Leviticus 11

11 ¹ Our Father spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them,

² Speak to the Israelites: These are the living creatures you may eat among all the animals on the earth. ³ Among the animals, you may eat any that has a divided hoof, fully split, and chews the cud.

⁴ But these you must not eat among those that chew the cud or have a divided hoof: the camel — it chews the cud but has no divided hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁵ The rock badger chews the cud but has no divided hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁶ The hare, because it chews the cud but has no divided hoof — it is unclean for you. ⁷ And the pig, though it has a divided, fully split hoof, does not chew the cud — unclean for you. ⁸ Do not eat their flesh, and do not touch their carcasses — they are unclean for you.

⁹ You may eat these of all in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, seas, and rivers — those you may eat. ¹⁰ But any without fins and scales in the seas and rivers, among all that swarm in the waters and 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 Detest these birds; 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. ^a a 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 winged swarming creatures that walk on four legs: those with jointed legs above their feet for leaping on the ground. ²² You may eat these: the locust, the bald locust, the cricket, and the grasshopper, each 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 Whoever carries any of their carcasses must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

²⁶ Every animal with a divided hoof not fully split, or that does not chew the cud, is unclean for you; whoever touches them is unclean. ²⁷ Whatever walks on its paws, among all four-legged animals, is unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses is unclean until evening, ²⁸ Whoever carries their carcasses must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; they are unclean to you.

²⁹ These are unclean for you among the swarming things that swarm on the earth: the mole rat, the mouse, the great lizard by 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 dead is unclean until evening. ³² Anything one of their dead bodies falls on becomes unclean — any wooden vessel, cloth, leather, or sackcloth, any working tool. It must be put in water and stays unclean until evening; then it is clean. ³³ Any clay pot one of them falls into — whatever is in it is unclean; break it. ³⁴ Any food touched by such water becomes unclean; any drink in such a vessel becomes unclean. ³⁵ Anything one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or stove must be smashed. They are unclean, and unclean to you. ³⁶ Yet a spring or cistern holding water stays clean, but whoever touches their carcasses is unclean. ³⁷ If any of their carcasses falls on seed to be planted, it stays clean. ³⁸ But if water has been put on the seed and part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

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

⁴¹ Every swarming creature that swarms on the earth is detestable; do not eat it. ⁴² Whatever moves on its belly, walks on four legs, or has many feet — among all the swarming things that swarm on the earth — do not eat them; they are detestable. ⁴³ Do not make yourselves detestable with any swarming creature that swarms, and do not make yourselves unclean by them, becoming unclean through them. ⁴⁴ For I am your Father: dedicate yourselves, be holy, since I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean with any swarming creature crawling on the ground. ⁴⁵ I am your Father who brought you out of Egypt; be holy, for I am holy.

⁴⁶ This is the law of the animals, the birds, every living creature moving in the waters, and every creature swarming on the earth, ⁴⁷ to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.