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“You must never have sexual relations with your father or mother. She is your mother, so you must not have sexual relations with her. You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife, even if she is not your mother, because that is like having sexual relations with your father.[a]

“You must not have sexual relations with your sister. It doesn’t matter if she is the daughter of your father or your mother. And it doesn’t matter if your sister was born in your house[b] or at some other place.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 18:8 sexual relations … father Literally, “She is the nakedness of your father.” Husband and wife are like one person. See Gen. 2:24.
  2. Leviticus 18:9 sister was born in your house Or “household.” If a man had many wives, each wife and her children had their own tent or part of the house. So this probably means a man was not supposed to have sexual relations with any of his father’s daughters, whether sister or half-sister.

“‘Do not dishonor your father(A) by having sexual relations with your mother.(B) She is your mother; do not have relations with her.

“‘Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife;(C) that would dishonor your father.(D)

“‘Do not have sexual relations with your sister,(E) either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.(F)

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