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Leviticus 11
Evangelical Heritage Version

Instructions About Clean and Unclean Meat

11 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and told them 2 to tell the Israelites these things.

These are the animals that you may eat:

Of all the mammals on land, 3 you may eat any that have hoofs with splits in the hoofs and that rechew their food.[a] 4 But you are not to eat the following, which only rechew their food or only have hoofs: The camel, although it rechews its food, has no hoofs. It is unclean for you. 5 Do not eat the rock badger, for although it rechews its food, it has no hoofs. It is unclean for you. 6 Do not eat the hare, for although it rechews its food, it has no hoofs. It is unclean for you. 7 Do not eat the pig, for although it has hoofs with splits in the hoofs, it does not rechew its food. It is unclean to you. 8 You shall not eat any of their meat or touch their carcasses. They are unclean for you.[b]

9 These are the creatures that you may eat from all those that live in water: You may eat anything from the water that has fins and scales, whether from the seas or the streams. 10 But everything else in the seas or in the streams that does not have fins and scales, every swarming creature in the water and every other living creature in the water, is detestable to you 11 and shall remain detestable to you. You shall not eat any of their meat, and you shall detest their carcasses. 12 Every creature in the water that does not have fins or scales is detestable to you.

13 You shall detest the following among the birds. They shall not be eaten. These are detestable: the eagle, the black vulture, the bearded vulture, 14 the red kite and black kites of every kind, 15 ravens and crows of every kind, 16 the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the long-eared owl, all species of hawks, 17 the tawny owl, the fisher owl, the screech owl, 18 the white owl, and the scops owl, the osprey, 19 the stork and all species of herons, the hoopoe, and the bat.[c]

20 All winged swarming insects that walk on all fours[d] are detestable for you. 21 But among all the winged swarming insects that walk on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which they leap off the ground. 22 Of them you may eat the following: all species of locusts, all species of bald locusts, all species of crickets, and all species of grasshoppers. 23 But all other winged swarming insects that have four feet are detestable for you.

24 By any of the following you will make yourselves unclean (anyone who touches their carcasses will remain unclean until sunset,[e] 25 and anyone who picks up any part of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until sunset):

26 All animals that have hoofs without splits between the hoofs or that do not rechew their food are unclean for you. Anyone who touches them will become unclean.

27 All animals that walk on their paws and go on all fours are unclean for you. Anyone who touches their carcasses will remain unclean until sunset, 28 and whoever picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until sunset. They are unclean for you.

29 These are the most unclean for you of the creatures that swarm on the ground: the rat, the mouse, and all species of large lizards, 30 the gecko, the spotted lizard, the lizard, the skink, and the chameleon.[f] 31 These are the most unclean for you of the creatures that swarm. Whoever touches any of these when they are dead will remain unclean until sunset.

Transferred Uncleanness

32 Any article made of wood or fabric or leather or sackcloth on which any of these fall when they are dead will become unclean. Any article that may be used for any task is to be put in water and remain unclean until sunset. Then it will be clean. 33 You must smash any clay pot into which any of them falls. Everything in it will become unclean. 34 If any water from the pot touches any food that may be eaten, the food will become unclean, and if any drink that may be drunk is in any clay pot which the unclean thing touches, it will become unclean. 35 Anything else on which the carcass of any of them falls will become unclean. An oven or stove must be broken up. They are unclean and will remain unclean for you. 36 But a spring or a cistern with a reservoir of water will remain clean, even though anyone who touches the carcass will become unclean. 37 If the carcass of any of them falls upon any seed grain that is about to be sown, the seed is clean, 38 but if water has been added to the seed and the carcass of any of them falls on it, it will become unclean for you.

39 If an animal that you may eat has died, anyone who touches its carcass will remain unclean until sunset. 40 Anyone who eats any part of its carcass must wash his clothes and remain unclean until sunset. Anyone who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and remain unclean until sunset. 41 Any swarming creature that swarms on the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42 You shall not eat any swarming creature that swarms on the ground, anything that goes on its belly, and anything that goes on all fours, or anything that has many legs, because these creatures are detestable. 43 You shall not make yourself detestable[g] with any creature that swarms, nor shall you make yourself unclean with them, so that you become unclean by them, 44 for I am the Lord your God. Set yourselves apart, therefore, so that you may be holy, for I am holy. You shall not make yourself unclean with any swarming creature that crawls on the ground, 45 for I am the Lord, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. You therefore shall be holy, for I am holy.

