Leviticus 11-13

New American Standard Bible 1995

Laws about Animals for Food

11 The Lord spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, ² “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. ³ Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. ⁴ Nevertheless, ^(B)you are not to 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. ⁵ Likewise, the ^[a]shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you; ⁶ the ^[b]rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you; ⁷ and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud, it is unclean to you. ⁸ You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

⁹ ‘^(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 teeming 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 ^[c]abhorrent 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 ^[d]abhorrent to you.

Avoid the Unclean

¹³ ‘These, moreover, ^(E)you shall detest among the birds; they are ^[e]abhorrent, not to be eaten: the ^[f]eagle and the vulture and the ^[g]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 sea gull and the hawk in its kind, ¹⁷ and the little owl and the cormorant and the ^[h]great owl, ¹⁸ and the white owl and the ^[i]pelican and the carrion vulture, ¹⁹ and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

²⁰ ‘All the ^[j]winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. ²¹ Yet these you may eat among all the ^[k]winged insects which 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 ^[l]winged insects which 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 ^[m]great lizard in its kinds, ³⁰ and the gecko, and the ^[n]crocodile, and the lizard, and the ^[o]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 ^[p]of which use is made—^(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 ^[q]the vessel. ³⁴ Any of the ^[r]food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any ^[s]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 ^[t]stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you. ³⁶ Nevertheless a spring or a cistern ^[u]collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean. ³⁷ 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, not to be eaten. ⁴² Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks 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 ^[v]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 the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and ^(M)be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. ^45 (N)For I am the Lord 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 make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.

Laws of Motherhood

12 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying:

‘When a woman ^[w]gives birth and bears a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days, ^(Q)as in the days of ^[x]her menstruation she shall be unclean. ³ On ^(R)the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ⁴ Then she shall remain in the blood of her purification for thirty-three days; she shall not touch any consecrated thing, nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. ⁵ But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her ^[y]menstruation; and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.

⁶ ‘^(S)When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one year old lamb for a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove ^(T)for a sin offering. ⁷ Then he shall offer it before the Lord and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the ^[z]flow of her blood. This is the law for her who bears a child, whether a male or a female. ⁸ But if ^[aa]she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take ^(U)two turtledoves or two young pigeons, ^(V)the one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering; and the ^(W)priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’”

The Test for Leprosy

13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, ² “When a man has on the skin of his ^[ab]body a swelling or a scab or a bright spot, and it becomes ^[ac]an infection of leprosy on the skin of his ^[ad]body, ^(X)then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests. ³ The priest shall look at the mark on the skin of the ^[ae]body, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the infection appears to be deeper than the skin of his ^[af]body, it is an infection of leprosy; when the priest has looked at him, he shall pronounce him unclean. ⁴ But if the bright spot is white on the skin of his ^[ag]body, and ^[ah]it does not appear to be deeper than the skin, and the hair on it has not turned white, then the priest shall ^[ai]isolate him who has the infection for seven days. ⁵ The priest shall look at him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the infection ^[aj]has not changed and the infection has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall ^[ak]isolate him for seven more days. ⁶ The priest shall look at him again on the seventh day, and if the infection has faded and the mark has not spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scab. And he shall ^(Y)wash his clothes and be clean.

⁷ “But if the scab spreads farther on the skin after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again to the priest. ⁸ The priest shall look, and if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is leprosy.

⁹ “When the infection of leprosy is on a man, then he shall be brought to the priest. ¹⁰ The priest shall then look, and if there is a ^(Z)white swelling in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is quick raw flesh in the swelling, ¹¹ it is ^[al]a chronic leprosy on the skin of his ^[am]body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; he shall not ^[an]isolate him, for he is unclean. ¹² If the leprosy breaks out farther on the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of him who has the infection from his head even to his feet, ^[ao]as far as the priest can see, ¹³ then the priest shall look, and behold, if the leprosy has covered all his ^[ap]body, he shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; it has all turned white and he is clean. ¹⁴ But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. ¹⁵ The priest shall look at the raw flesh, and he shall pronounce him unclean; the raw flesh is unclean, it is leprosy. ¹⁶ Or if the raw flesh turns again and is changed to white, then he shall ^(AA)come to the priest, ¹⁷ and the priest shall look at him, and behold, if the infection has turned to white, then the priest shall pronounce clean him who has the infection; he is clean.

