Levítico 18

¹ And the Lord spake vnto Moses, saying,

² Speake vnto the children of Israel, and say vnto them, I am the Lord your God.

³ After theYou shall preserve yourselves from these abominations following, which the Egyptians and Canaanites use.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 ordinances.

⁴ But do after my iudgementes, and keepe mine ordinances, to walke therein: I am the Lord your God.

⁵ Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them:And therefore you ought to serve me alone, as my people.I [am] the LORD.

⁶ None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, toThat is, to lie with her, though it be under title of marriage.uncover [their] nakedness: I [am] the LORD.

⁷ Thou shalt not vncouer the shame of thy father, nor the shame of thy mother: for she is thy mother, thou shalt not discouer her shame.

⁸ The nakedness of thy father'sWhich is your stepmother.wife shalt thou not uncover: it [is] thy father's nakedness.

⁹ The nakedness of thyEither by father or mother, born in marriage or otherwise.sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, [whether she be] born at home, or born abroad, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.

¹⁰ The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, [even] their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs [is] thine ownThey are her children whose shame you have uncovered.nakedness.

¹¹ The shame of thy fathers wiues daughter, begotten of thy father (for she is thy sister) thou shalt not, I say, discouer her shame.

¹² Thou shalt not vncouer the shame of thy fathers sister: for she is thy fathers kinswoman.

¹³ Thou shalt not discouer the shame of thy mothers sister: for she is thy mothers kinsewoman.

¹⁴ Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thyWhich your uncle discovers.father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she [is] thine aunt.

¹⁵ Thou shalt not discouer the shame of thy daughter in lawe: for she is thy sonnes wife: therefore shalt thou not vncouer her shame.

¹⁶ Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thyBecause the idolaters, among whom God's people had dwelt and would dwell, were given to these horrible incests, God charges his own to beware of them.brother's wife: it [is] thy brother's nakedness.

¹⁷ Thou shalt not discouer the shame of the wife and of her daughter, neither shalt thou take her sonnes daughter, nor her daughters daughter, to vncouer her shame: for they are thy kinsfolkes, and it were wickednesse.

¹⁸ Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, toBy seeing your affection more bent to her sister than to her.vex [her], to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life [time].

¹⁹ Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is putOr while she has her period.apart for her uncleanness.

²⁰ Moreouer, thou shalt not giue thy selfe to thy neighbours wife by carnall copulation, to be defiled with her.

²¹ And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through [the fire] toWhich was an idol of the Ammonites, to whom they burned and sacrificed their children, (2Ki_23:10). This seemed to be the chief and principal of all idols: and as the Jews write, was of a great stature, and hollow within, having seven places or chambers within him: one was to receive meal that was offered: another turtle doves: the third, a sheep: the fourth, a ram: the fifth a calf: the sixth an ox: the seventh a child. This idols face was like a calf: his hands were ever stretched out to receive gifts: his priests were called Chemarims, (2Ki_23:5; Hos_10:5; Zep_1:4).Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I [am] the LORD.

²² Thou shalt not lie with ye male as one lieth with a woman: for it is abomination.

²³ Thou shalt not also lie with any beast to bee defiled therewith, neither shall any woman stand before a beast, to lie downe thereto: for it is abomination.

²⁴ Yee shall not defile your selues in any of these things: for in al these the nations are defiled, which I will cast out before you:

²⁵ And the land is defiled: therefore I doI will punish the land where such incestuous marriages and pollutions are tolerated.visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itselfHe compares the wicked to evil humours and overeating, which corrupt the stomach, and oppress nature, and therefore must be cast out by vomit.vomiteth out her inhabitants.

²⁶ Ye shall keepe therefore mine ordinances, and my iudgementes, and commit none of these abominations, aswell hee that is of the same countrey, as the straunger that soiourneth among you.

²⁷ (For all these abominations haue the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled:

²⁸ That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as itBoth for their wicked marriages, unnatural copulations, idolatry or spiritual whoredom with Molech and such like abominations.spued out the nations that [were] before you.

²⁹ For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit [them] shallEither by the civil sword or by some plague that God will send upon such.be cut off from among their people.

³⁰ Therefore shall yee keepe mine ordinances that ye do not any of the abominable customes, which haue bene done before you, and that yee defile not your selues therein: for I am the Lorde your God.