Leviticus 18:8

Easy-to-Read Version

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.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
"'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife: it is your father's nakedness.

King James Version
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.

Lexham English Bible
You must not expose the nakedness of your father's wife—it is your father's nakedness.

New Century Version
You must not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would shame your father.

New English Translation
You must not have sexual intercourse with your father's wife; she is your father's nakedness.

Amplified Bible
'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.

New American Standard Bible
'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.

Geneva Bible (1587)
The shame of thy fathers wife shalt thou not discouer: for it is thy fathers shame.

Legacy Standard Bible
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.

Contemporary English Version
And don't disgrace him by having sex with any of his other wives.

Complete Jewish Bible
You are not to have sexual relations with your father's wife; that is your father's prerogative.

Darby Translation
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.

English Standard Version
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.

George Lamsa Translation
You shall not approach your fathers wife; it is your fathers nakedness.

Good News Translation
Do not disgrace your father by having intercourse with any of his other wives.

Christian Standard Bible®
You are not to have sex with your father’s wife; she is your father’s family.

Literal Translation
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is the nakedness of your father.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou shalt not vncouer ye preuytie of yi fathers wife, for it is yi fathers preuytie.

American Standard Version
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover; it is thy father's nakedness.

Bible in Basic English
And you may not have sex relations with your father's wife: she is your father's.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The nakednesse of thy fathers wife shalt thou not discouer: for it is thy fathers nakednesse.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.

King James Version (1611)
The nakednesse of thy fathers wife shalt thou not vncouer: it is thy fathers nakednesse.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s wife; it is thy father’s nakedness.

English Revised Version
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.

Berean Standard Bible
You must not have sexual relations with your father's wife; it would dishonor your father.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou schalt not vnhile the filthe of the wijf of thi fadir, for it is the filthe of thi fadir.

Young's Literal Translation
`The nakedness of the wife of thy father thou dost not uncover; it [is] the nakedness of thy father.

Update Bible Version
You shall not have sex with your father's wife, it is your father's nakedness.

Webster's Bible Translation
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it [is] thy father's nakedness.

World English Bible
The nakedness of your father's wife you shall not uncover: it is your father's nakedness.

New King James Version
The nakedness of your father's wife you shall not uncover; it is your father's nakedness.

New Living Translation
"Do not have sexual relations with any of your father's wives, for this would violate your father.

New Life Bible
Do not take the clothes off your father's wife. Her body is for your father.

New Revised Standard
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is the nakedness of your father.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The shame of thy father's wife, shalt thou not uncover, - thy father's shame, it is.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father’s wife: for it is the nakedness of thy father.

Revised Standard Version
You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.

THE MESSAGE
"Don't have sex with your father's wife. That violates your father.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's wife; it is your father's nakedness.

Contextual Overview

⁶ "You must never have sexual relations with your close relatives. I am the Lord . ⁷ "You must never have sexual relations with your father or mother. She is your mother, so you must not have sexual relations with her. ⁸ 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. ⁹ "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 or at some other place. ¹⁰ "You must not have sexual relations with your granddaughter. It doesn't matter whether she is the daughter of your son or the daughter of your daughter—they are all a part of you! ¹¹ "If your father and his wife have a daughter, she is your sister. You must not have sexual relations with her. ¹² "You must not have sexual relations with your father's sister. She is your father's close relative. ¹³ You must not have sexual relations with your mother's sister. She is your mother's close relative. ¹⁴ You must not have sexual relations with the wife of your father's brother. You must not go near your uncle's wife for sexual relations. She is your aunt. ¹⁵ "You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife, so you must not have sexual relations with her.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Leviticus 20:11, Genesis 35:22, Genesis 49:4, Deuteronomy 22:30, Deuteronomy 27:20, 2 Samuel 16:21, 2 Samuel 16:22, Ezekiel 22:10, Amos 2:7, 1 Corinthians 5:1

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 5:1 - forasmuch

Cross-References

Genesis 19:3
But Lot continued to ask them to come to his house, so they agreed and went with him. Lot gave them something to drink. He baked some bread for them, and they ate it.

Deuteronomy 32:14
He gave his people butter from the herd and milk from the flock. He gave them lambs and goats. They had the best rams from Bashan and the finest wheat. They drank the best wine made from the juice of red grapes.

Judges 5:25
Sisera asked for water. Jael gave him milk. In a bowl fit for a ruler, she brought him cream.

Judges 13:15
Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord , "We would like for you to stay a while. We want to cook a young goat for you to eat."

Nehemiah 12:44
Men were chosen to be in charge of the storerooms on that day. People brought the first part of the harvest and a tenth of their crops. So the men in charge put these things in the storerooms. The Jewish people were very happy about the priests and Levites on duty. So they brought many things to be put in the storerooms.

Luke 12:37
When their master sees that they are ready and waiting for him, it will be a great day for those servants. I can tell you without a doubt, the master will get himself ready to serve a meal and tell the servants to sit down. Then he will serve them.

Luke 17:8
Of course not! You would say to your servant, ‘Prepare something for me to eat. Then get ready and serve me. When I finish eating and drinking, then you can eat.'

Luke 24:30
Joining them at the supper table, Jesus took some bread and gave thanks. Then he broke some off and gave it to them.

Luke 24:43
While the followers watched, he took the fish and ate it.

John 12:2
There they had a dinner for Jesus. Martha served the food, and Lazarus was one of the people eating with Jesus.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover,.... That is, who is indeed a man's father's wife, but not his own mother, but a stepmother or mother-in-law; or otherwise this law would coincide with the former; a man lying with such an one is accursed by the law,

Deuteronomy 27:23; such an incestuous copulation was that of Reuben with Bilhah, and Absalom with his father's concubines or secondary wives, and such an incestuous marriage was that of the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 5:1; and of Antiochus Soter, king of Syria, with Stratonice his mother-in-law c: and even it was criminal to do this after a father's death, as Jarchi interprets it; and though she was only betrothed, and not married, and the father dead after such betrothing; as Gersom; nay, though she was divorced by the father, yet was not lawful for the son to have, no, not after his death:

it is thy father's nakedness; being espoused to him, and so one flesh with him; and the son and father being one flesh, such a mixture must be unlawful; and since then the nakedness of a mother-in-law is the father's, then surely that of an own mother's must be so likewise, which confirms a sense given of it in Leviticus 18:7: Cicero d exclaims against such marriages as incredible and unheard of, as instances of unbridled lust and singular impudence.

c Vid. Julian. in Misopogon, p. 72, &c. d Orat. 14. pro A. Cluentio Avito.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare the case of Reuben, Genesis 49:3-4. See 1 Corinthians 5:1.