New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
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And the Lord said to Moses,
2 Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: I am the Lord your God.
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Say to the children of Israel, I am the Lord your God.
3 You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes.
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You may not do those things which were done in the land of Egypt where you were living; and you may not do those things which are done in the land of Canaan where I am taking you, or be guided in your behaviour by their rules.
4 My ordinances you shall observe and my statutes you shall keep, following them: I am the Lord your God.
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But you are to be guided by my decisions and keep my rules, and be guided by them: I am the Lord your God.
5 You shall keep my statutes and my ordinances; by doing so one shall live: I am the Lord.
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So keep my rules and my decisions, which, if a man does them, will be life to him: I am the Lord.
6 None of you shall approach anyone near of kin to uncover nakedness: I am the Lord.
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You may not have sex connection with anyone who is a near relation: I am the Lord.
7 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, which is the nakedness of your mother; she is your mother, you shall not uncover her nakedness.
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You may not have sex relations with your father or your mother: she is your mother, you may not take her.
8 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is the nakedness of your father.
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And you may not have sex relations with your father's wife: she is your father's.
9 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether born at home or born abroad.
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You may not take your sister, the daughter of your father or of your mother, wherever her birth took place, among you or in another country.
10 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your son's daughter or of your daughter's daughter, for their nakedness is your own nakedness.
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You may not have sex relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter, for they are part of yourself;
11 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, begotten by your father, since she is your sister.
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Or your father's wife's daughter, the child of your father, for she is your sister.
12 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister; she is your father's flesh.
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You may not have sex connection with your father's sister, for she is your father's near relation.
13 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, for she is your mother's flesh.
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You may not have sex connection with your mother's sister, for she is your mother's near relation.
14 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's brother, that is, you shall not approach his wife; she is your aunt.
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You may not have sex relations with the wife of your father's brother, for she is of your family;
15 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter-in-law: she is your son's wife; you shall not uncover her nakedness.
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Or with your daughter-in-law, for she is your son's wife, and you may not take her.
16 You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife; it is your brother's nakedness.
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You may not have sex relations with your brother's wife, for she is your brother's.
17 You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, and you shall not take her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are your flesh; it is depravity.
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You may not take as wife a woman and her daughter, or her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter, for they are of one family: it is an act of shame.
18 And you shall not take a woman as a rival to her sister, uncovering her nakedness while her sister is still alive.
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And you may not take as wife a woman and at the same time her sister, to be in competition with her in her life-time.
19 You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness while she is in her menstrual uncleanness.
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And you may not go near a woman or have sex relations with her when she is unclean, at her regular time.
20 You shall not have sexual relations with your kinsman's wife, and defile yourself with her.
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And you may not have sex relations with your neighbour's wife, making yourself unclean with her.
21 You shall not give any of your offspring to sacrifice them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.
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And you may not make any of your children go through the fire as an offering to Molech, and you may not put shame on the name of your God: I am the Lord.
22 You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.
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You may not have sex relations with men, as you do with women: it is a disgusting thing.
23 You shall not have sexual relations with any animal and defile yourself with it, nor shall any woman give herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it: it is perversion.
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And you may not have sex relations with a beast, making yourself unclean with it; and a woman may not give herself to a beast: it is an unnatural act.
24 Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, for by all these practices the nations I am casting out before you have defiled themselves.
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Do not make yourself unclean in any of these ways; for so have those nations whom I am driving out from before you made themselves unclean:
25 Thus the land became defiled; and I punished it for its iniquity, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.
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And the land itself has become unclean; so that I have sent on it the reward of its wrongdoing, and the land itself puts out those who are living in it.
26 But you shall keep my statutes and my ordinances and commit none of these abominations, either the citizen or the alien who resides among you
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So then keep my rules and my decisions, and do not do any of these disgusting things, those of you who are Israelites by birth, or any others who are living with you:
27 (for the inhabitants of the land, who were before you, committed all of these abominations, and the land became defiled);
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(For all these disgusting things were done by the men of this country who were there before you, and the land has been made unclean by them;)
28 otherwise the land will vomit you out for defiling it, as it vomited out the nation that was before you.
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So that the land may not put you out from it, when you make it unclean, as it put out the nations which were there before you.
29 For whoever commits any of these abominations shall be cut off from their people.
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For all those who do any of these disgusting things will be cut off from among their people.
30 So keep my charge not to commit any of these abominations that were done before you, and not to defile yourselves by them: I am the Lord your God.
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So then, keep my orders, so that you may not do any of these disgusting things which were done before you, or make yourselves unclean through them: I am the Lord your God.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.