Leviticus 18-20

Revised Geneva Translation

18 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

² “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘I am the LORD your God.

³ ‘You shall not do as they do in of the land of Egypt, wherein you dwelt. And you shall not do after the manner of the land of Canaan, where I will bring you, nor walk in their ordinances.

⁴ ‘Do after My Judgments. And keep My Ordinances, to walk therein. I am the LORD your God.

⁵ ‘Therefore, you shall keep My statutes and My judgments. Which, if a man does, he shall then live in them. I am the LORD.

⁶ ‘No one shall come near any of the kindred of his flesh, to uncover her nakedness. I am the LORD.

⁷ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother. She is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

⁸ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness.

⁹ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother. Whether she is born at home or born outside the home. You shall not uncover their nakedness.

¹⁰ ‘The nakedness of your son’s daughter, or of your daughter’s daughter, you shall not, I say, uncover their nakedness. For it is your nakedness.

¹¹ ‘The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten of your father (she is your sister) you shalt not, I say, uncover her nakedness.

¹² ‘You shall not uncover the shame of your father’s sister. She is your father’s kinswoman.

¹³ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s kinswoman.

¹⁴ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not go in to his wife. She is your aunt.

¹⁵ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife. You shall not uncover her nakedness.

¹⁶ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother’s wife. It is your brother’s nakedness.

¹⁷ ‘You shall not uncover the nakedness of the wife and of her daughter. Nor shall you take her son’s daughter, nor her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are kinsfolk. It is wickedness.

¹⁸ ‘Also, you shall not take a wife with her sister (during her life), to be her rival in uncovering her nakedness upon her.

¹⁹ ‘You shall not also go to a woman to uncover her nakedness as long as she is isolated for her impurity.

²⁰ ‘Moreover, you shall not give yourself to your neighbor’s wife by carnal copulation, to be defiled with her.

²¹ ‘Also, you shall not give your children as an offering to Molech. Nor shall you defile the Name of your God. I am the LORD.

²² ‘You shall not lie with the male as one lies with a woman. It is abomination.

²³ ‘Also, you shall not lie with any beast, to be defiled with it. Nor shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie down with it. It is abomination.

²⁴ ‘You shall not defile yourselves in any of these things. For in all these the Nations are defiled, which I will cast out before you.

²⁵ ‘And the land is defiled. Therefore, I will visit its wickedness upon it, and the land shall vomit out her inhabitants.

²⁶ ‘Therefore, you shall keep My Ordinances and My Judgments and commit none of these abominations (he who is of the same country, as well as the stranger who sojourns among you).

²⁷ ‘For the men of the land have done all these abominations which were before you. And the land is defiled.

²⁸ ‘And shall not the land spew you out if you defile it, as it spewed out the people who were before you?

²⁹ ‘For whoever shall commit any of these abominations, the people that do shall be cut off from among their people.

³⁰ ‘Therefore, you shall keep My Ordinances, so that you do not do any of the abominable customs which have been done before you, and so that you do not defile yourselves therein. I am the LORD your God.’”

19 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

² “Speak to all the Congregation of the children of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy. For I, the LORD your God, am Holy.

³ ‘Every man shall fear his mother and his father and shall keep My Sabbath. I am the LORD your God.

⁴ ‘You shall not turn to idols, nor make molten gods. I am the LORD your God.

⁵ ‘And when you shall offer a Peace Offering to the LORD, you shall offer it freely.

⁶ ‘It shall be eaten the day you offer it, or the next day. And that which remains until the third day shall be burnt in the fire.

⁷ ‘For if it is eaten on the third day, it shall be unclean. It shall not be accepted.

⁸ ‘Therefore, he who eats it shall bear his iniquity. Because he has defiled the hallowed thing of the LORD. And that person shall be cut off from his people.

⁹ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap every corner of your field. Nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.

¹⁰ ‘You shall not gather the grapes of your vineyard, nor gather every grape of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am the LORD your God.

¹¹ ‘You shall neither steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another.

¹² ‘Also, you shall not swear by My Name falsely. Nor shall you defile the Name of your God. I am the LORD.

¹³ ‘You shall neither wrong nor rob your neighbor. The workman’s wages shall not remain with you until the morning.

¹⁴ You shall not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind, but shall fear your God. I am the LORD.

¹⁵ ‘You shall not do unjustly in judgment. You shall neither favor the person of the poor nor honor the person of the mighty. You shall judge your neighbor justly.

¹⁶ ‘You shall not walk about with tales among your people. You shall not stand against the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.

¹⁷ ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall plainly rebuke your neighbor, and not allow him to sin.

¹⁸ ‘You shall neither avenge nor be mindful against the children of your people, but shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.

¹⁹ ‘You shall keep My Ordinances. You shall not let your cattle breed with diverse kinds. You shall not sow your field with mixed seed. Nor shall a garment of diverse things, of linen or wool, come upon you.

²⁰ ‘Also, whoever lies carnally with a woman who is a bondmaid, engaged to a husband, and not redeemed, nor freedom given her, she shall be scourged. They shall not die because she is not made free.

²¹ ‘And he shall bring for his Trespass Offering to the LORD—at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation—a ram for a Trespass Offering.