¹⁸ “When the ^[aq]body has a boil on its skin and it is healed, ¹⁹ and in the place of the boil there is a white swelling or a reddish-white, bright spot, then it shall be shown to the priest; ²⁰ and the priest shall look, and behold, if ^[ar]it appears to be lower than the skin, and the hair on it has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is the infection of leprosy, it has broken out in the boil. ²¹ But if the priest looks at it, and behold, there are no white hairs in it and it is not lower than the skin and is faded, then the priest shall ^[as]isolate him for seven days; ²² and if it spreads farther on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infection. ²³ But if the bright spot remains in its place and does not spread, it is only the scar of the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

²⁴ “Or if the ^[at]body sustains in its skin a burn by fire, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white, or white, ²⁵ then the priest shall look at it. And if the hair in the bright spot has ^(AB)turned white and it appears to be deeper than the skin, it is leprosy; it has broken out in the burn. Therefore, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infection of leprosy. ²⁶ But if the priest looks at it, and indeed, there is no white hair in the bright spot and it is no ^[au]deeper than the skin, but is dim, then the priest shall ^[av]isolate him for seven days; ²⁷ and the priest shall look at him on the seventh day. If it spreads farther in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infection of leprosy. ²⁸ But if the bright spot remains in its place and has not spread in the skin, but is dim, it is the swelling from the burn; and the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is only the scar of the burn.

²⁹ “Now if a man or woman has an infection on the head or on the beard, ³⁰ then the priest shall look at the infection, and if it appears to be deeper than the skin and there is thin yellowish hair in it, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a scale, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard. ³¹ But if the priest looks at the infection of the scale, and indeed, it appears to be no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall ^[aw]isolate the person with the scaly infection for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the priest shall look at the infection, and if the scale has not spread and no yellowish hair has ^[ax]grown in it, and the appearance of the scale is no deeper than the skin, ³³ then he shall shave himself, but he shall not shave the scale; and the priest shall ^[ay]isolate the person with the scale seven more days. ³⁴ Then on the seventh day the priest shall look at the scale, and if the scale has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. ³⁵ But if the scale spreads farther in the skin after his cleansing, ³⁶ then the priest shall look at him, and if the scale has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellowish hair; he is unclean. ³⁷ If in his sight the scale has remained, however, and black hair has grown in it, the scale has healed, he is clean; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

³⁸ “When a man or a woman has bright spots on the skin of the ^[az]body, even white bright spots, ³⁹ then the priest shall look, and if the bright spots on the skin of their ^[ba]bodies are a faint white, it is ^[bb]eczema that has broken out on the skin; he is clean.

⁴⁰ “Now if a ^[bc]man loses the hair of his head, he is ^(AC)bald; he is clean. ⁴¹ If his head becomes bald at the ^[bd]front and sides, he is bald on the forehead; he is clean. ⁴² But if on the bald head or the bald forehead, there occurs a reddish-white infection, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or on his bald forehead. ⁴³ Then ^(AD)the priest shall look at him; and if the swelling of the infection is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the ^[be]body, ⁴⁴ he is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean; his infection is on his head.

⁴⁵ “As for the leper who has the infection, his clothes shall be torn, and ^(AE)the hair of his head shall be ^[bf]uncovered, and he shall ^(AF)cover his mustache and cry, ‘^(AG)Unclean! Unclean!’ ⁴⁶ He shall remain unclean all the days during which he has the infection; he is unclean. He shall live alone; his dwelling shall be ^(AH)outside the camp.

⁴⁷ “When a garment has a ^[bg]mark of leprosy in it, whether it is a wool garment or a linen garment, ⁴⁸ whether in ^[bh]warp or woof, of linen or of wool, whether in leather or in any article made of leather, ⁴⁹ if the mark is greenish or reddish in the garment or in the leather, or in the ^[bi]warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, it is a leprous mark and shall be shown to the priest. ⁵⁰ Then ^(AI)the priest shall look at the mark and shall ^[bj]quarantine the article with the mark for seven days. ⁵¹ He shall then look at the mark on the seventh day; if the mark has spread in the garment, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in the leather, whatever the purpose for which the leather is used, the mark is a ^[bk]leprous malignancy, it is unclean. ⁵² So he shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or any article of leather in which the mark occurs, for it is a ^[bl]leprous malignancy; it shall be burned in the fire.

⁵³ “But if the priest shall look, and indeed the mark has not spread in the garment, either in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, ⁵⁴ then the priest shall order them to wash the thing in which the mark occurs and he shall ^[bm]quarantine it for seven more days. ⁵⁵ After the article with the mark has been washed, the priest shall again look, and if the mark has not changed its appearance, even though the mark has not spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire, whether an eating away has produced bareness on the top or on the front of it.

⁵⁶ “Then if the priest looks, and if the mark has faded after it has been washed, then he shall tear it out of the garment or out of the leather, whether from the warp or from the woof; ⁵⁷ and if it appears again in the garment, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, it is an outbreak; the article with the mark shall be burned in the fire. ⁵⁸ The garment, whether the warp or the woof, or any article of leather from which the mark has departed when you washed it, it shall then be washed a second time and will be clean.”

⁵⁹ This is the law for the mark of leprosy in a garment of wool or linen, whether in the warp or in the woof, or in any article of leather, for pronouncing it clean or unclean.