Laws about Animals for Food

11 The Lord spoke again to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘(A)These are the creatures which you may eat from all the animals that are on the earth. Whatever has a divided hoof, showing split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. Nevertheless, (B)you are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which have a divided hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. Likewise, the rock hyrax, for though it chews cud, it does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. The [a]rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. And the pig, for though it has a divided hoof, and so it shows a split hoof, it does not chew cud; it is unclean to you. You shall not eat any of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.

(C)These you may eat, of whatever is in the water: everything that has fins and scales, in the water, in the seas, or in the rivers, you may eat. 10 (D)But 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 detestable to you; you may not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. 12 Whatever in the water does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

Avoid the Unclean

13 ‘Moreover, these (E)you shall detest among the birds; they are detestable, not to be eaten: the [b]eagle, the vulture, and the [c]buzzard, 14 the red kite, the falcon in its kind, 15 every raven in its kind, 16 the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, and the hawk in its kind, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, and the [d]great owl, 18 the white owl, the [e]pelican, and the carrion vulture, 19 the stork, the heron in its kinds, the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 ‘All the [f]winged insects that walk on all fours are detestable to you. 21 Yet these you may eat among all the [g]winged insects that walk on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to jump on the earth. 22 These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, the devastating locust in its kinds, the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds. 23 But all other [h]winged 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 (F)whoever picks up any of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. 26 As for all the animals which have a divided hoof but do not show a split hoof, or do not chew the 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, the mouse, and the [i]great lizard in its kinds, 30 the gecko, the [j]crocodile, the lizard, the [k]sand 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.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 11:6 Or hare
  2. Leviticus 11:13 Or vulture
  3. Leviticus 11:13 Or black vulture
  4. Leviticus 11:17 Specifically, great horned owl
  5. Leviticus 11:18 Or owl; or jackdaw
  6. Leviticus 11:20 Lit swarming things with wings
  7. Leviticus 11:21 See note v 20
  8. Leviticus 11:23 See note v 20
  9. Leviticus 11:29 Or thorn-tailed lizard
  10. Leviticus 11:30 Or lizard
  11. Leviticus 11:30 Species as yet undefined

(A)You shall not eat any detestable thing. (B)These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, [a]the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. And any animal that has a divided hoof and has its hoofs split in two, and [b]chews the cud, among the animals, [c]that animal you may eat. However, you are not to eat these among the ones that [d]chew the cud, or among those that have the hoof divided in [e]two: the camel, the [f]rabbit, and the rock hyrax, for though they [g]chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are unclean to you. And the pig, because it has a divided hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, nor touch their carcasses.

“These you may eat of everything that is in the water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, 10 but anything that does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But (C)these are the ones that you shall not eat: the [h]eagle and the vulture and the [i]buzzard, 13 and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, 14 and every raven in its kind, 15 and the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, and the hawk in their kinds, 16 the little owl, the [j]great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And all the swarming insects with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. 20 You may eat any clean bird.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 14:5 Exact identification of these animals is uncertain
  2. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit brings up
  3. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit it
  4. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit bring up
  5. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit a cleaving
  6. Deuteronomy 14:7 Or hare
  7. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit bring up
  8. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or vulture
  9. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or black vulture
  10. Deuteronomy 14:16 Or great horned owl

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