Leviticus 18-21

New International Version

Unlawful Sexual Relations

18 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) 4} You must obey my laws^(C) and be careful to follow my decrees.^(D) I am the Lord your God.^{(E) 5} Keep my decrees and laws,^(F) for the person who obeys them will live by them.^(G) I am the Lord.

⁶ “‘No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the Lord.

⁷ “‘Do not dishonor your father^(H) by having sexual relations with your mother.^(I) She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

⁸ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;^(J) that would dishonor your father.^(K)

⁹ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,^(L) either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.^(M)

¹⁰ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter; that would dishonor you.

¹¹ “‘Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.

¹² “‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister;^(N) she is your father’s close relative.

¹³ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister,^(O) because she is your mother’s close relative.

¹⁴ “‘Do not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt.^(P)

¹⁵ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law.^(Q) She is your son’s wife; do not have relations with her.^(R)

¹⁶ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife;^(S) that would dishonor your brother.

¹⁷ “‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter.^(T) Do not have sexual relations with either her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness.

¹⁸ “‘Do not take your wife’s sister^(U) as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.

¹⁹ “‘Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness^(V) of her monthly period.^(W)

²⁰ “‘Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife^(X) and defile yourself with her.

²¹ “‘Do not give any of your children^(Y) to be sacrificed to Molek,^(Z) for you must not profane the name of your God.^(AA) I am the Lord.^(AB)

²² “‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman;^(AC) that is detestable.^(AD)

²³ “‘Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion.^(AE)

²⁴ “‘Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you^(AF) became defiled.^{(AG) 25} Even the land was defiled;^(AH) so I punished it for its sin,^(AI) and the land vomited out its inhabitants.^{(AJ) 26} But you must keep my decrees and my laws.^(AK) The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, ²⁷ for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. ²⁸ And if you defile the land,^(AL) it will vomit you out^(AM) as it vomited out the nations that were before you.

²⁹ “‘Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. ³⁰ Keep my requirements^(AN) and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the Lord your God.^(AO)’”

Various Laws

19 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel^(AP) and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God,^(AQ) am holy.^(AR)

³ “‘Each of you must respect your mother and father,^(AS) and you must observe my Sabbaths.^(AT) I am the Lord your God.^(AU)

⁴ “‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves.^(AV) I am the Lord your God.^(AW)

⁵ “‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the Lord, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. ⁶ It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up.^{(AX) 7} If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.^{(AY) 8} Whoever eats it will be held responsible^(AZ) because they have desecrated what is holy^(BA) to the Lord; they must be cut off from their people.^(BB)

⁹ “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges^(BC) of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.^{(BD) 10} Do not go over your vineyard a second time^(BE) or pick up the grapes that have fallen.^(BF) Leave them for the poor and the foreigner.^(BG) I am the Lord your God.

¹¹ “‘Do not steal.^(BH)

“‘Do not lie.^(BI)

“‘Do not deceive one another.^(BJ)

¹² “‘Do not swear falsely^(BK) by my name^(BL) and so profane^(BM) the name of your God. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘Do not defraud or rob^(BN) your neighbor.^(BO)

“‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker^(BP) overnight.^(BQ)

¹⁴ “‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,^(BR) but fear your God.^(BS) I am the Lord.

¹⁵ “‘Do not pervert justice;^(BT) do not show partiality^(BU) to the poor or favoritism to the great,^(BV) but judge your neighbor fairly.^(BW)

¹⁶ “‘Do not go about spreading slander^(BX) among your people.

“‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life.^(BY) I am the Lord.

¹⁷ “‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart.^(BZ) Rebuke your neighbor frankly^(CA) so you will not share in their guilt.

¹⁸ “‘Do not seek revenge^(CB) or bear a grudge^(CC) against anyone among your people,^(CD) but love your neighbor^(CE) as yourself.^(CF) I am the Lord.

¹⁹ “‘Keep my decrees.^(CG)

“‘Do not mate different kinds of animals.

“‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed.^(CH)

“‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material.^(CI)

²⁰ “‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man^(CJ) but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment.^[a] Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. ²¹ The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord.^{(CK) 22} With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.^(CL)

²³ “‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden.^[b] For three years you are to consider it forbidden^[c]; it must not be eaten. ²⁴ In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy,^(CM) an offering of praise to the Lord. ²⁵ But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.

²⁶ “‘Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.^(CN)

“‘Do not practice divination^(CO) or seek omens.^(CP)

²⁷ “‘Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.^(CQ)

²⁸ “‘Do not cut^(CR) your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the Lord.

²⁹ “‘Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute,^(CS) or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.^(CT)

³⁰ “‘Observe my Sabbaths^(CU) and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the Lord.^(CV)

³¹ “‘Do not turn to mediums^(CW) or seek out spiritists,^(CX) for you will be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.

³² “‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect^(CY) for the elderly^(CZ) and revere your God.^(DA) I am the Lord.^(DB)

³³ “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. ³⁴ The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born.^(DC) Love them as yourself,^(DD) for you were foreigners^(DE) in Egypt.^(DF) I am the Lord your God.