46 This is the law concerning land animals, flying creatures, all living things that move in the water, and all living things that swarm on the ground, 47 so that you can distinguish between what is unclean and what is clean, as well as between animals that may be eaten and animals that may not be eaten.

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 11:3 Or bring up the cud. The Hebrew term refers to animals that rechew their food a second time after swallowing it and then regurgitating it or excreting it. This list is not limited to true ruminants.
  2. Leviticus 11:8 Clean and unclean refer to ceremonial purity, not to hygiene.
  3. Leviticus 11:19 The precise identity of some of the birds is uncertain. The list is really a list of creatures that fly since it includes the bat.
  4. Leviticus 11:20 The meaning is that they walk or crawl rather than hop. The issue is not the number of legs but the manner of locomotion.
  5. Leviticus 11:24 Or evening
  6. Leviticus 11:30 The identity of some of these species is uncertain.
  7. Leviticus 11:43 Or defile your throat
Close LEB

Leviticus 11
Lexham English Bible

Clean and Unclean Animals

11 Then[a] Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the Israelites,[b] saying, ‘These are the animals that you may eat from all the animals that are on the land: 3 Any among the animals that has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in[c] the hoof, such[d] you may eat. 4 However,[e] these[f] you may not eat from those that chew the cud and from those that have a[g] divided hoof: the camel, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 5 and the coney, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 6 and the hare, because it is a chewer of cud but it does not have a hoof that is divided—it is unclean for you; 7 and the pig, because it has a divided hoof and has a split cleft in[h] the hoof but it does not chew cud—it is unclean for you. 8 You must not eat from their meat, and you must not touch their dead body—they are unclean for you.

9 “‘These[i] you may eat from all that are in the water: any in the water that has a fin and scales, whether in the seas or[j] in the streams—such[k] you may eat. 10 But any that does not have a fin and scales, whether in the seas or[l] in the streams, among[m] all the water’s swarmers among all the living creatures that are in the water—they are a detestable thing to you. 11 And they shall be detestable to you; you must not eat from their meat, and you must detest their dead body. 12 Any that does not have a fin and scales in the water—it is a detestable thing to you.

13 “‘And these you must detest from the birds; they must not be eaten—they are detestable: the eagle and the vulture and the short-toed eagle, 14 and the red kite and the black kite according to its kind, 15 every crow according to its kind, 16 and the ostrich[n] and the short-eared owl and the seagull and the hawk according to its kind, 17 and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, 18 and the barn owl and the desert owl and the carrion vulture, 19 and the stork, the heron according to its kind and the hoopoe and the bat.

20 “‘Any winged insect[o] that walks on all fours is detestable to you. 21 Only this may you eat from any of the winged insects[p] that walk on all fours—that which has jointed legs above its feet for leaping upon the land. 22 From these[q] you may eat the locust according to its kind and the bald locust according to its kind and the cricket according to its kind and the grasshopper according to its kind. 23 But[r] any other[s] winged insect[t] that has four legs is detestable to you. 24 And by these you shall become unclean—anyone who touches their dead body shall become unclean until the evening, 25 and anyone who carries their dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening.

26 “‘With regard to any animal that has a divided hoof but does not split the hoof, or[u] does not have a cud for chewing[v]—they are unclean for you; anyone who touches them shall become unclean. 27 And anything that walks upon its paws among any of the animals[w] that walks on all fours—they are unclean for you; anyone who touches their dead body shall become unclean until the evening, 28 and the one who carries their dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening—they are unclean for you.

29 “‘And these[x] are the unclean for you among the swarmers[y] that swarm on the land: the weasel and the mouse and the thorn-tailed lizard according to its kind, 30 and the gecko and the land crocodile and the lizard and the sand lizard and the chameleon. 31 These are the unclean for you among all the swarmers; anyone who touches them at their death shall become unclean until the evening. 32 And anything on which one of them[z] falls at their death shall become unclean: any object of wood or garment or skin or sackcloth—any object that has performed work—must be placed in water, and it shall be unclean until the evening, and then it shall be clean. 33 And any clay vessel[aa] into which it falls shall become unclean, and you must break it. 34 Any of the food that could be eaten on which water from such a vessel comes shall become unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk in any such vessel shall become unclean. 35 And anything on which one of their dead bodies[ab] falls shall become unclean: an oven or[ac] a stove must be broken[ad]—they are unclean and shall be unclean for you. 36 Surely[ae] a spring or[af] a cistern collecting water shall be clean, but that which touches their dead body shall become unclean. 37 And when one of their dead bodies[ag] falls on any seed for sowing,[ah] it is clean. 38 But[ai] when water is put on the seed and one of their dead bodies[aj] falls on it, it is unclean for you.

