Leviticus 11-14

New Life Version

Foods That Could Be Eaten

11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Say to the people of Israel, ‘These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals on the earth. ³ You may eat any animal that has hard and divided feet and chews its food again. ⁴ But among those which chew their food again or have feet that are hard and divided, do not eat the camel. For it chews its food again, but does not have feet that are hard and divided. It is unclean to you. ⁵ Do not eat the rock badger. For it chews its food again, but does not have feet that are hard and divided. It is unclean to you. ⁶ Do not eat the rabbit. For it chews its food again, but does not have feet that are hard and divided. It is unclean to you. ⁷ And do not eat the pig. For it has feet that are hard and divided, but it does not chew its food again. It is unclean to you. ⁸ Do not eat their flesh or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean to you.

⁹ ‘These you may eat, of all that are in the water. You may eat everything in the water that has fins and scales, in the seas or in the rivers. ¹⁰ But whatever is in the seas and rivers that does not have fins and scales, among all the living things moving in the water, are to be hated by you. ¹¹ You will hate them. You may not eat their meat, and you will hate their dead bodies. ¹² Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales will be hated by you.

¹³ ‘These you will hate among the birds. They are hated and not to be eaten: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, ¹⁴ the kite, every kind of falcon, ¹⁵ every kind of raven, ¹⁶ the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, every kind of hawk, ¹⁷ the little owl, the cormorant, the big owl, ¹⁸ the white owl, the pelican, the vulture that eats dead flesh, ¹⁹ the stork, every kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

²⁰ ‘All bugs with wings and that walk on all fours are to be hated by you. ²¹ But you may eat, among all the bugs with wings and that walk on all fours, those which have legs above their feet that allow them to jump on the ground. ²² You may eat every kind of locust, every kind of destroying locust, every kind of cricket, and every kind of grasshopper. ²³ But you are to hate all other bugs with wings and four feet.

²⁴ ‘If you touch these you will be unclean. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁵ And whoever picks up any of their dead bodies will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. ²⁶ Every animal that has a parted foot but not a divided foot, or that does not eat its food again, is unclean to you. Whoever touches them will be unclean. ²⁷ Whatever walks on its soft feet, among all the animals that walk on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁸ And he who picks up their dead bodies will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. They are unclean to you.

²⁹ ‘These animals that move on the earth are unclean to you: the mole, the mouse, every kind of big lizard, ³⁰ the gecko, the crocodile, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. ³¹ These animals that move on the earth are unclean to you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ³² And anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead will be unclean. Each piece of wood or clothing or skin or bag or anything used as you work, must be put in water. It will be unclean until evening. Then it will be clean. ³³ If any falls into a clay pot, whatever is in the pot will be unclean. You should break the pot. ³⁴ Any food that could be eaten but has water from such a pot on it will be unclean. And anything which could be drunk from any such pot will be unclean. ³⁵ Everything on which part of their dead body may fall will be unclean. A stove or a place for pots must be broken. They are unclean to you. ³⁶ But a well or a place holding water will be clean. But whoever touches a dead body will be unclean. ³⁷ If a part of their dead body falls on any seed which is to be planted, it is clean. ³⁸ But if water is put on the seed, and a body falls on it, it is unclean to you.

³⁹ ‘If one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its dead body will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ He who eats some of the dead body will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. And he who picks up its dead body will wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

⁴¹ ‘Anything that moves around on the ground in large numbers is hated and is not to be eaten. ⁴² You should not eat whatever moves on its stomach, or goes on four feet, or has many feet, among all the things that move around on the ground in large numbers. For they are hated. ⁴³ Do not make yourselves unclean by any of the small living things that move together on the ground, so you become unclean. ⁴⁴ For I am the Lord your God. So set yourselves apart, and be holy. For I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean with any of the small living things that move together in large numbers on the ground. ⁴⁵ For I am the Lord Who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. So be holy, because I am holy.’”

⁴⁶ This is the Law of the animal, the bird, every living thing that moves in the water, and everything that moves on the ground. ⁴⁷ It is so you know the difference between those that are clean and those that are unclean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.

Women after Childbirth

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Say to the people of Israel, ‘When a woman gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean for seven days as during her time each month. ³ On the eighth day the child is to go through the religious act of becoming a Jew. ⁴ The mother will be unclean for thirty-three days, until her blood stops flowing. She will not touch any holy thing or go into the holy place, until the days for making her clean are finished. ⁵ If she gives birth to a female child, she will be unclean for two weeks, as during the time she is unclean each month. She will be unclean for sixty-six days, until her blood stops flowing.

