The Holy Bible – Knox Translation
The Book of Leviticus
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Chapter 18
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And the Lord spoke to Moses
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bidding him give the sons of Israel this message: I am the Lord your God;
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it is not for you to live by the customs of that Egyptian land in which you once dwelt, or to imitate the men of Chanaan, the new home I am giving you, and follow their observances.
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It is my decrees you will execute, my commands you will obey, following them closely; am I not the Lord your God?
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It is my laws, my decrees you must keep; they give life to the man who lives by them; am I not the Lord?
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And it is I, the Lord, who tell you that no man is to betake himself to a woman who is near of kin to him, and mate with her.
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Thou shalt not come between thy father’s sheets, and mate with her that bore thee; wouldst thou mate with thy own mother?
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Thou shalt not mate with her that is thy father’s wife; her shame is his.
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Thou shalt not mate with thy sister by either parent, born in the same house or born elsewhere.
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Thou shalt not mate with the daughter of thy own son or daughter; her shame is thine.
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Thou shalt not mate with any daughter thy father’s wife bears him; she is thy sister.
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Thou shalt not mate with thy father’s sister, thy own father’s flesh and blood;
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nor with thy mother’s sister, thy own mother’s flesh and blood.
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Thou shalt not come between thy uncle’s sheets and mate with his wife; she is bound to thee by affinity.
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Thou shalt not mate with thy daughter-in-law; wouldst thou mate with the wife of thy own son?
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Thou shalt not mate with thy brother’s wife;✻ her shame is his.
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Thou shalt not mate with a woman and also with her daughter, no, nor with any grand-daughter of hers; they are flesh and blood of hers, and all such commerce is incestuous.
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Thou shalt not make a concubine of thy wife’s sister, mating with her while thy wife still lives.
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Thou shalt not come nigh a woman and mate with her during her monthly time.
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Thou shalt not defile thyself by bedding with thy neighbour’s wife.
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Thou shalt not yield up any child of thine to be devoted to the false god Moloch, doing dishonour to the name of thy God; am I not the Lord?
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Thou shalt not have commerce with a man as if it had been with a woman; such commerce is abominable.
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Thou shalt not defile thyself by commerce with a beast; nor shall a woman allow any beast to have commerce with her; it is foully done.
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Do not defile yourselves like the nations I am dispossessing to make room for you;
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the whole land is contaminated by their presence, and I am calling it to account for these ill deeds, till it vomits out its own inhabitants.
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Citizens alike and aliens, that dwell among you, must observe these laws and decrees I am giving you, and keep clear of all such abominations;
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the very abominations by which the former inhabitants of the land have contaminated it.
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Be sure that it will vomit you out like those others, if you do as they did.
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Whoever is guilty of any such abomination is lost to his people.
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Keep my commandments, and do not defile yourselves by imitating your forerunners; am I not the Lord your God?
