Leviticus 11:1–31

Laws About Animals the Israelites May and May Not Eat—Deuteronomy 14:3–20

¹The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, ²“Tell the Israelites: Here are the kinds of land animals you may eat: ³all animals that have completely divided hoofs and that also chew their cud. ⁴However, from those that either chew their cud or have divided hoofs, these are the kinds you must never eat: You must never eat camels. (Camels are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁵You must never eat rock badgers. (Rock badgers are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁶You must never eat rabbits. (Rabbits are unclean because they chew their cud but do not have divided hoofs.) ⁷You must never eat pigs. (Because pigs have completely divided hoofs but do not chew their cud, they are also unclean.) ⁸Never eat the meat of these animals or touch their dead bodies. They are unclean for you. 

⁹“Here are the kinds of creatures that live in the water which you may eat—anything in the seas and streams that has fins and scales. ¹⁰However, you must consider all swarming creatures living in the seas or the streams that have no fins or scales disgusting. ¹¹They must remain disgusting to you. Never eat their meat. Consider their dead bodies disgusting. ¹²Every creature in the water without fins or scales is disgusting to you. 

¹³“Here are the kinds of birds you must consider disgusting and must not eat. They are eagles, bearded vultures, black vultures, ¹⁴kites, all types of buzzards, ¹⁵all types of crows, ¹⁶ostriches, nighthawks, seagulls, all types of falcons, ¹⁷little owls, cormorants, great owls, ¹⁸barn owls, pelicans, ospreys, ¹⁹storks, all types of herons, hoopoes, and bats. 

²⁰“Every swarming, winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you. ²¹However, you may eat winged insects that swarm if they use their legs to hop on the ground. ²²You may eat any kind of locust, cricket, katydid, or grasshopper. ²³Every kind of winged insect that walks across the ground like a four-legged animal is disgusting to you. 

²⁴“Regarding the creatures mentioned above, this is how you would become unclean: Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁵Whoever carries any part of their dead bodies must wash his clothes. He will be unclean until evening. ²⁶All animals whose hoofs are not completely divided or that don’t chew their cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them is unclean. ²⁷All four-legged animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening. ²⁸Those who carry the dead body of any of these animals must wash their clothes and will be unclean until evening. These animals are unclean for you. 

²⁹“The following swarming creatures that move on the ground are unclean for you—moles, mice, and all types of lizards: ³⁰geckos, monitors, lizards, skinks, and chameleons. ³¹Among all the swarming creatures that move on the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.