Leviticus 18:26
New International Version
But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the foreigners residing among you must not do any of these detestable things,

New Living Translation
You must obey all my decrees and regulations. You must not commit any of these detestable sins. This applies both to native-born Israelites and to the foreigners living among you.

English Standard Version
But you shall keep my statutes and my rules and do none of these abominations, either the native or the stranger who sojourns among you

Berean Standard Bible
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.

King James Bible
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you:

New King James Version
You shall therefore keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations, either any of your own nation or any stranger who dwells among you

New American Standard Bible
But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments, and you shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the stranger who resides among you

NASB 1995
But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you

NASB 1977
‘But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments, and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native, nor the alien who sojourns among you

Legacy Standard Bible
But as for you, you shall keep My statutes and My judgments and shall not do any of these abominations, neither the native nor the sojourner who sojourns among you

Amplified Bible
But as for you, you are to keep My statutes and My judgments (precepts) and shall not commit any of these repulsive acts, neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives temporarily among you

Christian Standard Bible
But you are to keep my statutes and ordinances. You must not commit any of these detestable acts—not the native or the alien who resides among you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances. You must not commit any of these detestable things—not the native or the foreigner who lives among you.

American Standard Version
Ye therefore shall keep my statutes and mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you;

English Revised Version
Ye therefore shall keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the homeborn, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Live by my standards, and obey my rules. Neither you nor any foreigner should ever do any of these disgusting things.

International Standard Version
"Therefore, keep my statutes and ordinances. You are not to do any of these detestable things—this applies to the native born and the resident alien who lives among you—

Majority Standard Bible
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.

NET Bible
You yourselves must obey my statutes and my regulations and must not do any of these abominations, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner in your midst,

New Heart English Bible
You therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you;

Webster's Bible Translation
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you.

World English Bible
You therefore shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the native-born, nor the stranger who lives as a foreigner among you
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And you have kept My statutes and My judgments, and do not do [any] of all these abominations, the native and the sojourner who is sojourning in your midst,

Young's Literal Translation
and ye -- ye have kept My statutes and My judgments, and do not any of all these abominations, the native and the sojourner who is sojourning in your midst,

Smith's Literal Translation
And ye watched these my laws, and my judgments, and ye shall not do from all of these abominations, the native and the stranger sojourning in your midst:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Keep ye my ordinances and my judgments, and do not any of these abominations: neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Keep my ordinances and judgments, and do not do any of these abominations: the native born, as well as the settler, who sojourns among you.

New American Bible
You, however, must keep my statutes and decrees, avoiding all these abominations, both the natives and the aliens resident among you—

New Revised Standard Version
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
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither you nor any proselytes who sojourn among you

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Keep my covenants and my judgments and you shall not do one of all of these sins, neither you, nor those who are converted to me who dwell among you:
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Ye therefore shall keep My statutes and Mine ordinances, and shall not do any of these abominations; neither the home-born, nor the stranger that sojourneth among you--

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And ye shall keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and ye shall do none of these abominations; neither the native, nor the stranger that joins himself with you:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Unlawful Sexual Relations
25Even the land has become defiled, so I am punishing it for its sin, and the land will vomit out its inhabitants. 26But 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. 27For the men who were in the land before you committed all these abominations, and the land has become defiled.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 18:9-12
When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. / Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, practices divination or conjury, interprets omens, practices sorcery, / casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead. ...

Leviticus 20:22-23
You are therefore to keep all My statutes and ordinances, so that the land where I am bringing you to live will not vomit you out. / You must not follow the statutes of the nations I am driving out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them.

Deuteronomy 12:30-31
be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.” / You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

Ezekiel 20:18-19
In the wilderness I said to their children: ‘Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers or keep their ordinances or defile yourselves with their idols. / I am the LORD your God; walk in My statutes, keep My ordinances, and practice them.

Deuteronomy 7:1-6
When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to possess, and He drives out before you many nations—the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, seven nations larger and stronger than you— / and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you to defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. Make no treaty with them and show them no mercy. / Do not intermarry with them. Do not give your daughters to their sons or take their daughters for your sons, ...

1 Kings 14:24
There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Kings 17:8
and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.

2 Kings 21:2
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

2 Chronicles 33:2
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD by following the abominations of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

Jeremiah 10:2-3
This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them. / For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman.

Romans 1:24-27
Therefore God gave them over in the desires of their hearts to impurity for the dishonoring of their bodies with one another. / They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen. / For this reason God gave them over to dishonorable passions. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ...