⁶ ‘When the days for making her clean are finished, for a son or for a daughter, she will bring her gifts to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent. She will bring a one year old lamb for a burnt gift, and a young pigeon or a turtle-dove for a sin gift. ⁷ Then he will give it to the Lord and pay for her sins. She will be made clean from the flow of her blood. This is the Law for her who gives birth to a son or daughter. ⁸ But if she does not have enough money for a lamb, then she will take two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt gift and the other for a sin gift. The religious leader will pay for her sins and she will be clean.’”

Laws about a Bad Skin Disease

13 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “When a man has a sore spot on his skin, an open sore or a bright spot, and it becomes a bad skin disease, he should be brought to the religious leader, to Aaron or one of his sons. ³ The religious leader will look at the mark on his skin of the body. If the hair in the spot has become white and the disease looks deeper than his skin, it is a bad skin disease. The religious leader will look at him, and will say that he is unclean. ⁴ But the spot may be white on his skin, and not seem to be deeper than the skin, and the hair on it not white. Then the religious leader will keep the sick man away from other people for seven days. ⁵ The religious leader will look at him on the seventh day. If he finds that the disease has not changed and has not spread on the skin, the religious leader will keep him away from other people for seven more days. ⁶ The religious leader will look at him again on the seventh day. If the spot is not as bright and has not spread on the skin, the religious leader will say he is clean. It is only what is left of a sore. He will wash his clothes and be clean.

⁷ “But if what is left of the sore spreads farther on the skin, after he has been seen by the religious leader as being clean, he must show himself to the religious leader again. ⁸ And the religious leader will look, and if the sore has spread on the skin, the religious leader will say that he is unclean. It is a bad skin disease.

⁹ “When a man has a bad skin disease, he will be brought to the religious leader. ¹⁰ The religious leader will look at it. If there is a white sore on the skin that has made the hair white, and there are open sores growing on the flesh, ¹¹ it is an old and deep skin disease on his body. The religious leader will say he is unclean. He will not keep him away from others, for he already is unclean. ¹² But the disease may spread farther on the skin, and cover all the skin of him who has the disease from head to foot, everywhere the religious leader looks. ¹³ If the religious leader sees that the skin disease has covered all his body, he will say he is clean from the disease, because the skin has all become white and he is clean. ¹⁴ But when open sores in the flesh show on him, he will be unclean. ¹⁵ The religious leader will look at the open sores in the flesh, and he will say he is unclean. The open sores in the flesh are unclean. It is a bad skin disease. ¹⁶ If the flesh with open sores changes again and becomes white, he will come to the religious leader. ¹⁷ If the religious leader sees that the disease has become white, the religious leader will say that he who had the disease is clean; he is clean.

¹⁸ “When there is a sore on the skin of the body that has been healed, ¹⁹ and in the place of the sore there is a white, growing spot or a light-red, bright spot, it must be shown to the religious leader. ²⁰ If the religious leader finds that it is under the skin and that the hair on it has become white, the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is the bad skin disease. It has broken out in the sore. ²¹ But the religious leader may find there are no white hairs in it, and that it is not under the skin and not as dark. Then the religious leader will keep him away from other people for seven days. ²² If it spreads farther on the skin, the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is a spreading disease. ²³ But if the bright spot stays in one place and does not spread, it is only what is left of the sore. The religious leader will say he is clean.

²⁴ “If the body has a burn on its skin, and the open sore of the burned flesh becomes a bright spot, light-red or white, ²⁵ the religious leader must look at it. If the hair in the bright spot has become white and it shows to be deeper than the skin, it is a bad skin disease. It has broken out in the burn. So the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is a bad skin disease. ²⁶ But the religious leader may find there is no white hair in the bright spot, and that it is not under the skin and not as dark. Then the religious leader will keep him away from other people for seven days. ²⁷ On the seventh day the religious leader will look at him. If it has spread farther in the skin, the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is a bad skin disease. ²⁸ But if the bright spot stays in one place and has not spread in the skin and is not as dark, it is only what is left of the burn. The religious leader will say he is clean. For it is what is left of the burn.

²⁹ “When a man or woman has a sore on the head or in the hair of the face, ³⁰ the religious leader will look at the sore. If it looks like it is under the skin, with yellow, fine hair in it, the religious leader will say he is unclean. It is a bad skin disease of the head or hair of the face. ³¹ But the religious leader may find that the skin disease is not under the skin and there is no black hair in it. Then the religious leader will keep the person with the disease away from other people for seven days. ³² On the seventh day the religious leader will look at the disease. If the sore has not spread, and no yellow hair has grown in it, and it does not look like it is under the skin, ³³ then the sick man will cut off his hair. But he will not cut the hair from the sore. The religious leader will keep the person with the disease away from other people seven more days. ³⁴ On the seventh day the religious leader will look at the disease. If the disease has not spread and looks like it is not under the skin, the religious leader will say he is clean. And he will wash his clothes and be clean. ³⁵ But if the disease spreads farther in the skin after he was to have been clean, ³⁶ then the religious leader will look at him. If the disease has spread in the skin, the religious leader does not need to look for yellow hair. He is unclean. ³⁷ But if he finds that the disease has stayed in one place and black hair has grown in it, the disease has healed. He is clean. And the religious leader will say he is clean.

