LeviticusChapter 11

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1The LORD spoke again to Moses and Aaron. He said to them, 2"Tell the Israelites this: 'Here are the land animals you may eat. 3You may eat any animal that chews the cud and has a hoof split all the way into two parts. 4But some animals only chew the cud, and some only have a split hoof. You must not eat these. The camel chews the cud, but it does not have a split hoof. It is unclean for you. 5The rock badger chews the cud, but it does not have a split hoof. It is unclean for you. 6The rabbit chews the cud, but it does not have a split hoof. It is unclean for you. 7The pig has a hoof split all the way into two parts, but it does not chew the cud. It is unclean for you. 8You must not eat their meat. You must not touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you. 9Here is what you may eat of all the creatures that live in the water. You may eat anything in the seas or the streams that has fins and scales. 10But there are many living things that swarm in the water. Anything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales is disgusting to you. 11They will be hateful to you. You must not eat their meat. You must hate their dead bodies. 12Anything in the water that does not have fins and scales will be disgusting to you. 13You must also hate these birds. They must not be eaten, because they are disgusting. They are the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14the kite, any kind of falcon, 15any kind of raven, 16the ostrich, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat. 20All insects that fly and walk on four legs are disgusting to you. 21But you may eat some kinds of flying insects that walk on four legs. You may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. 22Of these, you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper. 23All other flying insects that have four legs are disgusting to you. 24These creatures will make you unclean. Anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. 25Anyone who picks up one of their dead bodies must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. 26Some animals have hooves that are not split all the way. Some do not chew the cud. Every one of these is unclean for you. Anyone who touches them will be unclean. 27All four-footed animals that walk on paws are unclean for you. Anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. 28Anyone who picks up a dead body of one of them must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. These animals are unclean for you. 29These creatures that move along the ground are unclean for you: the mole, the mouse, any kind of great lizard, 30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31Of all the crawling creatures, these are unclean for you. Anyone who touches them after they die will be unclean until evening. 32One of them may die and fall on something. Then that thing becomes unclean. It may be made of wood, cloth, leather, or sackcloth. It may be a tool used for work. Whatever it is, it must be rinsed with water. It will stay unclean until evening. Then it will be clean. 33One of them may fall into a clay pot. Then everything in the pot will be unclean. You must break the pot. 34Any food that water from that pot touches will be unclean. Any drink in a pot like that will be unclean. 35Anything that one of their dead bodies falls on will be unclean. If it is an oven or a cooking pot, it must be smashed. It is unclean, and it will stay unclean for you. 36But a spring or a cistern that holds water will stay clean. Still, anyone who touches a dead body in it will be unclean. 37A dead body may fall on seed that is ready to be planted. If so, the seed is still clean. 38But water may have been put on the seed. Then if a dead body falls on it, the seed is unclean for you. 39If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its dead body will be unclean until evening. 40Anyone who eats some of the dead body must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up the dead body must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening too. 41Every creature that moves along the ground is disgusting. It must not be eaten. 42Do not eat any creature that moves along the ground. It may crawl on its belly. It may walk on four feet or on many feet. Do not eat it, because creatures like this are disgusting. 43Do not make yourselves impure by any crawling creature. Do not let them make you unclean or impure. 44For I am the LORD your God. So set yourselves apart for me, and be holy, because I am holy. You must not make yourselves impure by any creature that crawls along the ground. 45For I am the LORD. I brought you up out of the land of Egypt so that I would be your God. So be holy, because I am holy. 46This is the law about animals and birds. It is the law about every living creature that moves in the water. It is the law about every creature that crawls along the ground. 47You must know the difference between the unclean and the clean. You must know which animals may be eaten and which may not.'"