# Leviticus 18.20
**Book:** [Leviticus](/codex/leviticus/) · NASB95
## Immediate context (±2 verses)
**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 18. And thou shalt not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival to her, to uncover her nakedness, besides the other in her life-time. 19. And thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.
>
> **20. And thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbor's wife, to defile thyself with her.**
>
> 21. And thou shalt not give any of thy seed to make them pass through the fire to Molech; neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah. 22. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. (Leviticus 18:18-22, ASV)
**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 18. “‘You shall not take a wife to her sister, to be a rival, to uncover her nakedness, while her sister is yet alive. 19. “‘You shall not approach a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is impure by her uncleanness.
>
> **20. “‘You shall not lie carnally with your neighbor’s wife, and defile yourself with her.**
>
> 21. “‘You shall not give any of your children to sacrifice to Molech. You shall not profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh. 22. “‘You shall not lie with a man, as with a woman. That is detestable. (Leviticus 18:18-22, WEB)
**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 18. Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time. a wife: or, one wife to another 19. Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
>
> **20. Moreover thou shalt not lie carnally with thy neighbour's wife, to defile thyself with her.**
>
> 21. And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD. Molech: Gr. Moloch 22. Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. (Leviticus 18:18-22, KJV)
**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 18. 'And a woman unto another thou dost not take, to be an adversary, to uncover her nakedness beside her, in her life. 19. 'And unto a woman in the separation of her uncleanness thou dost not draw near to uncover her nakedness.
>
> **20. 'And unto the wife of thy fellow thou dost not give thy seed of copulation, for uncleanness with her.**
>
> 21. 'And of thy seed thou dost not give to pass over to the Molech; nor dost thou pollute the name of thy God; I [am] Jehovah. 22. 'And with a male thou dost not lie as one lieth with a woman; abomination it [is]. (Leviticus 18:18-22, YLT)
## Setting
- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_
## Theological reading
_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._
## Key words
_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap._
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
## Quoted in
**Arguments and defeaters:**
- [Jesus is Not a Human Sacrifice (Defeater)](/codex/jesus-is-not-a-human-sacrifice-defeater/)
**Concepts:**
- [Human Sacrifice in the Old Testament](/codex/human-sacrifice-in-the-old-testament/)
- [OT Atrocities Descriptive vs Prescriptive Objection](/codex/ot-atrocities-descriptive-vs-prescriptive-objection/)
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_Scripture quotations taken from the **New American Standard Bible®** (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by **The Lockman Foundation**. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [www.lockman.org](https://www.lockman.org)_
## Why these four translations
ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.
The four:
- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.
See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.