Leviticus 18

Names of God Bible

Forbidden Sexual Practices

18 Yahweh spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh your Elohim. ³ You used to live in Egypt. Don’t live the way the Egyptians do. I am bringing you to Canaan. Don’t live the way the Canaanites do. Never live by their standards. ⁴ Follow my rules, and live by my standards. I am Yahweh your Elohim. ⁵ Live by my standards, and obey my rules. You will have life through them. I am Yahweh.

⁶ “Never have sexual intercourse with anyone related to you by blood. I am Yahweh.

⁷ “Never have sexual intercourse with your mother. She is your own mother. Never have sexual intercourse with her. ⁸ Never have sexual intercourse with your stepmother. She is related to you through your father. ⁹ Never have sexual intercourse with your stepsister, whether she is your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter. It makes no difference whether or not she was born in your house. ¹⁰ Never have sexual intercourse with your granddaughter, whether she is your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, because she is related to you. ¹¹ Never have sexual intercourse with a daughter of your father and his wife. She is your own sister. ¹² Never have sexual intercourse with your father’s sister. She is your paternal aunt. ¹³ Never have sexual intercourse with your mother’s sister. She is your maternal aunt. ¹⁴ Never have sexual intercourse with the wife of your father’s brother. She, too, is your aunt. ¹⁵ Never have sexual intercourse with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. Never have sexual intercourse with her. ¹⁶ Never have sexual intercourse with your sister-in-law. She is your brother’s wife. ¹⁷ Never have sexual intercourse with a woman and her daughter or a woman and her granddaughter. They are related. Doing this is perverted. ¹⁸ While your wife is living, never marry her sister as a rival wife and have sexual intercourse with her.

¹⁹ “Never have sexual intercourse with a woman while she is unclean during her monthly period. ²⁰ Never have sexual intercourse with your neighbor’s wife and become unclean with her. ²¹ Never give your children as sacrifices to the god Molech by burning them alive. If you do, you are dishonoring the name of your Elohim. I am Yahweh. ²² Never have sexual intercourse with a man as with a woman. It is disgusting. ²³ Never have sexual intercourse with any animal and become unclean with it. A woman must never offer herself to an animal for sexual intercourse. It is unnatural.

Punishment for Sexual Sins

²⁴ “Do not become unclean in any of these ways. By these practices all the nations which I am forcing out of your way have become unclean. ²⁵ The land has become unclean. I will punish it for its sins. The land will vomit out those who live in it. ²⁶ Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things. ²⁷ The people of the land who were there before you did all these disgusting things. As a result, the land has become unclean. ²⁸ If you make the land unclean, it will vomit you out as it has vomited out the people who were there before you. ²⁹ Whoever does any of these disgusting things must be excluded from the people. ³⁰ So you must follow my instructions. Don’t live by the standards of the people who lived there before you. What they do is disgusting. Never become unclean that way. I am Yahweh your Elohim.”