³⁵ “‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.^{(DG) 36} Use honest scales^(DH) and honest weights, an honest ephah^[d](DI) and an honest hin.^[e](DJ) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt.^(DK)

³⁷ “‘Keep all my decrees^(DL) and all my laws^(DM) and follow them. I am the Lord.’”

Punishments for Sin

20 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death.^(DN) The members of the community are to stone him.^{(DO) 3} I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people;^(DP) for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled^(DQ) my sanctuary^(DR) and profaned my holy name.^{(DS) 4} If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death,^{(DT) 5} I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek.

⁶ “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.^(DU)

⁷ “‘Consecrate yourselves^(DV) and be holy,^(DW) because I am the Lord your God.^{(DX) 8} Keep my decrees^(DY) and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.^(DZ)

⁹ “‘Anyone who curses their father^(EA) or mother^(EB) is to be put to death.^(EC) Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.^(ED)

¹⁰ “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife^(EE)—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.^(EF)

¹¹ “‘If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has dishonored his father.^(EG) Both the man and the woman are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.^(EH)

¹² “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law,^(EI) both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹³ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.^(EJ) They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹⁴ “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother,^(EK) it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire,^(EL) so that no wickedness will be among you.^(EM)

¹⁵ “‘If a man has sexual relations with an animal,^(EN) he is to be put to death,^(EO) and you must kill the animal.

¹⁶ “‘If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.

¹⁷ “‘If a man marries his sister^(EP), the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They are to be publicly removed^(EQ) from their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible.^(ER)

¹⁸ “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period,^(ES) he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.^(ET)

¹⁹ “‘Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father,^(EU) for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible.

²⁰ “‘If a man has sexual relations with his aunt,^(EV) he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless.^(EW)

²¹ “‘If a man marries his brother’s wife,^(EX) it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless.^(EY)

²² “‘Keep all my decrees and laws^(EZ) and follow them, so that the land^(FA) where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. ²³ You must not live according to the customs of the nations^(FB) I am going to drive out before you.^(FC) Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.^{(FD) 24} But I said to you, “You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey.”^(FE) I am the Lord your God, who has set you apart from the nations.^(FF)

²⁵ “‘You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds.^(FG) Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those that I have set apart as unclean for you. ²⁶ You are to be holy to me^(FH) because I, the Lord, am holy,^(FI) and I have set you apart from the nations^(FJ) to be my own.

²⁷ “‘A man or woman who is a medium^(FK) or spiritist among you must be put to death.^(FL) You are to stone them;^(FM) their blood will be on their own heads.’”

Rules for Priests

21 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron,^(FN) and say to them: ‘A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean^(FO) for any of his people who die,^{(FP) 2} except for a close relative, such as his mother or father,^(FQ) his son or daughter, his brother, ³ or an unmarried sister who is dependent on him since she has no husband—for her he may make himself unclean.^{(FR) 4} He must not make himself unclean for people related to him by marriage,^[f] and so defile himself.

⁵ “‘Priests must not shave^(FS) their heads or shave off the edges of their beards^(FT) or cut their bodies.^{(FU) 6} They must be holy to their God^(FV) and must not profane the name of their God.^(FW) Because they present the food offerings to the Lord,^(FX) the food of their God,^(FY) they are to be holy.^(FZ)

⁷ “‘They must not marry women defiled by prostitution or divorced from their husbands,^(GA) because priests are holy to their God.^{(GB) 8} Regard them as holy,^(GC) because they offer up the food of your God.^(GD) Consider them holy, because I the Lord am holy—I who make you holy.^(GE)

⁹ “‘If a priest’s daughter defiles herself by becoming a prostitute, she disgraces her father; she must be burned in the fire.^(GF)

¹⁰ “‘The high priest, the one among his brothers who has had the anointing oil poured on his head^(GG) and who has been ordained to wear the priestly garments,^(GH) must not let his hair become unkempt^[g] or tear his clothes.^{(GI) 11} He must not enter a place where there is a dead body.^(GJ) He must not make himself unclean,^(GK) even for his father or mother,^{(GL) 12} nor leave the sanctuary^(GM) of his God or desecrate it, because he has been dedicated by the anointing oil^(GN) of his God. I am the Lord.

¹³ “‘The woman he marries must be a virgin.^{(GO) 14} He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, ¹⁵ so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the Lord, who makes him holy.’”

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Say to Aaron: ‘For the generations to come none of your descendants who has a defect^(GP) may come near to offer the food of his God.^{(GQ) 18} No man who has any defect^(GR) may come near: no man who is blind^(GS) or lame,^(GT) disfigured or deformed; ¹⁹ no man with a crippled foot or hand, ²⁰ or who is a hunchback or a dwarf, or who has any eye defect, or who has festering or running sores or damaged testicles.^{(GU) 21} No descendant of Aaron the priest who has any defect^(GV) is to come near to present the food offerings to the Lord.^(GW) He has a defect; he must not come near to offer the food of his God.^{(GX) 22} He may eat the most holy food of his God,^(GY) as well as the holy food; ²³ yet because of his defect,^(GZ) he must not go near the curtain or approach the altar, and so desecrate my sanctuary.^(HA) I am the Lord, who makes them holy.^(HB)’”

²⁴ So Moses told this to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites.