1The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said to them,2‘Speak to the Israelites. Tell them, “Many animals live on land. Here are the only ones you can eat.3You can eat any animal that has hooves that are separated completely in two. But it must also chew the cud.4‘ “Some animals only chew the cud. Some only have hooves that are separated in two. You must not eat those animals. Camels chew the cud. But their hooves are not separated in two. So they are ‘unclean’ for you.5Rock badgers chew the cud. But their hooves are not separated in two. So they are ‘unclean’ for you.6Rabbits chew the cud. But their hooves are not separated in two. So they are ‘unclean’ for you.7Pigs have hooves that are separated completely in two. But they do not chew the cud. So they are ‘unclean’ for you.8You must not eat the meat of those animals. You must not even touch their dead bodies. They are ‘unclean’ for you.9‘ “Many creatures live in the water of the oceans and streams. You can eat all those that have fins and scales.10Treat as ‘unclean’ all the creatures in the oceans or streams that do not have fins and scales. That includes all those that move together in groups and all those that do not.11Treat them as ‘unclean’. Do not eat their meat. Treat their dead bodies as ‘unclean’.12Regard as ‘unclean’ everything that lives in the water that does not have fins and scales.13‘ “Here are the birds you must treat as ‘unclean’. Do not eat them because they are ‘unclean’. The birds include eagles, vultures and black vultures.14They include red kites and all kinds of black kites.15They include all kinds of ravens.16They include horned owls, screech owls, gulls and all kinds of hawks.17They include little owls, cormorants and great owls.18They include white owls, desert owls and ospreys.19They also include storks, hoopoes, bats and all kinds of herons.20‘ “Treat as ‘unclean’ every flying insect that walks on all fours.21But you can eat some flying insects that walk on all fours. Their legs have joints so they can hop on the ground.22Here are the insects you can eat. You can eat all kinds of locusts, cicadas, crickets and grasshoppers.23Treat as ‘unclean’ every other creature with wings and four legs.24‘ “You will make yourselves ‘unclean’ if you eat these things. If you touch their dead bodies, you will be ‘unclean’ until evening.25If a person picks up one of their dead bodies, that person must wash their clothes. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening.26‘ “Suppose an animal has hooves that are not separated completely in two. Or suppose an animal does not chew the cud. Then these animals are ‘unclean’ for you. If you touch the dead body of any of them, you will be ‘unclean’.27Many animals walk on all fours. But those that walk on their paws are ‘unclean’ for you. Anyone who touches their dead bodies will be ‘unclean’ until evening.28If a person picks up their dead bodies, that person must wash their clothes. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. These animals are ‘unclean’ for you.29‘ “Many animals move along the ground. Here are the ones that are ‘unclean’ for you. They include weasels, rats and all kinds of large lizards.30They also include geckos, monitor lizards, wall lizards, skinks and chameleons.31These are the animals that move around on the ground that are ‘unclean’ for you. If you touch their dead bodies, you will be ‘unclean’ until evening.32Suppose one of them dies and falls on something. Then that thing will be ‘unclean’. It does not matter what it is used for. It does not matter whether it is made out of wood, cloth, hide or rough cloth. Put it in water. It will be ‘unclean’ until evening. After that, it will be ‘clean’.33Suppose one of these animals falls into a clay pot. Then everything in the pot will be ‘unclean’. You must break the pot.34Any food that could be eaten but has water on it that came from that pot is ‘unclean’. And any liquid that could be drunk from it is ‘unclean’.35Anything that the dead body of one of these animals falls on becomes ‘unclean’. If it is an oven or cooking pot, break it. It is ‘unclean’. And you must consider it ‘unclean’.36But a spring or a well for collecting water remains ‘clean’. That is true even if the dead body of one of these animals falls into it. But anyone who touches the dead body is not ‘clean’.37If the dead body falls on any seeds that have not been planted yet, the seeds remain ‘clean’.38But suppose water has already been put on the seeds. And suppose the dead body falls on them. Then they are ‘unclean’ for you.39‘ “Suppose an animal you are allowed to eat dies. If anyone touches its dead body, they will be ‘unclean’ until evening.40If they eat part of the dead body, they must wash their clothes. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. If they pick up the dead body, they must wash their clothes. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening.41‘ “Treat as ‘unclean’ every creature that moves along the ground. Do not eat it.42Do not eat any of these creatures. It does not matter whether they move on their bellies. It does not matter whether they walk on all fours or on many feet. It is ‘unclean’.43Do not make yourselves ‘unclean’ by eating any of these animals. Do not make yourselves ‘unclean’ because of them. Do not let them make you ‘unclean’.44I am the LORD your God. Set yourselves apart. Be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves ‘unclean’ by eating any creatures that move around on the ground.45I am the LORD. I brought you up out of Egypt to be your God. So be holy, because I am holy.46‘ “These are the rules about animals and birds. These are the rules about every living thing that moves around in the water. And these are the rules about every creature that moves along the ground.47You must be able to tell the difference between what is ‘clean’ and what is not. You must also be able to tell the difference between living creatures that can be eaten and those that can’t.” ’
