Leviticus 18

1 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

The Lord told Moses,

2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, I am Jehovah your God.

“Tell the Israelites: I am the Lord your God.

3 After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye dwelt, shall ye not do: and after the doings of the land of Canaan, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk in their statutes.

Don't follow the ways of Egypt where you used to live, and don't follow the ways of Canaan where I'm going to take you. Don't adopt their practices.

4 Mine ordinances shall ye do, and my statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God.

Do what I tell you and keep my rules. I am the Lord your God.

5 Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am Jehovah.

If you keep my rules and do what I tell you, you will live. I am the Lord.

6 None of you shall approach to any that are near of kin to him, to uncover [their] nakedness: I am Jehovah.

Don't have sex with a close relative.

7 The nakedness of thy father, even the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

Don't shame your father by having sex with your mother. She is your mother; don't have sex with her.

8 The nakedness of thy father’s wife shalt thou not uncover; it is thy father’s nakedness.

Don't have sex with any of your father's wives and shame your father.

9 The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or the daughter of thy mother, whether born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.

Don't have sex with your sister, whether she's your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, or whether she was born in the same house as you or somewhere else.

10 The nakedness of thy son’s daughter, or of thy daughter’s daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.

Don't have sex with your granddaughter, your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, because that would be shameful thing for you.

11 The nakedness of thy father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

Don't have sex with the daughter of any of your father's wives and your father, she is your sister.

12 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s sister: she is thy father’s near kinswoman.

Don't have sex with your father's sister. She is a close relative of your father.

13 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother’s sister: for she is thy mother’s near kinswoman.

Don't have sex with your mother's sister. She is a close relative of your mother.

14 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.

Don't bring shame on your uncle by having sex with his wife. She is your aunt.

15 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter-in-law: she is thy son’s wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.

Don't have sex with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife. Don't have sex with her.

16 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness.

Don't have sex with your brother's wife and bring shame on your brother.

17 Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter; thou shalt not take her son’s daughter, or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness; they are near kinswomen: it is wickedness.

Don't have sex with both a woman and her daughter. Don't have sex with her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter. They are her close relatives. That is something I loathe.

18 And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival [to her], to uncover her nakedness, besides the other in her life-time.

Don't marry your wife's sister and have sex with her while your wife is still alive. They will be hostile wives to one other.

19 And thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.

Don't have sex with a woman during the time she is unclean because of her period.

20 And thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor’s wife, to defile thyself with her.

Don't commit any sex act with any other man's wife. This would pollute you and make you unclean.

21 And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to make them pass through [the fire] to Molech; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah.

Don't give any of your children as a human sacrifice to Molech, for you must not disgrace the character of your God. I am the Lord.

22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.

Don't have sex with a man as with a woman. That is something disgusting.

23 And thou shalt not lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith; neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down thereto: it is confusion.

Don't have sex with any animal. This would pollute you and make you unclean.

24 Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out from before you;

A woman must not give herself to an animal to have sex with it. That is something disgusting. Don't pollute yourselves and make yourselves unclean by doing anything like this. That's the reason I'm expelling these nations from the land—they polluted themselves because of all these practices.

25 and the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomiteth out her inhabitants.

Even the land has become polluted, so I am punishing it for the sins committed by the people who live there, and the land will vomit them out.

26 Ye therefore shall keep my statutes and mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you

You, however, must do what I tell you and keep my rules. You must not do any of these disgusting acts, whether an Israelite or a foreigner living among you.

27 (for all these abominations have the men of the land done, that were before you, and the land is defiled);

The people who lived in the land before you practiced all these disgusting things, and the land became polluted.

28 that the land vomit not you out also, when ye defile it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.

If you pollute the land, it will vomit you out just like it did the nations before you.

29 For whosoever shall do any of these abominations, even the souls that do them shall be cut off from among their people.

Consequently anyone who does any of these disgusting things must be expelled from their people.

30 Therefore shall ye keep my charge, that ye practise not any of these abominable customs, which were practised before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I am Jehovah your God.

You must accept my demand that you don't follow any of these disgusting practices done before you arrived. Don't pollute yourselves and make yourselves unclean. I am the Lord your God.”