Boundaries That Protect
18 1 Our Father spoke to Moses, saying:
Set Apart from the Nations
2 "Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: I am your Father. 3 You must not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived; and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You must not follow their statutes. 4 You must follow my judgments and keep my statutes, walking in them. I am your Father. 5 You must keep my statutes and my judgments; the person who does them will live by them. I am your Father.
6 None of you may approach any close relative to uncover their nakedness. I am your Father.
7 You must not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you must not uncover her nakedness.
8 You must not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.
9 You must not uncover the nakedness of your sister, whether your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether born at home or born elsewhere.
10 You must not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own.
11 You must not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 You must not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is your father's close relative.
13 You must not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is your mother's close relative.
14 You must not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother; you must not approach his wife, for she is your aunt.
15 You must not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law; she is your son's wife, you must not uncover her nakedness.
16 You must not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.
17 You must not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, nor take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover their nakedness; they are close relatives. It is wickedness.
18 You must not marry a woman as a rival to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.
19 You must not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness during the impurity of her menstrual period.
20 You must not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife, defiling yourself with her.
21 You must not give any of your children to be passed through the fire to Molech, and so profane the name of your Father. I am your Father. 1 1 v21 Molech was a god worshiped by passing children through fire — child sacrifice — which is why this defilement so deeply profanes our Father's name.
22 You must not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is detestable.
23 You must not have relations with any animal, defiling yourself with it; and a woman must not present herself to an animal to mate with it. It is a perversion.
24 Do not defile yourselves by any of these things, for by all these the nations that I am driving out before you have defiled themselves. 25 The land was defiled, so I called the land to account for its guilt, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. 26 But you must keep my statutes and my judgments, and you must not commit any of these detestable things, neither the native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you. 27 For the people who were in the land before you did all these detestable things, and the land became defiled. 28 So do not let the land vomit you out for defiling it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
29 Anyone who does any of these detestable things will be cut off from among their people. 30 So keep my charge: do not practice any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you, and do not defile yourselves by them. I am your Father."