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Leviticus 11
International Standard Version

Clean and Unclean Animals(A)

11 The Lord told Moses and Aaron,[a] 2 “Tell the Israelis that these are the living creatures that you may eat among the animals of the earth: 3 You may eat any animal that has divided hooves with cloven feet and that ruminates its cud, 4 except you are not to eat the following animals that have divided hooves or ruminate their cud: the camel (because it chews the cud but doesn’t have divided hooves, it is to be unclean for you), 5 the rock badger (because it chews its cud but its hooves aren’t divided, it is to be unclean for you), 6 the hare (because it chews its cud, but its hooves aren’t divided, it is to be unclean for you), 7 and the pig (because it has divided hooves and is therefore cloven-footed, but it doesn’t ruminate its cud, it is to be unclean for you). 8 You are not to eat their flesh or even touch their carcasses. They are to be unclean for you.”

Clean and Unclean Seafood

9 “You may eat anything that lives in the water—that is, you may eat anything that has fins and scales either from the seas or from the rivers. 10 But anything that doesn’t have fins or scales—whether from the seas or the rivers—any of the swarming creatures and living creatures in the waters are detestable for you. 11 They are to remain detestable for you. You are not to eat of their meat and you are to detest their carcasses. 12 Anything that doesn’t have fins or scales in the waters is a detestable thing for you.”

Clean and Unclean Winged Creatures

13 “These are detestable things for you among winged creatures that you are not to eat, because they are detestable for you: the eagle, vulture, osprey, 14 red kite, falcons of any kind, 15 every kind of raven, 16 ostrich, nighthawk, seagull, hawks of every kind, 17 owls, cormorants, the ibis, 18 water-hens, pelicans, carrion, 19 storks, herons of every kind, the hoopoe, bata, 20 and any winged insect that crawls on four legs is detestable for you. 21 However, you may eat winged creatures that crawl on four legs that extend over its head and by which it hops on the ground. 22 These creatures that you may eat include the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. 23 But any other winged insect that has four legs is detestable for you 24 and is unclean. Anyone who touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening. 25 And anyone who carries their carcasses is to wash his clothes, since he will remain unclean until evening.”

Summary of Clean and Unclean

26 “Any animal that has divided hooves and is cloven-footed but doesn’t chew the cud is unclean for you. Anyone who touches them is unclean. 27 Among the animals, anything that walks on their paws and on four legs is unclean for you. Anyone who touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening. 28 Whoever carries their carcass is to wash their clothes, because they’ve become unclean until evening. They’re unclean for you.

29 “These are unclean for you among the swarming creatures that crawl over the land: the rat,[b] mouse, lizards of every kind, 30 the gecko, crocodile, lizard, sand lizard, and chameleon. 31 These are unclean for you among the swarming creatures, so anyone who touches them when they’re dead becomes unclean until evening. 32 Furthermore, anything on which they fall when they’re dead becomes unclean, whether on an article of wood, clothing, skin, or a sack. And any vessel used for any work is to be washed in water, because it has become unclean until evening. 33 Any earthen vessel into which any of these things fall becomes unclean, along with everything in it. You are to destroy it, along with all its contents.”

Clean and Unclean Vessels

34 “Any food that may be eaten, but into which water has soaked, becomes unclean. Any drink that may be drunk in any of these vessels becomes unclean, 35 and anything into which their carcass falls becomes unclean. An oven or stove is to be broken in pieces. They’re unclean and therefore unclean for you.

36 “A spring or a cistern that holds water is clean, but whoever touches the carcass of an unclean animal will be unclean. 37 If their carcass falls on a seed, which is for sowing, what is to be sown is clean. 38 But if water is put on the seed and part of their carcass falls on it, then it has become unclean for you.

39 “If any of the animals that you may eat dies, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening. 40 The one who eats from its carcass is to wash his clothes, because he has become unclean until evening. Even the one who carries the carcass is to wash his clothes, because he has become unclean until evening.”

Unclean Swarming Animals

41 “Every swarming thing that swarms the land is detestable for you. It is not to be eaten. 42 You are not to eat anything that crawls on its belly, anything that walks on four legs, anything that has many legs, or any of the swarming creatures that swarm the land, because they’re detestable. 43 You are not to make yourselves detestable on account of any swarming creature that swarms the land, and you are not to defile yourselves and become unclean due to them, 44 because I, the Lord, am your God. Set yourselves apart and be holy, because I am holy. You are not to defile yourselves with any of the swarming creatures that swarm the earth. 45 I am the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You are to be holy, because I am holy. 46 This is the law concerning animals, every living creature that moves on the waters or swarms[c] on land. 47 You are to differentiate between the clean and unclean, between the living creature that can be eaten and the living creature that is not to be eaten.”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 11:1 Lit. to them
  2. Leviticus 11:29 Or weasel
  3. Leviticus 11:46 Lit. every living creature
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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.’”

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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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