1 Corinthians 6:9-11
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. / And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Ephesians 5:3-7
But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed. / Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving. / For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. ...

Colossians 3:5-6
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry. / Because of these, the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
For it is God’s will that you should be holy: You must abstain from sexual immorality; / each of you must know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, / not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know God;


Treasury of Scripture

You shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojournes among you:

keep

Leviticus 18:5,30
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD…

Deuteronomy 4:1,2,40
Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you…

Deuteronomy 12:32
What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

nor any stranger

Leviticus 17:8,10
And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offereth a burnt offering or sacrifice, …

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Abominations Alien Aliens Birth Commit Decisions Decrees Detestable Disgusting Either Foreigner Home-Born Israelites Judgments Laws Nation Native Native-Born Observe Ordinances Others Rules Sojourneth Sojourns Statutes Stranger
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Abominations Alien Aliens Birth Commit Decisions Decrees Detestable Disgusting Either Foreigner Home-Born Israelites Judgments Laws Nation Native Native-Born Observe Ordinances Others Rules Sojourneth Sojourns Statutes Stranger
Leviticus 18
1. Unlawful marriages and unlawful lusts














But you are to keep My statutes and ordinances
This phrase underscores the importance of obedience to God's commands. The Hebrew word for "keep" is "shamar," which means to guard, observe, or give heed. It implies a vigilant and active commitment to God's laws. The "statutes" (Hebrew: "chuqqim") refer to decrees or prescribed tasks, while "ordinances" (Hebrew: "mishpatim") are judgments or legal decisions. Together, they encompass the full scope of God's instructions, emphasizing that the Israelites are to live by divine guidance, not merely human wisdom.

You must not commit any of these abominations
The term "abominations" (Hebrew: "to'evah") refers to practices that are detestable or loathsome to God. In the context of Leviticus 18, these abominations include various sexual sins and idolatrous practices that were common among the surrounding nations. The use of "must not commit" is a strong prohibition, indicating that these actions are not just discouraged but strictly forbidden. This highlights the call for holiness and separation from the sinful customs of other cultures.

the native-born or the foreigner who lives among you
This phrase indicates that God's laws were not only for the Israelites but also for any foreigners residing among them. The "native-born" (Hebrew: "ezrach") refers to those who are naturally part of the Israelite community, while the "foreigner" (Hebrew: "ger") denotes a sojourner or resident alien. This inclusivity demonstrates that God's moral standards are universal, transcending ethnic and cultural boundaries. It reflects the idea that all who dwell within the community are accountable to the same divine laws, promoting a unified standard of righteousness.

(26) Ye shall therefore keep my statutes.--As the perpetration of the above named abominations entailed such disastrous consequences both to the land and to its inhabitants, the strict observance of the Divine statutes is enjoined upon all alike, whether they be Israelites by race or strangers who took up their abode amongst them and joined the Jewish community. (See Leviticus 17:9.)



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But you
אַתֶּ֗ם (’at·tem)
Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

are to keep
וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֣ם (ū·šə·mar·tem)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

My statutes
חֻקֹּתַי֙ (ḥuq·qō·ṯay)
Noun - feminine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2708: Something prescribed, an enactment, statute

and ordinances,
מִשְׁפָּטַ֔י (miš·pā·ṭay)
Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's 4941: A verdict, a sentence, formal decree, divine law, penalty, justice, privilege, style

and you must not
וְלֹ֣א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

commit
תַעֲשׂ֔וּ (ṯa·‘ă·śū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

any
מִכֹּ֥ל (mik·kōl)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

of these
הָאֵ֑לֶּה (hā·’êl·leh)
Article | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

abominations—
הַתּוֹעֵבֹ֖ת (hat·tō·w·‘ê·ḇōṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 8441: Something disgusting, an abhorrence, idolatry, an idol

neither your native-born
הָֽאֶזְרָ֔ח (hā·’ez·rāḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 249: A spontaneous growth, native

nor the foreigner
וְהַגֵּ֖ר (wə·hag·gêr)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1616: A guest, a foreigner

who lives
הַגָּ֥ר (hag·gār)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1481: To turn aside from the road, sojourn, to shrink, fear, to gather for, hostility

among you.
בְּתוֹכְכֶֽם׃ (bə·ṯō·wḵ·ḵem)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre


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OT Law: Leviticus 18:26 You therefore shall keep my statutes (Le Lv Lev.)
Leviticus 18:25
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