Chapter 11

Laws about Animals for Food

1 The Lord spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,

2 “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘aThese are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth.

3 ‘Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat.

4 ‘Nevertheless, ayou are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you.

5 ‘Likewise, the 1shaphan, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you;

6 the 1rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you;

7 and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud, it is unclean to you.

8 ‘You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

9 ‘aThese you may eat, whatever is in the water: all that have fins and scales, those in the water, in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.

10 ‘aBut whatever is in the seas and in the rivers that does not have fins and scales among all the teeming life of the water, and among all the living creatures that are in the water, they are detestable things to you,

11 and they shall be 1abhorrent to you; you may not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall detest.

12 ‘Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is 1abhorrent to you.

Avoid the Unclean

13 ‘These, moreover, ayou shall detest among the birds; they are 1abhorrent, not to be eaten: the 2eagle and the vulture and the 3buzzard,

14 and the kite and the falcon in its kind,

15 every raven in its kind,

16 and the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk in its kind,

17 and the little owl and the cormorant and the 1great owl,

18 and the white owl and the 1pelican and the carrion vulture,

19 and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 ‘All the 1winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you.

21 ‘Yet these you may eat among all the 1winged insects which walk on all fours: those which have above their feet jointed legs with which to jump on the earth.

22 ‘These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, and the devastating locust in its kinds, and the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds.

23 ‘But all other 1winged insects which are four-footed are detestable to you.

24 ‘By these, moreover, you will be made unclean: whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening,

25 and awhoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

26 ‘Concerning all the animals which divide the hoof but do not make a split hoof, or which do not chew cud, they are unclean to you: whoever touches them becomes unclean.

27 ‘Also whatever walks on its paws, among all the creatures that walk on all fours, are unclean to you; whoever touches their carcasses becomes unclean until evening,

28 and the one who picks up their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

29 ‘Now these are to you the unclean among the swarming things which swarm on the earth: the mole, and the mouse, and the 1great lizard in its kinds,

30 and the gecko, and the 1crocodile, and the lizard, and the 2sand reptile, and the chameleon.

31 ‘These are to you the unclean among all the swarming things; whoever touches them when they are dead becomes unclean until evening.

32 ‘Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article, or clothing, or a skin, or a sack—any article 1of which use is made—ait shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean.

33 ‘As for any aearthenware vessel into which one of them may fall, whatever is in it becomes unclean and you shall break 1the vessel.

34 ‘Any of the 1food which may be eaten, on which water comes, shall become unclean, and any 1liquid which may be drunk in every vessel shall become unclean.

35 ‘Everything, moreover, on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a 1stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you.

36 ‘Nevertheless a spring or a cistern 1collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean.

37 ‘If a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean.

38 ‘Though if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

39 ‘Also if one of the animals dies which you have for food, the one who touches its carcass becomes unclean until evening.

40 ‘aHe too, who eats some of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening, and the one who picks up its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

41 ‘aNow every swarming thing that swarms on the earth is detestable, not to be eaten.

42 ‘Whatever crawls on its belly, and whatever walks on all fours, whatever has many feet, in respect to every swarming thing that swarms on the earth, you shall not eat them, for they are detestable.

43 ‘aDo not render 1yourselves detestable through any of the swarming things that swarm; and you shall not make yourselves unclean with them so that you become unclean.

44 ‘For aI am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and bbe holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth.

45 ‘aFor I am the Lord who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus byou shall be holy, for I am holy.’ ”

46 This is the law regarding the animal and the bird, and every living thing that moves in the waters and everything that swarms on the earth,

47 ato make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.