39 “‘And when one of the animals[ak] dies that is for you to eat, the one who touches its dead body shall become unclean until the evening. 40 And the one who eats some of[al] its dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening; and the one who carries its dead body must wash his garments, and he shall be unclean until the evening.

41 “‘And any swarmer that swarms on the land is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42 You must not eat[am] anything that moves upon its belly or[an] that walks on all fours, even any with numerous feet belonging to any swarmer that swarms on the land, because they are detestable. 43 You must not defile yourselves with any swarmer that swarms, and you must not make yourselves unclean by them and so be made unclean by them, 44 because I am Yahweh your God, and you must keep yourselves sanctified, so that[ao] you shall be holy, because I am holy. And you must not make yourselves unclean with any swarmer that moves along on the land, 45 because I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be for you as God. Thus[ap] you shall be holy, because I am holy.

46 “‘This is the regulation of the animals[aq] and the birds and all living creatures that move along in the water and concerning[ar] all the creatures that swarm on the land, 47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean and between the animal that is to be eaten and the animal that must not be eaten.’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 11:1 Or “And”
  2. Leviticus 11:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
  3. Leviticus 11:3 Hebrew “of”
  4. Leviticus 11:3 Hebrew “her/it”
  5. Leviticus 11:4 Or “Only”
  6. Leviticus 11:4 By context; Hebrew “this”
  7. Leviticus 11:4 Hebrew “the”
  8. Leviticus 11:7 Hebrew “of”
  9. Leviticus 11:9 By context; Hebrew “This”
  10. Leviticus 11:9 Or “and”
  11. Leviticus 11:9 Hebrew “them”
  12. Leviticus 11:10 Or “and”
  13. Leviticus 11:10 Literally “from”
  14. Leviticus 11:16 Literally “the daughter of the ostrich”
  15. Leviticus 11:20 Literally “swarmer of the wing”
  16. Leviticus 11:21 Literally “the swarmer of the wing”
  17. Leviticus 11:22 Literally “These from them”
  18. Leviticus 11:23 Or “And”
  19. Leviticus 11:23 Implied by context
  20. Leviticus 11:23 Literally “swarmer of wing”
  21. Leviticus 11:26 Or “and”
  22. Leviticus 11:26 So HALOT 830 s.v. 4
  23. Leviticus 11:27 Collective singular = plural by context
  24. Leviticus 11:29 By context; Hebrew “this”
  25. Leviticus 11:29 Collective singular = plural
  26. Leviticus 11:32 Literally “from them”
  27. Leviticus 11:33 Context indicates a vessel as distinguished from a tool or utensil
  28. Leviticus 11:35 Literally “from their dead body”
  29. Leviticus 11:35 Or “and”
  30. Leviticus 11:35 Or “smashed” (NASB, HCSB, NET, NJPS) or “broken in pieces” (ASV, ESV, NRSV)
  31. Leviticus 11:36 So HALOT 45
  32. Leviticus 11:36 Or “and”
  33. Leviticus 11:37 Literally “from their dead body”
  34. Leviticus 11:37 Literally “seed plant that is to be sown”
  35. Leviticus 11:38 Or “And”
  36. Leviticus 11:38 Literally “from their dead body”
  37. Leviticus 11:39 Literally “from the animal”
  38. Leviticus 11:40 Literally “from”
  39. Leviticus 11:42 Hebrew “eat them”
  40. Leviticus 11:42 Or “and”
  41. Leviticus 11:44 Or “and”
  42. Leviticus 11:45 Or “And”
  43. Leviticus 11:46 Collective singulars in this verse are plural by context
  44. Leviticus 11:46 Literally “of”
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Leviticus 10
Leviticus 12
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Evangelical Heritage Version (EHV)

The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.

Lexham English Bible (LEB)

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