Leviticus 11
English Standard Version
Clean and Unclean Animals
1And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,2“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, These are the living things that you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. (De 14:3; Mt 15:11; Mr 7:15; Mr 7:18; Ac 10:12; Ac 11:6; Ro 14:14; 1Co 8:8; Col 2:16; Col 2:21; Heb 9:10)3Whatever parts the hoof and is cloven-footed and chews the cud, among the animals, you may eat.4Nevertheless, among those that chew the cud or part the hoof, you shall not eat these: The camel, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.5And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you. (Ps 104:18; Pr 30:26)6And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not part the hoof, is unclean to you.7And the pig, because it parts the hoof and is cloven-footed but does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. (Isa 65:4; Isa 66:3; Isa 66:17)8You shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall not touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you.9“These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.10But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you. (Le 7:21)11You shall regard them as detestable; you shall not eat any of their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses.12Everything in the waters that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.13“And these you shall detest among the birds;[1] they shall not be eaten; they are detestable: the eagle,[2] the bearded vulture, the black vulture, (Le 11:10; Job 39:26; Job 39:30)14the kite, the falcon of any kind, (Job 28:7)15every raven of any kind,16the ostrich, the nighthawk, the sea gull, the hawk of any kind, (Job 39:26)17the little owl, the cormorant, the short-eared owl, (Ps 102:6; Isa 34:11)18the barn owl, the tawny owl, the carrion vulture, (Ps 102:6; Isa 34:11; Zep 2:14)19the stork, the heron of any kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. (Isa 2:20)20“All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you.21Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground.22Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind. (Ex 10:4; Joe 1:4; Mt 3:4; Mr 1:6)23But all other winged insects that have four feet are detestable to you.24“And by these you shall become unclean. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,25and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. (Le 13:6; Le 13:34; Le 14:8; Le 14:47; Le 15:5; Le 16:26; Le 16:28; Le 17:15; Nu 19:10; Nu 31:24)26Every animal that parts the hoof but is not cloven-footed or does not chew the cud is unclean to you. Everyone who touches them shall be unclean.27And all that walk on their paws, among the animals that go on all fours, are unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the evening,28and he who carries their carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; they are unclean to you. (Le 11:25)29“And these are unclean to you among the swarming things that swarm on the ground: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard of any kind, (Isa 66:17)30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the lizard, the sand lizard, and the chameleon.31These are unclean to you among all that swarm. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening.32And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is an article of wood or a garment or a skin or a sack, any article that is used for any purpose. It must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean. (Le 15:12)33And if any of them falls into any earthenware vessel, all that is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it. (Le 6:28; Le 15:12)34Any food in it that could be eaten, on which water comes, shall be unclean. And all drink that could be drunk from every such vessel shall be unclean.35And everything on which any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean. Whether oven or stove, it shall be broken in pieces. They are unclean and shall remain unclean for you.36Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern holding water shall be clean, but whoever touches a carcass in them shall be unclean.37And if any part of their carcass falls upon any seed grain that is to be sown, it is clean,38but if water is put on the seed and any part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.39“And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening,40and whoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. (Le 17:15; Le 22:8; De 14:21; Eze 4:14; Eze 44:31)41“Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten. (Le 11:29)42Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, any swarming thing that swarms on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable.43You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming thing that swarms, and you shall not defile yourselves with them, and become unclean through them. (Le 20:25)44For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. (Ex 19:6; Le 11:43; Le 19:2; Le 20:7; Le 20:26; Le 21:8; 1Th 4:7; 1Pe 1:16)45For I am the Lord who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.” (Ex 6:7; Le 11:44)46This is the law about beast and bird and every living creature that moves through the waters and every creature that swarms on the ground,47to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten. (Le 10:10; Le 20:25)