³⁸ “When a man or woman has very white spots on the skin of their body, ³⁹ then the religious leader will look at them. If the white spots on the skin are not very bright, it is not a bad disease that has broken out on the skin. He is clean.

⁴⁰ “If a man’s hair has fallen out and he has no hair on his head, he is clean. ⁴¹ If the hair has fallen from the front part of his head so that he has no hair there, he is clean. ⁴² But if a red and white sore is on the head where there is no hair, it is a bad skin disease breaking out on his head. ⁴³ Then the religious leader will look at him. If the sore is red and white on the head where there is no hair, looking like a bad disease in the skin of the body, ⁴⁴ he is a man with a bad skin disease. He is unclean. The religious leader will say he is unclean. His disease is on his head.

Laws about Clothing

⁴⁵ “The person who has the bad skin disease will wear torn clothes and not cover the hair of his head. He will cover his mouth and cry out, ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ ⁴⁶ He will be unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He will live alone. His home will be away from the tents. ⁴⁷ When a mark of a bad skin disease is in a piece of clothing, wool or linen, ⁴⁸ in the cloth of linen or wool, or in leather or anything made of leather, ⁴⁹ if the mark is green or red in the clothing or leather, in the cloth or in anything made of leather, it is the mark of a bad skin disease. It will be shown to the religious leader. ⁵⁰ The religious leader will look at the mark, and will keep the piece of clothing away from people for seven days. ⁵¹ He will look at the mark again on the seventh day. If the mark has spread in the clothing, in the cloth or leather or anything made of leather, the mark is a bad disease. It is unclean. ⁵² So he will burn the clothing if the disease is in the cloth, in wool or linen or in anything made of leather, for it is a very bad disease. It will be burned in the fire.

⁵³ “But the religious leader may look and find that the mark has not spread in the clothing, in the cloth or anything made of leather. ⁵⁴ Then the religious leader will tell them to wash the thing that has the mark of disease. And he will keep it away from people for seven more days. ⁵⁵ After the piece of cloth or leather with the mark has been washed, the religious leader will look at it again. If the mark has not changed, even if the mark has not spread, it is unclean. You will burn it in the fire, if the mark of disease is on the back or the front.

⁵⁶ “But the religious leader may find that the mark is not as easy to see after it is washed. Then he will tear it out of the clothing, leather or cloth. ⁵⁷ If it is seen again in the clothing, in cloth or anything made of leather, it is spreading. The thing that has the mark will be burned in the fire. ⁵⁸ But if the clothing, cloth or anything made of leather, had the mark washed out of it, it will then be washed a second time. And it will be clean.”

⁵⁹ This is the law for the mark of a very bad disease in clothing of wool or linen, in cloth or in anything made of leather, for deciding if it is clean or not.

Laws about Skin Diseases

14 The Lord said to Moses, ² “This is the law of the person with a bad skin disease when he is made clean. He will be brought to the religious leader. ³ The religious leader will go away from the tents and look at him. If the sick person has been healed of the bad skin disease, ⁴ the religious leader must have two live clean birds, cedar wood, a red string and hyssop brought for the one who is to be made clean. ⁵ The religious leader will have one of the birds killed in a clay pot over flowing water. ⁶ Then he will take the living bird with the cedar wood, the red string and the hyssop. He will put them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the flowing water. ⁷ He will put blood seven times on the one who is to be made clean from the bad skin disease. And he will say he is clean. Then he will let the live bird go free over the open field. ⁸ The one to be made clean will wash his clothes, cut off all his hair, wash himself in water, and be clean. After that he may go among the tents. But he must stay outside his tent for seven days. ⁹ On the seventh day he will cut off his hair. He will cut the hair from his head and face, all his hair. Then he will wash his clothes and wash himself in water, and be clean.

¹⁰ “On the eighth day he is to take two male lambs that are perfect, a year old female lamb that is perfect, three-tenths part of a basket of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain gift, and one jar of oil. ¹¹ The religious leader who makes him clean will set the man who is to be made clean and these things before the Lord at the door of the meeting tent. ¹² Then the religious leader will take the one male lamb and bring it for a guilt gift with the jar of oil. He will give them as a wave gift before the Lord. ¹³ He will kill the lamb in the holy place where they kill the sin gifts and the burnt gifts. For the guilt gift belongs to the religious leader like the sin gift. It is most holy. ¹⁴ Then the religious leader will take some of the blood of the guilt gift. He will put it on the bottom part of the right ear of the person to be made clean. And he will put it on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. ¹⁵ Then the religious leader will take some of the oil in the jar and pour it into his left hand. ¹⁶ The religious leader will put a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the Lord. ¹⁷ Then the religious leader will put some of the rest of the oil upon the blood of the guilt gift on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean. ¹⁸ The rest of the oil in the religious leader’s hand will be put on the head of the person to be made clean. So the religious leader will pay for the person’s sins before the Lord. ¹⁹ The religious leader will then give the sin gift to pay for the sins of the person to be made clean. After that he will kill the burnt gift. ²⁰ The religious leader will give the burnt gift and the grain gift on the altar. So the religious leader will pay for the person’s sins, and he will be clean.

