Fluent Translation · Read & Reflect
Leviticus 11
Animals That May Be Eaten
The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, “Speak to the Israelites, saying: These are the living creatures you may eat among all the animals on the earth. Any animal that has a divided hoof, completely split, and chews the cud—you may eat.
But among those that chew the cud or have a divided hoof, you will not eat these: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. The rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. The hare, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you. The pig, because it has a divided hoof, completely split, but does not chew the cud; it is unclean to you. You will not eat their flesh or touch their carcasses. They are unclean to you.
Creatures in the Waters
These you may eat from everything in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, whether in seas or rivers, you may eat. But 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, will be detestable to you. They will be detestable to you; you will not eat their flesh, and you will detest their carcasses. Whatever in the waters has no fins and scales will be detestable to you.
Birds Not to Be Eaten
These you will detest among the birds; they will not be eaten, for they are detestable: the eagle, the bearded vulture, the black vulture, the kite and every kind of falcon, every kind of raven, the ostrich, the night hawk, the sea gull, and every kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the carrion vulture, the stork, every kind of heron, the hoopoe, and the bat.
Winged Swarming Creatures
Every winged swarming creature that walks on four legs will be detestable to you. Yet 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. Of these you may eat every kind of locust, every kind of bald locust, every kind of cricket, and every kind of grasshopper. But every other winged swarming creature that has four legs will be detestable to you.
Uncleanness from Carcasses
By these you will become unclean: whoever touches their carcass will be unclean until evening, and whoever carries any part of their carcass will wash their clothes and be unclean until evening. Every animal that has a divided hoof but is not completely split, or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Whoever touches one will be unclean. Whatever walks on paws among all animals that walk on four legs is unclean to you. Whoever touches their carcass will be unclean until evening. Whoever carries their carcass will wash their clothes and be unclean until evening. They are unclean to you.
Swarming Creatures on the Ground
These are unclean to you among the swarming creatures that swarm on the ground: the weasel, the mouse, every kind of great lizard, the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. These are unclean to you among all the swarming creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening.
Anything on which one of them falls when dead will become unclean, whether an article of wood, clothing, skin, sackcloth, or any article used for work. It will be put into water and remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. If any of them falls into an earthen vessel, everything in it will become unclean, and you will break the vessel. Any food that may be eaten, if water from such a vessel comes upon it, will become unclean; and any drink that may be drunk from such a vessel will become unclean. Anything on which part of their carcass falls will become unclean. An oven or cooking stove will be broken down. They are unclean and will remain unclean to you. Even so, a spring or cistern collecting water will remain clean, though whoever touches the carcass in it will become unclean. If part of their carcass falls on seed intended for sowing, the seed remains clean. But 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
If any animal that you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass will be unclean until evening. Whoever eats from its carcass will wash their clothes and be unclean until evening; whoever carries its carcass will wash their clothes and be unclean until evening.
Be Holy, for I Am Holy
Every swarming creature that swarms on the ground is detestable; it will not be eaten. Whatever moves on its belly, whatever walks on four legs, or whatever has many feet, among all swarming creatures that swarm on the ground, you will not eat, for they are detestable. You will not make yourselves detestable with any swarming creature, and you will not make yourselves unclean by them and so become defiled by them. For I am the LORD your God. Make yourselves holy and be holy, for I am holy. You will not make yourselves unclean by any swarming creature that moves on the ground. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God. Therefore you will be holy, for I am holy.
Distinguishing Clean and Unclean
This is the law concerning animals, birds, every living creature that moves in the waters, and every creature that swarms on the ground, to 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.