Leviticus 11

1Yahweh spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,

2“Speak to the Israelites: These are the creatures you may eat among all the animals that are on the land.

3You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof, split all the way through, and that chews the cud.

4But among those that chew the cud or have a divided hoof, you must not eat these: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.

5The rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof, is unclean for you.

6The hare, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof, is unclean for you.

7The pig, because it has a divided hoof, split all the way through, but does not chew the cud, is unclean for you.

8You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

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

10But anything in the seas or in the streams that does not have fins and scales, among all the swarming creatures in the water and all the living creatures that are in the water, is detestable to you.

11They are to be detestable to you. You must not eat their meat, and you must regard their carcasses as detestable.

12Anything in the water that does not have fins and scales is detestable to you.

13Among the birds, these are the ones you must regard as detestable; they must not be eaten, for they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,

14the kite, any kind of falcon,

15any kind of raven,

16the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,

17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

18the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,

19the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

20All winged swarming creatures that walk on all fours are detestable to you.

21But among all the winged swarming creatures that walk on all fours, you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground.

22Of these you may eat any kind of locust, any kind of bald locust, any kind of cricket, and any kind of grasshopper.

23But all other winged swarming creatures that have four legs are detestable to you.

24You will become unclean by these. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening,

25and whoever carries any part of their carcasses must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.

26Every animal that has a divided hoof but is not split all the way through, or that does not chew the cud, is unclean for you. Whoever touches them will be unclean.

27Of 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 until evening,

28and whoever carries their carcasses must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.

29These are unclean for you among the swarming creatures that swarm on the ground: the weasel, the mouse, any kind of great lizard,

30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the common 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.

32Anything that one of them falls on when they are dead becomes unclean, whether it is an article of wood or clothing or leather or sackcloth, any article that is used for work. It must be put in water, and it will be unclean until evening; then it will be clean.

33If any of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it becomes unclean, and you must break the pot.

34Any food in it that could be eaten becomes unclean if water has come on it, and any liquid in any such container that could be drunk becomes unclean.

35Anything on which any part of their carcasses falls becomes unclean. An oven or a stove must be broken down; they are unclean and are to remain unclean for you.

36However, a spring or a cistern that collects water will remain clean, but whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean.

37If any part of their carcasses falls on any seed that is to be sown, it remains clean.

38But if water has been put on the seed and any part of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean for you.

39If one of the animals that you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until evening.

40Whoever eats any of its carcass 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.

41Every swarming creature that swarms on the ground is detestable; it must not be eaten.

42You must not eat any of the swarming creatures that swarm on the ground, whatever moves on its belly, whatever walks on all fours, or whatever has many feet, for they are detestable.

43Do not make yourselves detestable by any swarming creature that swarms. Do not make yourselves unclean by them and so become defiled by them.

44For I am Yahweh your God. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy. You must not make yourselves unclean by any swarming creature that creeps on the ground.

45For I am Yahweh, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. So you are to be holy, for I am holy.

46This is the law about animals and birds and 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 the creatures that may be eaten and the creatures that may not be eaten.”