Our Father Speaks to Moses and Aaron
Which creatures may be eaten is spelled out — split hoof and cud, fins and scales, named birds and swarming things forbidden — with rules for carcasses that touch pots, ovens, and seed. The reason given is not health: I am your Father; be holy, for I am holy.
11 1Our 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. 3Among 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. 5The rock badger chews the cud but has no divided hoof; it is unclean for you. 6The hare, because it chews the cud but has no divided hoof—it is unclean for you. 7And the pig, though it has a divided, fully split hoof, does not chew the cud—unclean for you. 8Do 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. 10But 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. 11They remain detestable to you; do not eat their flesh, and treat their carcasses as detestable. 12Whatever 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, 14the kite, and the falcon according to its kind, 15every raven according to its kind, 16the ostrich, the nighthawk, the seagull, and the hawk according to its kind, 17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, 18the white owl, the desert owl, the carrion vulture, 19the 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. 21Yet 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. 22You may eat these: the locust, the bald locust, the cricket, and the grasshopper, each according to its kind. 23But 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, 25whoever 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. 27Whatever walks on its paws, among all four-legged animals, is unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses is unclean until evening, 28whoever 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, 30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink, and the chameleon. 31These are unclean for you among all that swarm; whoever touches them dead is unclean until evening. 32Anything 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. 33Any clay pot one of them falls into—whatever is in it is unclean; break it. 34Any food touched by such water becomes unclean; any drink in such a vessel becomes unclean. 35Anything one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or stove must be smashed. They are unclean, and unclean to you. 36Yet a spring or cistern holding water stays clean, but whoever touches their carcasses is unclean. 37If any of their carcasses falls on seed to be planted, it stays clean. 38But 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. 40Whoever 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. 42Whatever 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. 43Do not make yourselves detestable with any swarming creature that swarms, and do not make yourselves unclean by them, becoming unclean through them. 44For 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. 45I am your Father who brought you out of Egypt to be your God; be holy, for I am holy."
46This is the law of the animals, the birds, every living creature moving in the waters, and every creature swarming on the earth, 47to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between animals that may be eaten and those that may not.