²² ‘Then, the Priest shall make an atonement for him before the LORD with the ram of the Trespass Offering, concerning his sin which he has done. And pardon shall be given to him for his sin which he has committed.

²³ ‘Also, when you shall come into the land, and have planted every tree for food, you shall count its fruit as uncircumcised. Three years it shall be uncircumcised to you. It shall not be eaten.

²⁴ ‘But in the fourth year, all its fruit shall be holy to the praise of the LORD.

²⁵ ‘And the fifth year, you shall eat of its fruit, so that it may yield its increase to you. I am the LORD your God.

²⁶ ‘You shall not eat flesh with the blood. You shall not practice witchcraft or soothsaying.

²⁷ ‘You shall not shave around the sides of your heads. Nor shall you mar the tufts of your beard.

²⁸ ‘You shall not cut your flesh for the dead, nor make any print of a mark upon you. I am the LORD.

²⁹ ‘You shall not make your daughter common, to cause her to be a whore, lest the land also falls to whoredom, and the land is full of wickedness.

³⁰ ‘You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My Sanctuary. I am the LORD.

³¹ ‘You shall not regard those who work with spirits, or soothsayers. You shall not seek them, to be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.

³² ‘You shall stand up before the gray-headed and honor the person of the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD.

³³ ‘And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him.

³⁴ ‘The stranger who dwells with you shall be as one of yourselves. And you shall love him as yourself. For you were strangers in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

³⁵ ‘You shall do no injustice in judgment (in length, weight or in measure).

³⁶ ‘You shall have just balances, true weights, a true ephah, and a true hin. I am the LORD your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt.

³⁷ ‘Therefore, you shall observe all My Ordinances, and all My Judgments, and do them. I am the LORD.’”

20 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

² “You shall also say to the children of Israel, ‘Whoever of the children of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who gives his children to Molech, he shall die the death. The people of the land shall stone him to death.

³ ‘And I will set My Face against that man and cut him off from among his people, because he has given his children to Molech, to defile My Sanctuary and to pollute My Holy Name.

⁴ ‘And if the people of the land hide their eyes—winking at that man when he gives his children to Molech—and do not kill him,

⁵ ‘then will I set My Face against that man, and against his family, and will cut him off and all that go a whoring after him to commit whoredom with Molech from among their people.

⁶ ‘If anyone turns after such as work with spirits and after soothsayers, to go a whoring after them, then will I set My Face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.

⁷ ‘Sanctify yourselves, therefore, and be holy. For I am the LORD your God.

⁸ ‘Therefore, keep My ordinances and do them. I am the LORD, Who sanctifies you.

⁹ ‘If anyone curses his father or his mother, he shall die the death. He has cursed his father and his mother. His blood shall be upon him.

¹⁰ ‘And the man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, because he has committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall die the death.

¹¹ ‘And the man who lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. They shall both die, their blood upon them.

¹² ‘Also, the man who lies with his daughter-in-law, they both shall die the death. They have wrought abomination, their blood upon them.

¹³ ‘Also, the man who lies with the male, as one lies with a woman, they have both committed abomination. They shall die the death, their blood upon them.

¹⁴ ‘Likewise, he who takes a wife and her mother commits wickedness. They shall burn him and them with fire, so that there is no wickedness among you.

¹⁵ ‘Also, the man who lies with a beast shall die the death. And you shall kill the beast.

¹⁶ ‘And if a woman comes to any beast, and lies with it, then you shall kill the woman and the beast. They shall die the death, their blood upon them.

¹⁷ ‘Also, if a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness, it is wickedness. Therefore, they shall be cut off in the sight of their people. He who uncovered his sister’s shame, he shall bear his iniquity.

¹⁸ ‘Also, the man who lies with a woman who has her period, and uncovers her nakedness, opens her fountain, and she opens the fountain of her blood, they shall both be cut off from among their people.

¹⁹ ‘Moreover, you shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister or of your father’s sister, because you have uncovered your kin. They shall bear their iniquity.

²⁰ ‘Likewise, the man who lies with his father’s brother’s wife, and uncovers his uncle’s nakedness, they shall bear their iniquity and shall die childless.

²¹ ‘So, the man who takes his brother’s wife commits filthiness. He has uncovered his brother’s shame. They shall be childless.

²² ‘Therefore, you shall keep all My Ordinances and all My Judgments, and do them, so that the land where I bring you to dwell does not spew you out.

²³ ‘Therefore, you shall not walk in the manners of this Nation which I cast out before you. For they have committed all these things. Therefore, I abhorred them.

²⁴ ‘But I have said to you, “You shall inherit their land. And I will give it to you to possess it, a land that flows with milk and honey.” I am the LORD your God, Who has separated you from the people.

²⁵ ‘Therefore, you shall distinguish between clean beasts and unclean, and between unclean birds and clean. You shall not defile yourselves with beast and bird, or with any creeping thing that the ground brings forth which I have separated from you as unclean.

²⁶ ‘Therefore, you shall be holy to Me. For I, the LORD, am holy. And I have separated you from the people, so that you should be Mine.

²⁷ ‘And if a man or woman has a spirit of divination or soothsaying in them, they shall die the death. They shall stone them to death, their blood upon them.’”