Leviticus 18-19

Unlawful Sexual Relations 1The LORD said to Moses, 2“Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘I am the LORD your God. 3You 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. 4You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God.

5Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. 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 by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

8“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; that would dishonor your father.

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

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; she is your father’s close relative.

13“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, 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.

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

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

17“ ‘Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. 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 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 of her monthly period.

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

21“ ‘Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD .

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

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. 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 became defiled. 25Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things, 27for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled.

28And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out 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. 30Keep my requirements 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.’ ”

Various Laws 1The LORD said to Moses,

2“Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.

3“ ‘Each of you must respect your mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.

4“ ‘Do not turn to idols or make metal gods for yourselves. I am the LORD your God. 5“ ‘When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6It 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. 7If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted.

8Whoever eats it will be held responsible because they have desecrated what is holy to the LORD ; they must be cut off from their people. 9“ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest.

10Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the foreigner. I am the LORD your God.

11“ ‘Do not steal. “ ‘Do not lie. “ ‘Do not deceive one another.

12“ ‘Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD .

13“ ‘Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. “ ‘Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.

14“ ‘Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD .

15“ ‘Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.

16“ ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people. “ ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the LORD .

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

18“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD .

19“ ‘Keep my decrees. “ ‘Do not mate different kinds of animals. “ ‘Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. “ ‘Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. 20“ ‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Or be an inquiry Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD .

22With 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. 23“ ‘When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. Hebrew uncircumcised For three years you are to consider it forbidden Hebrew uncircumcised ; it must not be eaten. 24In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD .

25But 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. “ ‘Do not practice divination or seek omens.

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

28“ ‘Do not cut 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, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness.

30“ ‘Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD .

31“ ‘Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

32“ ‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD . 33“ ‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.

34The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. 35“ ‘Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity.

36Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah An ephah was a dry measure having the capacity of about 3/5 of a bushel or about 22 liters. and an honest hin. A hin was a liquid measure having the capacity of about 1 gallon or about 3.8 liters. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. 37“ ‘Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD .’ ”