Sex in the Bible by Rabbi Ilyse Glickman

(26) And God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. They shall rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the whole earth, and all the creeping things that creep on earth.” (27) So God created man in God's own image, in the image of God, God created him; male and female God created them.

(31) And God saw all that God had made, and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

(2) Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, Adonai your God, am holy.

(28) God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth.”

(18) Adonai said, “It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a partner and complement him.”

(19) And Adonai God formed out of the earth all the wild beasts and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that would be its name. (20) And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to all the wild beasts; but for Adam God did not find a fitting partner. (21) So Adonai God cast a deep sleep upon the man, and he slept, and God took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot. (22) And Adonai God fashioned the rib that God had taken from the man into a woman; and God brought her to the man. (23) The man said, “This time she is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. This one shall be called woman, for from man was she taken.” (24) Hence a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, so that they become one flesh.

(1) Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained a child with the help of Adonai.”

(16) And to the woman God said, “I will make most severe Your pangs in childbearing; In pain shall you bear children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

(1) At the turn of the year, the season when kings go out [to battle], David sent Yoav with his officers and all Israel with him, and they devastated Ammon and besieged Rabbah; David remained in Jerusalem. (2) Late one afternoon, David rose from his couch and strolled on the roof of the royal palace; and from the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, (3) and the king sent someone to make inquiries about the woman. He reported, “She is Batsheva daughter of Eliam [and] wife of Uriah the Hittite.” (4) David sent messengers to fetch her; she came to him and he lay with her—she had just purified herself after her period—and she went back home. (5) The woman conceived, and she sent word to David, “I am pregnant.” (6) Thereupon David sent a message to Yoav, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me”; and Yoavsent Uriah to David.

(14) In the morning, David wrote a letter to Yoav, which he sent with Uriah. (15) He wrote in the letter as follows: “Place Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest; then fall back so that he may be killed.” (16) So when Yoav was besieging the city, he stationed Uriah at the point where he knew that there were able warriors. (17) The men of the city sallied out and attacked Yoav, and some of David’s officers among the troops fell; Uriah the Hittite was among those who died.

(26) When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she lamented over her husband. (27) After the period of mourning was over, David sent and had her brought into his palace; she became his wife and she bore him a son. But God was displeased with what David had done.

(8) Then Judah said to Onan, “Join with your brother’s wife and do your duty by her as a brother-in-law, and provide offspring for your brother.” (9) But Onan, knowing that the seed would not count as his, let it go to waste whenever he joined with his brother’s wife, so as not to provide offspring for his brother. (10) What he did was displeasing to the God, and God took his life also.

(20) Do not have carnal relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her. (21) Do not allow any of your offspring to be offered up to Molech, and do not profane the name of your God: I am Adonai. (22) Do not lie with a male as one lies with a woman; it is an abhorrence.

(1) When [David] finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan’s soul became bound up with the soul of David; Jonathan loved David as himself. (2) Saul took him [into his service] that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.— (3) Jonathan and David made a pact, because [Jonathan] loved him as himself. (4) Jonathan took off the cloak and tunic he was wearing and gave them to David, together with his sword, bow, and belt. (5) David went out [with the troops], and he was successful in every mission on which Saul sent him, and Saul put him in command of all the soldiers; this pleased all the troops and Saul’s courtiers as well. (6) When the [troops] came home [and] David returned from killing the Philistine, the women of all the towns of Israel came out singing and dancing to greet King Saul with timbrels, shouting, and sistrums. (7) The women sang as they danced, and they chanted: Saul has slain his thousands; David, his tens of thousands!

(3) David swore further, “Your father knows well that you are fond of me and has decided: Jonathan must not learn of this or he will be grieved. But, as Adonai lives and as you live, there is only a step between me and death.” (4) Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you want, I will do it for you.”

(17) Jonathan, out of his love for David, adjured him again, for he loved him as himself. (18) Jonathan said to him, “Tomorrow will be the new moon; and you will be missed when your seat remains vacant. (19) So the day after tomorrow, go down all the way to the place where you hid the other time, and stay close to the Ezel stone. (20) Now I will shoot three arrows to one side of it, as though I were shooting at a mark, (21) and I will order the boy to go and find the arrows. If I call to the boy, ‘Hey! the arrows are on this side of you,’ be reassured and come, for you are safe and there is no danger—as Adonai lives! (22) But if, instead, I call to the lad, ‘Hey! the arrows are beyond you,’ then leave, for Adonai has sent you away. (23) As for the promise we made to each other, may Adonai be [witness] between you and me forever.”

(30) Lot went up from Zoar and settled in the hill country with his two daughters, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar; and he and his two daughters lived in a cave. (31) And the older one said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to consort with us in the way of all the world. (32) Come, let us make our father drink wine, and let us lie with him, that we may maintain life through our father.” (33) That night they made their father drink wine, and the older one went in and lay with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she rose. (34) The next day the older one said to the younger, “See, I lay with Father last night; let us make him drink wine tonight also, and you go and lie with him, that we may maintain life through our father.” (35) That night also they made their father drink wine, and the younger one went and lay with him; he did not know when she lay down or when she rose. (36) Thus the two daughters of Lot came to be with child by their father.

(13) When one with a discharge becomes clean of his discharge, he shall count off seven days for his cleansing, wash his clothes, and bathe his body in fresh water; then he shall be clean.

(18) A woman with whom a man cohabits, whereby there was [a discharge of] semen, they shall immerse in water, and they shall remain unclean until evening.

(24) If a man cohabits with her [the uncleanness of] her menstruaton shall be upon him, and she shall be unclean for seven days, and any bedding he lies upon, shall become unclean.