Purification after Touching Dead Animals

²⁴ “These will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean^(A) until evening, ²⁵ and whoever carries any of their carcasses is to wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.^{(B) 26} All animals that have hooves but do not have a divided hoof and do not chew the cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them becomes unclean. ²⁷ All the four-footed animals^(C) that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, ²⁸ and anyone who carries their carcasses is to wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.

²⁹ “These creatures that swarm^(D) on the ground are unclean for you:

³¹ These are unclean for you among all the swarming creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. ³² When any one of them dies and falls on anything it becomes unclean—any item of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth,^(F) or any implement used for work. It is to be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. ³³ If any of them falls into any clay pot, everything in it will become unclean; you are to break it. ³⁴ Any edible food^(G) coming into contact with that unclean water will become unclean, and any drinkable liquid in any container will become unclean. ³⁵ Anything one of their carcasses falls on will become unclean. If it is an oven or stove, it is to be smashed; it is unclean and will remain unclean for you. ³⁶ A spring or cistern containing water will remain clean, but someone who touches a carcass in it will become unclean. ³⁷ If one of their carcasses falls on any seed that is to be sown, it is clean; ³⁸ but if water has been put on the seed and one of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean for you.

³⁹ “If one of the animals that you use for food dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats some of its carcass is to wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. Anyone who carries its carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.

Do not eat their meat or touch their carcasses.^(A)