Clean and Unclean Land Animals
1Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron. He said to them, 2“Speak to the Israelites: Of all the animals on land, these are the ones you may eat. 3You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof, with the hoof split completely in two, and that chews the cud. 4But among those that chew the cud or have a divided hoof, you must not eat the following: the camel, for although it chews the cud, its hoof is not divided — it is unclean for you. 5The rock hyrax, for although it chews the cud, its hoof is not divided — it is unclean for you. 6The hare, for although it chews the cud, its hoof is not divided — it is unclean for you. 7And the pig, for although it has a divided hoof, split completely in two, it does not chew the cud — it is unclean for you. 8You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.
Creatures of the Water
9Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat these: anything in the water, in the seas or in the streams, that has fins and scales — these you may eat. 10But anything in the seas or in the streams that does not have fins and scales, among all the creatures that swarm in the water and all the other living things in the water, is detestable to you. 11They are to remain detestable to you: you must not eat their meat, and you must regard their carcasses as detestable. 12Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.
Detestable Birds
13Of the birds, you are to regard these as detestable; they must not be eaten, they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14the kite and every kind of falcon, 15every kind of raven, 16the ostrich, the nighthawk, the gull, and every kind of hawk, 17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, 19the stork, every kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
Flying Swarming Creatures
20Every winged swarming creature that walks on four legs is detestable to you. 21But among the winged swarming creatures that walk on four legs, you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. 22Of these you may eat: every kind of locust, every kind of katydid, every kind of cricket, and every kind of grasshopper. 23But all other winged swarming creatures that have four legs are detestable to you.
Uncleanness from Carcasses
24By the following you will become unclean — whoever touches their carcass will be unclean until evening, 25and whoever carries any part of their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening — 26every animal that has a divided hoof but not completely split, or that does not chew the cud, is unclean for you; whoever touches them becomes unclean. 27Among all the animals that walk on four legs, whatever walks on its paws is unclean for you; whoever touches their carcass will be unclean until evening, 28and whoever carries their carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening; they are unclean for you. 29Among the creatures that swarm on the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, every kind of great lizard, 30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31These are unclean for you among all the swarming creatures; whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. 32If one of them dies and falls on something, that thing becomes unclean, whether it is an article of wood, cloth, leather, or sackcloth. Whatever it is and whatever it is used for, it must be put in water, and it will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. 33If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in the pot becomes unclean, and you must break the pot. 34Any food that could be eaten becomes unclean if water from such a pot touches it, and any liquid that could be drunk from it becomes unclean. 35Anything on which the carcass of one of these falls becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be smashed. They are unclean and will remain unclean for you. 36But a spring or cistern where water collects remains clean, though whatever touches the carcass in it becomes unclean. 37If a carcass falls on any seed to be sown, the seed remains clean. 38But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you. 39If an animal you are permitted to eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until evening. 40Whoever eats any of its meat must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries its carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.
Swarming Creatures on the Ground; Be Holy
41Every creature that swarms on the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten. 42You must not eat any creature that moves on its belly, or that walks on four legs, or that has many legs — any creature that swarms on the ground — because they are detestable. 43Do not defile yourselves with any swarming creature. Do not make yourselves unclean with them and become unclean because of them. 44For I am Yahweh your God. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not defile yourselves with any creature that moves along the ground. 45For I am Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. 46This is the law about land animals, birds, every living creature that moves in the water, and every creature that swarms on the ground, 47to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.”
