Leviticus 11

Animals That May Be Eaten

1The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, 2“Speak to the Israelites, saying: These are the living creatures you may eat among all the animals on the earth. 3Any animal that has a divided hoof, completely split, and chews the cud—you may eat.

4But among those that chew the cud or have a divided hoof, you shall not eat these: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. 5The rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. 6The hare, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. 7The pig, because it has a divided hoof, completely split, but does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you. 8You shall not eat their flesh or touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.

Creatures in the Waters

9These you may eat from everything in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, whether in seas or rivers, you may eat. 10But whatever does not have fins and scales in the seas and rivers, among all that swarm in the waters and every living creature in the waters, shall be detestable to you. 11They shall be detestable to you; you shall not eat their flesh, and you shall detest their carcasses. 12Whatever in the waters has no fins and scales shall be detestable to you.

Birds Not to Be Eaten

13These you shall detest among the birds; they shall not be eaten, for they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, 14the kite and every kind of falcon, 15every kind of raven, 16the ostrich, the night hawk, the sea gull, and every kind of hawk, 17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl, the desert owl, the carrion vulture, 19the stork, every kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.

Winged Swarming Creatures

20Every winged swarming creature that walks on four legs shall be detestable to you. 21Yet among all winged swarming creatures that walk on four legs, you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet for leaping on the ground. 22Of these you may eat every kind of locust, every kind of bald locust, every kind of cricket, and every kind of grasshopper. 23But every other winged swarming creature that has four legs shall be detestable to you.

Uncleanness from Carcasses

24By these you shall become unclean: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until evening, 25and whoever carries any part of their carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until evening. 26Every animal that has a divided hoof but is not completely split, or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Whoever touches one shall be unclean. 27Whatever walks on paws among all animals that walk on four legs is unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until evening. 28Whoever carries their carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until evening. They are unclean to you.

Swarming Creatures on the Ground

29These are unclean to you among the swarming creatures that swarm on the ground: the weasel, the mouse, every kind of great lizard, 30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31These are unclean to you among all the swarming creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening.

32Anything on which one of them falls when dead shall become unclean, whether an article of wood, clothing, skin, sackcloth, or any article used for work. It shall be put into water and remain unclean until evening; then it shall be clean. 33If any of them falls into an earthen vessel, everything in it shall become unclean, and you shall break the vessel. 34Any food that may be eaten, if water from such a vessel comes upon it, shall become unclean; and any drink that may be drunk from such a vessel shall become unclean. 35Anything on which part of their carcass falls shall become unclean. An oven or cooking stove shall be broken down. They are unclean and shall remain unclean to you. 36Nevertheless, a spring or cistern collecting water shall remain clean, though whoever touches the carcass in it shall become unclean. 37If part of their carcass falls on seed intended for sowing, the seed remains clean. 38But if water has been put on the seed and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

Animals That Die Naturally

39If any animal that you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening. 40Whoever eats from its carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until evening; whoever carries its carcass shall wash their clothes and be unclean until evening.

Be Holy, for I Am Holy

41Every swarming creature that swarms on the ground is detestable; it shall not be eaten. 42Whatever moves on its belly, whatever walks on four legs, or whatever has many feet, among all swarming creatures that swarm on the ground, you shall not eat, for they are detestable. 43You shall not make yourselves detestable with any swarming creature, and you shall not make yourselves unclean by them and so become defiled by them. 44For I am the LORD your God. Make yourselves holy and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not make yourselves unclean by any swarming creature that moves on the ground. 45For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore you shall be holy, for I am holy.

Distinguishing Clean and Unclean

46This is the law concerning animals, birds, every living creature that moves in the waters, and every creature that swarms on the ground, 47to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the living creature that may be eaten and the living creature that may not be eaten.