Leviticus 18

1 And Jehovah spoke to 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 customs.

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 observe to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God.

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

5 And ye shall observe my statutes and my judgments, by which the man that doeth them shall live: I am Jehovah.

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

6 No one shall approach to any that is his near relation, to uncover his nakedness: I am Jehovah.

Don't have sex with a close relative.

7 The nakedness of thy father, and 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 daughter of thy mother, born at home, or born abroad — their nakedness shalt thou 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 — their nakedness shalt thou not uncover; for theirs is thy 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 The nakedness of thy father's sister shalt thou not uncover: she is thy father's near relation.

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

13 The nakedness of thy mother's sister shalt thou not uncover; for she is thy mother's near relation.

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

14 The nakedness of thy father's brother shalt thou not uncover; thou shalt not approach his wife: she is thine aunt.

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

15 The nakedness of thy daughter-in-law shalt thou not uncover: 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 The nakedness of thy brother's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy brother's nakedness.

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

17 The nakedness of a woman and her daughter shalt thou not uncover; thou shalt not take her son's daughter, nor her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness: they are her near relations: 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 vex her, to uncover her nakedness beside her, during her life.

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 a woman in the separation of her uncleanness to uncover her nakedness.

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 neighbour's wife, to become unclean 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 of thy seed to let 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 And thou shalt not lie with mankind as one lieth with a woman: it is an abomination.

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

23 And thou shalt lie with no beast to become unclean therewith; and a woman shall not stand before a beast to lie down with it: it is confusion.

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

24 Make not yourselves unclean in any of these things; for in all these have the nations which I am casting out before you made themselves unclean.

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 hath become unclean; and I visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land vomiteth out its 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 But ye shall observe my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of all these abominations: the home-born, and 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, who were before you, and the land hath been made unclean);

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

28 that the land vomit you not out, when ye make it unclean, 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 whoever committeth any of these abominations, ...the souls that commit 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 And ye shall observe my charge, that ye commit not [any] of the abominable customs which were committed before you; and ye shall not make yourselves unclean 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.”