DeuteronomyChapter 14
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1You are sons of the LORD your God. So do not cut yourselves for the dead. Do not shave the front of your heads for them. 2You are a people set apart as holy to the LORD your God. The LORD has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. You are his own treasured people. 3You must not eat anything disgusting. 4These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6You may eat any animal that has a hoof split in two and that chews the cud. 7But some animals only chew the cud, and some only have a split hoof. You must not eat these: the camel, the rabbit, or the rock badger. They chew the cud, but they do not have a split hoof. They are unclean for you. 8The pig is unclean for you too. It has a split hoof, but it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. You must not eat its meat or touch its dead body. 9Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat anything that has fins and scales. 10But you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales. It is unclean for you. 11You may eat any clean bird. 12But you may not eat these birds: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 13the red kite, the falcon, any kind of kite, 14any kind of raven, 15the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 16the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17the desert owl, the osprey, the cormorant, 18the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, or the bat. 19All insects that fly are unclean for you. You must not eat them. 20But you may eat any clean bird. 21Do not eat any animal that died by itself. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, and he may eat it. Or you may sell it to a foreigner. Do this because you are a holy people who belong to the LORD your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk. 22Be sure to set aside a tenth of all the crops that grow in your fields each year. 23Eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil in the presence of the LORD your God. Eat the firstborn of your herds and flocks there too. Do it at the place he will choose to be the home for his Name. Then you will learn to always fear the LORD your God. 24But the place the LORD your God chooses to put his Name may be too far away. The trip may be too long for you to carry what the LORD your God has blessed you with. 25If so, trade it for money. Take the money with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. 26Then spend the money on anything you want. Buy cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything you like. Then you and your family must feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and celebrate. 27And do not forget about the Levite who lives in your town. He has no share of land among you. 28At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your crops from that year. Store it in your towns. 29Then the Levite may come and eat until he is full, because he has no share of land among you. The foreigner, the orphan, and the widow in your towns may also come and eat until they are full. And the LORD your God will bless you in all the work you do.