down or deposit for seed. The meaning of your laying down is uncertain. This particular wording may be intended to exclude surrogate arrangements, so the translation retains a literal rendering. The expression your laying down occurs in 18:23; 19:20; and 20:15 without the mention of seed.
  7. Leviticus 18:21 This sometimes refers to human sacrifice (chapter 20), but in the context of sexual sins it may include some other form of sexual immorality, such as semen dedication.
  8. Leviticus 18:22 The person who lies down with someone initiates sexual relations with another person, most often a man with a woman. Usually this term refers to unlawful relations.
  9. Leviticus 18:30 Or repulsive or disgusting

You Might Also Like:

Leviticus 18 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

18 And Jehovah speaketh unto Moses, saying, 2 `Speak unto the sons of Israel, and thou hast said unto them, I [am] Jehovah your God; 3 according to the work of the land of Egypt in which ye have dwelt ye do not, and according to the work of the land of Canaan whither I am bringing you in, ye do not,...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

18 And the Lord spake to Moses, and said, 2 Speak thou to the sons of Israel, and thou shalt say to them, I am your Lord God; (Speak thou to the Israelites, and thou shalt say to them, I am the Lord your God;) 3 ye shall not do by the custom of the land of Egypt, in which ye dwelled; ye shall not do...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - World English Bible (WEB)

18 Yahweh said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘I am Yahweh your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived. You shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes. 4 You shall do...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - The Voice (VOICE)

God allowed His people to eat meat, but He had concerns about how and where these animals would be killed. The commandments can be summarized this way: every time an animal is used for food, its death must be treated as a sacred event. That’s why God tells the people to present it to Him in the sanc...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

18 Adonai said to Moses: 2 “Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and say to them: I am Adonai your God. 3 You are not to act as they do in the land of Egypt, where you used to live. Nor are you to act as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, nor are you to walk in their customs. 4 You are to o...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

Sexual Relations18 And the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 Yo...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Sexual Relations18 And the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their statutes. 4 Yo...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Sexual Relations18 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: I am the Lord your God. 3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not follow t...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Sexual Relations18 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: I am the Lord your God.(A)3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not follow their ...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New Living Translation (NLT)

Forbidden Sexual Practices18 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. 3 So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life....
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New Life Version (NLV)

Laws about Sex18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 Do not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived. And do not do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you. Do not follow their laws. 4 You are to do what I say and keep ...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New King James Version (NKJV)

Laws of Sexual Morality18 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: (A)‘I am the Lord your God. 3 (B)According to [a]the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and (C)according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Unlawful sexual relations18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: “I am the Lord your God. 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. 4 Y...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New International Version (NIV)

Unlawful Sexual Relations18 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the Lord your God.(A) 3 You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices.(B) ...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Do Not Commit Sexual Sins18 The Lord spoke to Moses. He said, 2 “Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God. 3 Do not do what the people of Egypt do. You used to live there. And do not do what the people of Canaan do. I am bringing you into their land. Do not follow their practice...
Read More

Leviticus 18 - New English Translation (NET)

Exhortation to Obedience and Life18 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to the Israelites and tell them, ‘I am the Lord your God! 3 You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt where you have been living,[a] and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan into which I am about to bring you;[...
Read More