²¹ “But if he is poor and does not have enough money for so much, he will take one male lamb for a guilt gift, a wave gift, to pay for his sins. And he will take one-tenth part of a basket of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain gift, a jar of oil, ²² and two turtle-doves or two young pigeons, whatever he is able to buy. One will be a sin gift and the other a burnt gift. ²³ On the eighth day he will bring them to the religious leader at the door of the meeting tent before the Lord so he can be made clean. ²⁴ The religious leader will take the lamb of the guilt gift and the jar of oil. And the religious leader will wave them as the wave gift before the Lord. ²⁵ Then he will kill the lamb of the guilt gift. The religious leader will take some of the blood of the guilt gift and put it on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean. ²⁶ The religious leader will pour some of the oil into his left hand. ²⁷ The religious leader will put a finger of his right hand into the oil that is in the left hand seven times before the Lord. ²⁸ Then the religious leader will put some of the oil in his hand on the bottom part of the right ear, the thumb of the right hand and the big toe of the right foot of the person to be made clean. It will be put on the place where he has put the blood of the guilt gift. ²⁹ The rest of the oil in the religious leader’s hand will be put on the head of the person to be made clean, to pay for his sins before the Lord. ³⁰ Then he will give one of the turtle-doves or young pigeons that he was able to buy. ³¹ He will give what he is able to give, one for a sin gift and the other for a burnt gift, together with the grain gift. So the religious leader will pay for the sins of the person to be made clean before the Lord. ³² This is the law for him who had a bad skin disease and is not able to buy what is needed for making him clean.”

Laws about the House Where the Person with a Bad Skin Disease Lived

³³ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ³⁴ “When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for your own, and I put a mark of a bad skin disease on a house in your land, ³⁵ then the one who owns the house will come and tell the religious leader, ‘I see something like a mark of a bad skin disease in my house.’ ³⁶ Then the religious leader will tell them to empty the house before he goes in to look at the mark, so he will not say that everything in the house is unclean. After this the religious leader will go in to look at the house. ³⁷ He will look at the mark of the disease. If the mark is in the walls of the house with green or red spots deep in the walls, ³⁸ the religious leader will go out the door and shut up the house for seven days. ³⁹ He will come again on the seventh day and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house, ⁴⁰ the religious leader will tell them to tear out the stones with the disease in them and throw them away outside the city at an unclean place. ⁴¹ He will have the walls and floors of the house cleaned inside. And they will take the pieces that are rubbed off to an unclean place outside the city. ⁴² Then they will take other stones to put in the place of those stones. And he will cover the walls with a new covering.

⁴³ “If the disease comes again in the house, after he has taken out the stones, cleaned the house inside and covered the walls again, ⁴⁴ then the religious leader will come and look. If the disease has spread in the house, it is a very bad disease in the house. It is unclean. ⁴⁵ He will tear down the house, its stones, wood, and all the covering of the house. And he will take the pieces outside the city to an unclean place. ⁴⁶ Anyone who goes into the house during the time it is shut up will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁷ Whoever lies down in the house will wash his clothes. And whoever eats in the house will wash his clothes.

⁴⁸ “But the religious leader may come in and find that the disease has not spread in the house after its walls have been covered again. Then the religious leader will say the house is clean, because the mark of the disease cannot be seen. ⁴⁹ He will take two birds, cedar wood, a red string and hyssop to make the house clean. ⁵⁰ He will kill one of the birds in a clay pot over flowing water. ⁵¹ Then he will take the cedar wood and the hyssop and the red string, with the live bird, and put them in the blood of the killed bird and in the flowing water. And he will put some of the blood and water on the house seven times. ⁵² He will make the house clean with the blood of the bird, the flowing water, the live bird, the cedar wood, the hyssop and the red string. ⁵³ He will let the live bird go free outside the city into the open field. So he will take away sin from the house, and it will be clean.”

⁵⁴ This is the law for any very bad skin disease, even a sore, ⁵⁵ and for a disease in clothing or in a house, ⁵⁶ and for a growing sore, and what is left of a sore, and for a bright spot. ⁵⁷ It is to teach when they are unclean, and when they are clean. This is the law of the very bad skin disease.