Unlawful Sexual Relations (Matthew 5:27–30)
1 UST Then Yahweh said to Moses, BSB BSB: Then the LORD said to Moses,
2 UST “Make sure to speak to the people of Israel and remind them that I am Yahweh their God. BSB BSB: “Speak to the Israelites and tell them: I am the LORD your God.
3 UST The people of Israel must not behave like the Egyptians, in whose land they used to live. Neither should they behave like the Canaanites, whose land I am giving to them. The people of Israel should not live in a way that emulates any of the practices that these people do. BSB BSB: You must not follow the practices of the land of Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not follow the practices of the land of Canaan, into which I am bringing you. You must not walk in their customs.
4 UST Instead, the people of Israel should obey my laws and be very careful to do everything that I tell them. They should live this way, because I am Yahweh their God. BSB BSB: You are to practice My judgments and keep My statutes by walking in them. I am the LORD your God.
5 UST The people of Israel should live in such a way that they make a habit of obeying my laws and doing everything that I tell them. When people do this, they truly live. This is because I am Yahweh. BSB BSB: Keep My statutes and My judgments, for the man who does these things will live by them. I am the LORD.
7 UST No one should have sexual relations with his mother and so shame her. She is his mother! He should absolutely not shame her or his father in this way. BSB BSB: You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
8 UST Likewise, no one should have sexual relations with any of his father’ s other wives and so shame them.{ Not only would this shame them,} it would also shame his father. BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.
9 UST No one should have sexual relations with his sister and shame her, whether she is his father’ s or his mother’ s daughter or whether she was born in the same household or somewhere else. BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
10 UST No one should have sexual relations with his own grandchildren and shame them. In doing so, the person who does this would absolutely shame himself. BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family.
11 UST No one should have sexual relations with his half- sister and shame her. She is his sister! BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
12 UST No one should have sexual relations with his father’ s sister and shame her. She is his father’ s close relative! BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
13 UST Neither should anyone have sexual relations with his mother’ s sister and shame her. She is his mother’ s close relative! BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.
14 UST No one should have sexual relations with his aunt and so shame her and your uncle. No one should approach his aunt to have sexual relations with her. She is his aunt! BSB BSB: You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt.
15 UST No one should have sexual relations with his daughter- in- law and so shame her. She is his son’ s wife! He should absolutely not shame her in this way. BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her.
16 UST No one should have sexual relations with his sister- in- law and so shame her. The person who does this would shame both her and his brother. BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.
17 UST No one should have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. This also means that no one should attempt to marry a woman and her granddaughter so that he can have sexual relations with her. They are her close relatives! These kinds of behaviors are utterly depraved— they transgress the way Yahweh intended for family members to relate to one another and only brings shame to everyone involved. BSB BSB: You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.
18 UST No one should attempt to marry his wife’ s sister so that he can have sexual relations with her while his wife is still living. To do so would only make his sister- in- law a concubine and rival wife. BSB BSB: You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.
19 UST No one should approach a woman who is menstruating and so is impure in order to have sexual relations with her. BSB BSB: You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
20 UST No man should have sexual relations and have a seminal emission with a fellow Israelite’ s wife. If he does this, he will become impure. BSB BSB: You must not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife and thus defile yourself with her.
22 UST No man should have sexual relations with another man as he would have with a woman. This behavior is utterly abominable; it transgresses the way Yahweh intended for people to behave and only brings shame to everyone involved. BSB BSB: You must not lie with a man as with a woman; that is an abomination.
23 UST Likewise, no one should have sexual relations with any animal. This means that no woman should give herself to an animal to copulate with it. Doing so would make the person who does this impure. This behavior is utterly perverse— it transgresses the way Yahweh intended for people to behave and only brings shame to everyone involved. BSB BSB: You must not lie carnally with any animal, thus defiling yourself with it; a woman must not stand before an animal to mate with it; that is a perversion.
25 UST In fact, the people who currently live in the land of Canaan have even made the land itself impure. Because of this, I have brought against the land the punishment for the guilt that the land has acquired because of their wrongdoing. I am removing the people who did these things in the land as if the ground itself is throwing them up and rejecting them. BSB BSB: Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants.
26 UST But my people, both the native- born Israelite and the immigrant who is living with the people of Israel, must all be careful to do everything that I have told them, including my laws and my customs. They should never do all of these abominable behaviors that the people who live in the land practice, BSB BSB: But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances, and you must not commit any of these abominations—neither your native-born nor the foreigner who lives among you.
27 UST because the people who currently live in the land of Canaan have done all of these abominable behaviors. As a consequence, they have made the land itself impure. BSB BSB: For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled.
28 UST Just as I am removing the people who currently live in the land as if the land itself is throwing them up and rejecting them, if the people of Israel do the same thing, I will also remove them in the same manner. BSB BSB: So if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it spewed out the nations before you.
29 UST I will remove the people of Israel because I will make any person who does any of these abominable practices an outcast. I, Yahweh, will remove him from my people. BSB BSB: Therefore anyone who commits any of these abominations must be cut off from among his people.
30 UST So, the people of Israel should be very careful to do everything that I have told them. If they are careful, they will not do the abominable practices that the people who currently live in the land do. The people of Israel will avoid making themselves impure. Remember: I am Yahweh your God!” BSB BSB: You must keep My charge not to practice any of the abominable customs that were practiced before you, so that you do not defile yourselves by them. I am the LORD your God.”
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.