Deuteronomy 14

1You are the children of Yahweh your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead.

2For you are a people holy to Yahweh your God, and Yahweh has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.

3Do not eat anything detestable.

4These are the animals you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,

5the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.

6You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof split in two and chews the cud.

7But of those that chew the cud or have a split, divided hoof, you must not eat these: the camel, the hare, and the rock badger. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are unclean for you.

8And the pig is unclean for you, because it has a divided hoof but does not chew the cud. You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses.

9Of all the creatures that live in the water, you may eat these: anything that has fins and scales you may eat.

10But anything that does not have fins and scales you must not eat; it is unclean for you.

11You may eat any clean bird.

12But these are the ones you must not eat: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,

13the red kite, the falcon, any kind of kite,

14any kind of raven,

15the ostrich, the nighthawk, the gull, any kind of hawk,

16the little owl, the great owl, the white owl,

17the desert owl, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,

18the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

19All winged swarming creatures are unclean for you; they must not be eaten.

20You may eat any clean winged creature.

21Do not eat anything that has died on its own. You may give it to the foreigner who lives within your towns so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to an outsider. For you are a people holy to Yahweh your God. Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

22Every year you must set aside a tithe of all the produce of your seed that comes from the field.

23In the presence of Yahweh your God, in the place he will choose to make his name dwell, you are to eat the tithe of your grain, your new wine, and your olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, so that you may learn to fear Yahweh your God always.

24But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe because the place that Yahweh your God will choose to put his name there is too far from you, when Yahweh your God has blessed you,

25then exchange it for money. Wrap up the money, take it in your hand, and go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose.

26Spend the money on whatever you desire: cattle, sheep, wine, strong drink, or anything else you want. Then eat there in the presence of Yahweh your God and rejoice, you and your household.

27And do not neglect the Levite who lives within your towns, for he has no share or inheritance with you.

28At the end of every three years, bring out the whole tithe of your produce for that year and store it within your towns.

29Then the Levite, who has no share or inheritance with you, and the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow who live within your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.