Leviticus 11

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Clean and Unclean Land Animals

11 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron: ² “Tell the Israelites: You may eat^(A) all these kinds of land animals.^{(B) 3} You may eat any animal with divided hooves and that chews the cud. ⁴ But among the ones that chew the cud or have divided hooves you are not to eat these:

⁸ Do not eat any of their meat or touch their carcasses—they are unclean for you.^(E)

Clean and Unclean Aquatic Animals

⁹ “This is what you may eat from all that is in the water: You may eat everything in the water that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or streams. ¹⁰ But these are to be detestable to you: everything in the seas or streams that does not have fins and scales among all the swarming things and other living creatures^(F) in the water. ¹¹ They are to remain detestable to you; you must not eat any of their meat, and you must detest their carcasses. ¹² Everything in the water that does not have fins and scales will be detestable to you.

Unclean Birds

¹³ “You are to detest these birds. They must not be eaten because they are detestable:

Clean and Unclean Flying Insects

²⁰ “All winged insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you. ²¹ But you may eat these kinds of all the winged insects that walk on all fours: those that have jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground. ²² You may eat these:

²³ All other winged insects that have four feet are to be detestable to you.

Purification after Touching Dead Animals

²⁴ “These will make you unclean. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean^(M) until evening, ²⁵ and whoever carries any of their carcasses must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.^{(N) 26} All animals that have hooves but do not have a divided hoof and do not chew the cud are unclean for you. Whoever touches them becomes unclean. ²⁷ All the four-footed animals^(O) that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean until evening, ²⁸ and anyone who carries their carcasses must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. They are unclean for you.

²⁹ “These creatures that swarm^(P) on the ground are unclean for you:

³¹ These are unclean for you among all the swarming creatures. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean until evening. ³² When any one of them dies and falls on anything it becomes unclean—any item of wood, clothing, leather, sackcloth,^(R) or any implement used for work. It is to be rinsed with water and will remain unclean until evening; then it will be clean. ³³ If any of them falls into any clay pot, everything in it will become unclean; you must break it. ³⁴ Any edible food^(S) coming into contact with that unclean water will become unclean, and any drinkable liquid in any container will become unclean. ³⁵ Anything one of their carcasses falls on will become unclean. If it is an oven or stove, it must be smashed; it is unclean and will remain unclean for you. ³⁶ A spring or cistern containing water will remain clean, but someone who touches a carcass in it will become unclean. ³⁷ If one of their carcasses falls on any seed that is to be sown, it is clean; ³⁸ but if water has been put on the seed and one of their carcasses falls on it, it is unclean for you.

³⁹ “If one of the animals that you use for food dies,^[x] anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening. Anyone who carries its carcass must wash his clothes and will be unclean until evening.

Unclean Swarming Creatures

⁴¹ “All the creatures that swarm on the earth are detestable; they must not be eaten. ⁴² Do not eat any of the creatures that swarm on the earth, anything that moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet,^[y] for they are detestable. ⁴³ Do not become contaminated by any creature that swarms; do not become unclean or defiled by them. ⁴⁴ For I am Yahweh your God,^(T) so you must consecrate yourselves^(U) and be holy because I am holy.^(V) You must not defile yourselves by any swarming creature that crawls on the ground. ⁴⁵ For I am Yahweh, who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God,^(W) so you must be holy because I am holy.^(X)

⁴⁶ “This is the law concerning animals, birds, all living creatures that move in the water, and all creatures that swarm on the ground, ⁴⁷ in order to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between the animals^(Y) that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.”