Leviticus 18

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said:	1 The LORD said to Moses,
2 'Speak to the Israelites and say: "I am Yahweh your God:	2 "Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I, the LORD, am your God.
3 You must not behave as they do in Egypt where you used to live; you must not behave as they do inCanaan where I am taking you, nor must you fol ow their laws.	3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you once lived, nor shall you do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you; do not conform to their customs.
4 You must observe my customs and keep my laws, fol owing them. "I, Yahweh, am your God:	4 My decrees you shall carry out, and my statutes you shall take care to follow. I, the LORD, am your God.
5 hence you wil keep my laws and my customs. Whoever complies with them wil find life in them. "I amYahweh.	5 Keep, then, my statutes and decrees, for the man who carries them out will find life through them. I am the LORD.
6 "None of you wil approach a woman who is closely related to him, to have intercourse with her. I amYahweh.	6 "None of you shall approach a close relative to have sexual intercourse with her. I am the LORD.
7 "You wil not have intercourse with your father or your mother. She is your mother -- you wil not haveintercourse with her.	7 You shall not disgrace your father by having intercourse with your mother. Besides, since she is your own mother, you shall not have intercourse with her.
8 "You wil not have intercourse with your father's wife; it is your father's sexual prerogative.	8 You shall not have intercourse with your father's wife, for that would be a disgrace to your father.
9 "You wil 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 wil not have intercourse with her.	9 You shall not have intercourse with your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in your own household or born elsewhere.
10 "You will not have intercourse with your son's or your daughter's daughter; for their sexual privacy isyour own.	10 You shall not have intercourse with your son's daughter or with your daughter's daughter, for that would be a disgrace to your own family.
11 "You will not have intercourse with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father. She is yoursister; you wil not have intercourse with her.	11 You shall not have intercourse with the daughter whom your father's wife bore to him, since she, too, is your sister.
12 "You will not have intercourse with your father's sister; for she is your father's own flesh and blood.	12 You shall not have intercourse with your father's sister, since she is your father's relative.
13 "You will not have intercourse with your mother's sister; for she is your mother's own flesh and blood.	13 You shall not have intercourse with your mother's sister, since she is your mother's relative.
14 "You will not have intercourse with your father's brother; you wil not approach his wife. She is youraunt.	14 You shall not disgrace your father's brother by being intimate with his wife, since she, too, is your aunt.
15 "You will not have intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; you wil not haveintercourse with her.	15 You shall not have intercourse with your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife, and therefore you shall not disgrace her.
16 "You will not have intercourse with your brother's wife; it is your brother's sexual prerogative.	16 You shall not have intercourse with your brother's wife, for that would be a disgrace to your brother.
17 "You will not have intercourse with a woman and her daughter; nor wil you take her son's or herdaughter's daughter, to have intercourse with them. They are your own flesh and blood; it would be incest.	17 You shall not have intercourse with a woman and also with her daughter, nor shall you marry and have intercourse with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; this would be shameful, because they are related to her.
18 "You will not take a woman and her sister into your harem at the same time, to have intercourse withthe latter while the former is stil alive.	18 While your wife is still living you shall not marry her sister as her rival; for thus you would disgrace your first wife.
19 "You will not approach and have intercourse with a woman who is in a state of menstrual pol ution.	19 "You shall not approach a woman to have intercourse with her while she is unclean from menstruation.
20 "Furthermore, you will not have intercourse with your fel ow-citizen's wife; you would become uncleanby doing so.	20 You shall not have carnal relations with your neighbor's wife, defiling yourself with her.
21 "You will not al ow any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, thus profaning the name of yourGod. I am Yahweh.	21 You shall not offer any of your offspring to be immolated to Molech, thus profaning the name of your God. I am the LORD.
22 "You will not have intercourse with a man as you would with a woman. This is a hateful thing.	22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; such a thing is an abomination.
23 "You will not have intercourse with any kind of animal; you would become unclean by doing so. Norwil a woman offer herself to an animal, to have intercourse with it. This would be a violation of nature.	23 You shall not have carnal relations with an animal, defiling yourself with it; nor shall a woman set herself in front of an animal to mate with it; such things are abhorrent.
24 "Do not make yourselves unclean by any of these practices, for it was by such things that the nationsthat I am driving out before you made themselves unclean.	24 "Do not defile yourselves by any of these things by which the nations whom I am driving out of your way have defiled themselves.
25 The country has become unclean; hence I am about to punish it for its guilt, and the country itself willvomit out its inhabitants.	25 Because their land has become defiled, I am punishing it for its wickedness, by making it vomit out its inhabitants.
26 "You, however, must keep my laws and customs and not do any of these hateful things: none of yourcitizens, none of your resident aliens.	26 You, however, whether natives or resident aliens, must keep my statutes and decrees forbidding all such abominations
27 For al these hateful things were done by the people who lived in the country before you, and thecountry became unclean.	27 by which the previous inhabitants defiled the land;
28 If you make it unclean, wil it not vomit you out as it vomited out the nations there before you?	28 otherwise the land will vomit you out also for having defiled it, just as it vomited out the nations before you.
29 Yes, anyone who does any of these hateful things, whatever it may be, any person doing so, wil beoutlawed from his people;	29 Everyone who does any of these abominations shall be cut off from among 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 wil not be made unclean by them. I am Yahweh your God." '	30 Heed my charge, then, not to defile yourselves by observing the abominable customs that have been observed before you. I, the LORD, am your God."