Our Father Speaks to Moses and Aaron
11 1 Our Father spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,
What Israel May Eat
2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: These are the living creatures you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth. 3 Whatever has a divided hoof, completely split, and chews the cud among the animals — that you may eat.
4 But you must not eat these among those that chew the cud or have a divided hoof: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof — it is unclean for you. 5 And the rock badger, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof — it is unclean for you. 6 And the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have a divided hoof — it is unclean for you. 7 And the pig, because it has a divided hoof, completely split, but does not chew the cud — it is unclean for you. 8 Do not eat their flesh, and do not touch their carcasses — they are unclean for you.
9 These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas and in the rivers — those you may eat. 10 But all that do not have fins and scales in the seas and rivers, among all that swarm in the waters and among all the living creatures in the waters — they are detestable to you. 11 They remain detestable to you; do not eat their flesh, and treat their carcasses as detestable. 12 Whatever has no fins or scales in the waters — that is detestable to you.
13 These are the birds you must detest; do not eat them — they are detestable: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 14 the kite, and the falcon according to its kind, 15 every raven according to its kind, 16 the ostrich, the nighthawk, the seagull, and the hawk according to its kind, 17 the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18 the white owl, the desert owl, the carrion vulture, 19 the stork, the heron according to its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. 1 1 v19 Bats appear here because the ancient category for 'birds' included all flying creatures, not just feathered ones.
20 Every winged swarming creature that walks on four legs is detestable to you. 21 Yet these you may eat among all the winged swarming creatures that walk on four legs: those that have jointed legs above their feet for leaping on the ground. 22 Of these you may eat: the locust according to its kind, the bald locust according to its kind, the cricket according to its kind, and the grasshopper according to its kind. 23 But every other winged swarming creature that has four feet is detestable to you.
24 These things will make you unclean; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until the evening, 25 and whoever carries any part of their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
26 Every animal that has a divided hoof but is not completely split, or does not chew the cud, is unclean for you; everyone who touches them shall be unclean. 27 And whatever walks on its paws, among all the animals that walk on four legs — they are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until the evening, 28 and the one who carries their carcasses shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening — they are unclean for you.
29 And these are unclean for you among the swarming creatures that swarm on the earth: the mole rat, the mouse, and the great lizard according to its kind, 30 the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31 These are unclean for you among all that swarm; whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until the evening. 32 And anything on which any of them falls when they are dead shall be unclean — any vessel of wood or cloth or leather or sackcloth, any vessel used for work — it must be put in water and shall be unclean until the evening; then it shall be clean. 33 And any clay vessel into which any of them falls — whatever is in it shall be unclean, and you shall break it. 34 Any food on which such water falls shall be unclean; and any drink in such a vessel shall be unclean. 35 And anything on which any part of their carcasses falls will be unclean; an oven or a cooking stove must be smashed — they are unclean, and they are unclean for you. 36 Yet a spring or a cistern holding water shall remain clean, but whoever touches their carcasses shall be unclean. 37 And if any part of their carcasses falls on any seed that is to be planted, it remains clean. 38 But if water has been put on the seed and any part of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean for you.
39 And if any animal that you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening. 40 And the one who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening; and the one who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening.
41 Every swarming creature that swarms on the earth is detestable; do not eat it. 42 Whatever goes on its belly, whatever walks on four legs, or whatever has many feet — among all the swarming creatures that swarm on the earth — do not eat them, for they are detestable.
43 Do not make yourselves detestable with any swarming creature that swarms, and do not defile yourselves with them, so that you become unclean through them.
44 For I am your Father. Consecrate yourselves and be holy, for I am holy; do not defile yourselves with any swarming creature that crawls on the earth. 45 For I am your Father who brought you up out of the land of Egypt; you shall be holy, for I am holy.
46 This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters and every creature that swarms on the earth, 47 to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.