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10 and (A)so as to separate between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean,

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Clean and Unclean Animals

11 Yahweh spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘(A)These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. Nevertheless, (B)you shall not eat of these, among those which chew the cud or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you. Likewise, the [a]shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you; the [b]rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof; it is unclean to you; and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud; it is unclean to you. You shall not eat of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

(C)These you may eat, whatever is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas, or in the rivers, you may eat. 10 (D)But whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the swarming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you, 11 and they shall be detestable to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest. 12 Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

13 ‘These, moreover, (E)you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the [c]eagle and the vulture and the [d]buzzard, 14 and the kite and the falcon in its kind, 15 every raven in its kind, 16 and the ostrich and the owl and the gull and the hawk in its kind, 17 and the little owl and the cormorant and the [e]great owl, 18 and the white owl and the [f]pelican and the carrion vulture, 19 and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 ‘All the swarming things that fly and that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21 Yet these you may eat among all the swarming things that fly and that walk on all fours: those which have above their feet jointed legs with which to jump on the earth. 22 These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds and the devastating locust in its kinds and the cricket in its kinds and the grasshopper in its kinds. 23 But all other swarming things that fly and that are four-footed are detestable to you.

24 ‘By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, 25 and (F)whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. 26 Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean. 27 Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening, 28 and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

29 ‘Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole and the mouse and the [g]great lizard in its kinds, 30 and the gecko and the [h]crocodile and the lizard and the [i]sand reptile and the chameleon. 31 These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening. 32 Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article or clothing or a skin or a sack—any article by which work is done—(G)it shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean. 33 As for any (H)earthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean, and you shall break [j]the vessel. 34 Any of the [k]food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any [l]liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean. 35 Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a [m]stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you. 36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern [n]collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. 37 And if a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean. 38 Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

39 ‘Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 40 (I)He too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

41 (J)Now every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable; it shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable. 43 (K)Do not render [o]yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean. 44 For (L)I am Yahweh your God. Therefore, set yourselves apart as holy and (M)be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that move on the earth. 45 (N)For I am Yahweh who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus (O)you shall be holy, for I am holy.’”

46 This is the law regarding the animal and the bird and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth, 47 (P)to separate between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 11:5 A small, shy, furry animal (Hyrax syriacus) found in the peninsula of the Sinai, northern Israel, and the region round the Dead Sea; KJV coney, orig NASB rock badger
  2. Leviticus 11:6 Or hare
  3. Leviticus 11:13 Or vulture
  4. Leviticus 11:13 Or black vulture
  5. Leviticus 11:17 Specifically, great horned owl
  6. Leviticus 11:18 Or owl, jackdaw
  7. Leviticus 11:29 Or thorn-tailed lizard
  8. Leviticus 11:30 Or lizard
  9. Leviticus 11:30 Species unknown
  10. Leviticus 11:33 Lit it
  11. Leviticus 11:34 If touched by a carcass, cf. 11:29-32
  12. Leviticus 11:34 If touched by a carcass, cf. 11:29-32
  13. Leviticus 11:35 A hearth for supporting two pots
  14. Leviticus 11:36 Lit of a gathering of
  15. Leviticus 11:43 Lit your souls

(A)You shall not eat any abominable thing. (B)These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, [a]the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. And any animal that divides the hoof and has the hoof split in [b]two and [c]chews the cud, among the animals, that one you may eat. Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these among those which [d]chew the cud or among those that divide the hoof in [e]two: the camel and the [f]rabbit and the [g]shaphan, for though they [h]chew the cud, they do not divide the hoof; they are unclean for you. And the pig, because it divides the hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses.

“These you may eat of all that are in water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, 10 but anything that does not have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But (C)these are the ones which you shall not eat: the [i]eagle and the vulture and the [j]buzzard, 13 and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, 14 and every raven in its kind, 15 and the ostrich, the owl, the gull, and the hawk in their kinds, 16 the little owl, the [k]great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And all the [l]teeming life with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. 20 You may eat any clean bird.

21 (D)You shall not eat anything which dies of itself. You may give it to the sojourner who is within your gates, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner, for you are (E)a holy people to Yahweh your God. (F)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 14:5 Exact identification of these animals is uncertain
  2. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit two hoofs
  3. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit brings up
  4. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit brings up
  5. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit a cleaving
  6. Deuteronomy 14:7 Or hare
  7. Deuteronomy 14:7 A small, shy, furry animal (Hyrax syriacus) found in the peninsula of the Sinai, northern Israel, and the region round the Dead Sea; KJV coney, orig NASB rock badger
  8. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit brings up
  9. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or vulture
  10. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or black vulture
  11. Deuteronomy 14:16 Or great horned owl
  12. Deuteronomy 14:19 Flying insects