Leviticus 11
New King James Version
Foods Permitted and Forbidden(A)
11 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, (B)‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth: 3 Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat. 4 Nevertheless these you shall (C)not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is [a]unclean to you; 5 the [b]rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is [c]unclean to you; 6 the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; 7 and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, (D)is unclean to you. 8 Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. (E)They are unclean to you.
9 (F)‘These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat. 10 But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are [d]an (G)abomination to you. 11 They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. 12 Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales—that shall be an abomination to you.
13 (H)‘And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, 14 the kite, and the falcon after its kind; 15 every raven after its kind, 16 the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind; 17 the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; 18 the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture; 19 the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 ‘All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. 21 Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. 22 These you may eat: (I)the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. 23 But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you.
Unclean Animals
24 ‘By these you shall become [e]unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening; 25 whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them (J)shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening: 26 The carcass of any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean. 27 And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening. 28 Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you.
29 ‘These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, (K)the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. 31 These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever (L)touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. 32 Anything on which any of them falls, when they are dead shall be [f]unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is, in which any work is done, (M)it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean. 33 Any (N)earthen vessel into which any of them falls (O)you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean: 34 in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean. 35 And everything on which a part of any such carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you. 36 Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean. 37 And if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean. 38 But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes [g]unclean to you.
39 ‘And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be (P)unclean until evening. 40 (Q)He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.
41 ‘And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be [h]an abomination. It shall not be eaten. 42 Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination. 43 (R)You shall not make [i]yourselves [j]abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them. 44 For I am the Lord your (S)God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and (T)you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. 45 (U)For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. (V)You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46 ‘This is the law [k]of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, 47 (W)to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’ ”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Leviticus 11:4 impure
- Leviticus 11:5 rock badger
- Leviticus 11:5 impure
- Leviticus 11:10 detestable
- Leviticus 11:24 impure
- Leviticus 11:32 impure
- Leviticus 11:38 impure
- Leviticus 11:41 detestable
- Leviticus 11:43 Lit. your souls
- Leviticus 11:43 impure
- Leviticus 11:46 concerning
Leviticus 11
21st Century King James Version
11 And the Lord spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
2 “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof and is cloven-footed and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat, of those that chew the cud or of those that divide the hoof: the camel, because he cheweth the cud but divideth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you;
5 and the coney, because he cheweth the cud but divideth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you;
6 and the hare, because he cheweth the cud but divideth not the hoof, he is unclean unto you;
7 and the swine, though he divide the hoof and is cloven-footed, yet he cheweth not the cud, he is unclean to you.
8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
9 “‘These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you.
11 They shall be even an abomination unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall hold their carcasses in abomination.
12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
13 “‘And these are they which ye shall hold in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the osprey,
14 and the vulture, and the kite after his kind,
15 every raven after his kind,
16 and the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckoo, and the hawk after his kind,
17 and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18 and the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
19 and the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
20 “‘All fowls that creep, going upon all fours, shall be an abomination unto you.
21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all fours, which have legs above their feet with which to leap upon the earth;
22 even these of them ye may eat: the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
23 But all other flying creeping things which have four feet shall be an abomination unto you.
24 “‘And by these ye shall be unclean. Whosoever toucheth the carcass of them shall be unclean until the evening,
25 and whosoever beareth aught of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
26 The carcasses of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not cloven-footed nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you; every one who toucheth them shall be unclean.
27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all fours, those are unclean unto you; whoso toucheth their carcass shall be unclean until the evening.
28 And he that beareth the carcass of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean unto you.
29 “‘These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,
30 and the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
31 These are unclean to you among all that creep; whosoever doth touch them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.
32 And upon whatsoever any of them when they are dead doth fall, it shall be unclean. Whether it be any vessel of wood or raiment or skin or sack, whatsoever vessel it be wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; so it shall be cleansed.
33 And every earthen vessel whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean, and ye shall break it.
34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
35 And every thing whereupon any part of their carcass falleth shall be unclean. Whether it be an oven or ranges for pots, they shall be broken down; for they are unclean and shall be unclean unto you.
36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean; but that which toucheth their carcass shall be unclean.
37 And if any part of their carcass fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
38 But if any water be put upon the seed and any part of their carcass fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
39 “‘And if any beast of which ye may eat die, he that toucheth the carcass thereof shall be unclean until the evening.
40 And he that eateth of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. He also that beareth the carcass of it shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
41 “‘And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all fours, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat, for they are an abomination.
43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
44 For I am the Lord your God. Ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy, for I am holy; neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
45 For I am the Lord who bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. Ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46 “‘This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth,
47 to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.’”
Read full chapterScripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.