Leviticus
11
- The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,
- "Say to the Israelites: 'Of all the
animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat:
- You may eat any animal that has a split
hoof completely divided and that chews the cud.
- "'There are some that only chew the
cud or only have a split hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though
it chews the cud, does not have a split hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for
you.
- The coney, though it chews the cud, does
not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
- The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does
not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you.
- And the pig, though it has a split hoof
completely divided, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.
- You must not eat their meat or touch their
carcasses; they are unclean for you.
- "'Of all the creatures living in the
water of the seas and the streams, you may eat any that have fins and scales.
- But all creatures in the seas or streams
that do not have fins and scales -- whether among all the swarming things
or among all the other living creatures in the water -- you are to detest.
- And since you are to detest them, you must
not eat their meat and you must detest their carcasses.
- Anything living in the water that does not
have fins and scales is to be detestable to you.
- "'These are the birds you are to detest
and not eat because they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black
vulture,
- the red kite, any kind of black kite,
- any kind of raven,
- the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull,
any kind of hawk,
- the little owl, the cormorant, the great
owl,
- the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,
- the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe
and the bat.
- "'All flying insects that walk on all
fours are to be detestable to you.
- There are, however, some winged creatures
that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for
hopping on the ground.
- Of these you may eat any kind of locust,
katydid, cricket or grasshopper.
- But all other winged creatures that have
four legs you are to detest.
- "'You will make yourselves unclean
by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.
- Whoever picks up one of their carcasses
must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.
- "'Every animal that has a split hoof
not completely divided or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever
touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean.
- Of all the animals that walk on all fours,
those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses
will be unclean till evening.
- Anyone who picks up their carcasses must
wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. They are unclean for
you.
- "'Of the animals that move about on
the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great
lizard,
- the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall
lizard, the skink and the chameleon.
- Of all those that move along the ground,
these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be
unclean till evening.
- When one of them dies and falls on something,
that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood,
cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening,
and then it will be clean.
- If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything
in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot.
- Any food that could be eaten but has water
on it from such a pot is unclean, and any liquid that could be drunk from
it is unclean.
- Anything that one of their carcasses falls
on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean,
and you are to regard them as unclean.
- A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting
water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean.
- If a carcass falls on any seeds that are
to be planted, they remain clean.
- But if water has been put on the seed and
a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.
- "'If an animal that you are allowed
to eat dies, anyone who touches the carcass will be unclean till evening.
- Anyone who eats some of the carcass must
wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up
the carcass must wash his clothes, and he will be unclean till evening.
- "'Every creature that moves about on
the ground is detestable; it is not to be eaten.
- You are not to eat any creature that moves
about on the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or
on many feet; it is detestable.
- Do not defile yourselves by any of these
creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean
by them.
- I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves
and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature
that moves about on the ground.
- I am the LORD who brought you up out of
Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.
- "'These are the regulations concerning
animals, birds, every living thing that moves in the water and every creature
that moves about on the ground.
- You must distinguish between the unclean
and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may
not be eaten.'"
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