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Leviticus 18
New King James Version

### Laws of Sexual Morality

18 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: (A)‘I am the Lord your God. 3 (B)According to [a]the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and (C)according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their [b]ordinances. 4 (D)You shall observe My judgments and keep My ordinances, to walk in them: I am the Lord your God. 5 You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live by them: I am the Lord.

6 ‘None of you shall approach anyone who is near of kin to him, to uncover his nakedness: I am the Lord. 7 The nakedness of your father or the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover. She is your mother; you shall not uncover her nakedness. 8 The nakedness of your (E)father’s wife you shall not uncover; it is your father’s nakedness. 9 (F)The nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or elsewhere, their nakedness you shall not uncover. 10 The nakedness of your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, their nakedness you shall not uncover; for theirs is your own nakedness. 11 The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, begotten by your father—she is your sister—you shall not uncover her nakedness. 12 (G)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s sister; she is near of kin to your father. 13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother’s sister, for she is near of kin to your mother. 14 (H)You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s brother. You shall not approach 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 a woman and her (I)daughter, nor shall you take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter, to uncover her nakedness. They are near of kin to her. It is wickedness. 18 Nor shall you take a woman (J)as a rival to her sister, to uncover her nakedness while the other is alive.

19 ‘Also you shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness as (K)long as she is in her (L)customary impurity. 20 (M)Moreover you shall not lie carnally with your (N)neighbor’s wife, to defile yourself with her. 21 And you shall not let any of your descendants (O)pass through (P)the fire to (Q)Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 22 You shall not lie with (R)a male as with a woman. It is an abomination. 23 Nor shall you mate with any (S)animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.

24 (T)‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; (U)for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you. 25 For (V)the land is defiled; therefore I (W)visit[c] the punishment of its iniquity upon it, and the land (X)vomits out its inhabitants. 26 (Y)You shall therefore [d]keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you 27 (for all these abominations the men of the land have done, who were before you, and thus the land is defiled), 28 lest (Z)the land vomit you out also when you defile it, as it vomited out the nations that were before you. 29 For whoever commits any of these abominations, the persons who commit them shall be [e]cut off from among their people.

30 ‘Therefore you shall keep My [f]ordinance, so (AA)that you do not commit any of these abominable customs which were committed before you, and that you do not defile yourselves by them: (AB)I am the Lord your God.’ ”

#### Footnotes

1. Leviticus 18:3 what is done in
2. Leviticus 18:3 statutes
3. Leviticus 18:25 bring judgment for
4. Leviticus 18:26 obey
5. Leviticus 18:29 Put to death
6. Leviticus 18:30 charge

#### Cross references

1. Leviticus 18:2 : Ex. 6:7; Lev. 11:44, 45; 19:3; Ezek. 20:5, 7, 19, 20
2. Leviticus 18:3 : Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:7, 8
3. Leviticus 18:3 : Ex. 23:24; Lev. 18:24–30; 20:23; Deut. 12:30, 31
4. Leviticus 18:4 : Ezek. 20:19
5. Leviticus 18:8 : Gen. 35:22
6. Leviticus 18:9 : Lev. 18:11; 20:17; Deut. 27:22
7. Leviticus 18:12 : Lev. 20:19
8. Leviticus 18:14 : Lev. 20:20
9. Leviticus 18:17 : Lev. 20:14
10. Leviticus 18:18 : 1 Sam. 1:6, 8
11. Leviticus 18:19 : Ezek. 18:6
12. Leviticus 18:19 : Lev. 15:24; 20:18
13. Leviticus 18:20 : [Prov. 6:25–33]
14. Leviticus 18:20 : Ex. 20:14; Lev. 20:10; [Matt. 5:27, 28; 1 Cor. 6:9; Heb. 13:4]
15. Leviticus 18:21 : Lev. 20:2–5; Deut. 12:31
16. Leviticus 18:21 : 2 Kin. 16:3
17. Leviticus 18:21 : 1 Kin. 11:7, 33; Acts 7:43
18. Leviticus 18:22 : Lev. 20:13; Rom. 1:27
19. Leviticus 18:23 : Ex. 22:19; Lev. 20:15, 16; Deut. 27:21
20. Leviticus 18:24 : Matt. 15:18–20; 1 Cor. 3:17
21. Leviticus 18:24 : Lev. 18:3; 20:23; Deut. 18:12
22. Leviticus 18:25 : Num. 35:33, 34; Ezek. 36:17
23. Leviticus 18:25 : Is. 26:21; Jer. 5:9
24. Leviticus 18:25 : Lev. 18:28; 20:22
25. Leviticus 18:26 : Lev. 18:5, 30
26. Leviticus 18:28 : Jer. 9:19
27. Leviticus 18:30 : Lev. 18:3; 22:9
28. Leviticus 18:30 : Lev. 18:2

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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