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Deuteronomy 14 :: Amplified Bible (AMP)

Clean and Unclean Animals

Deu 14:1

“You are the sons of the LORD your God; [fn]you shall not cut yourselves nor [fn]shave your forehead for the sake of the dead,

Deu 14:2for you are a holy people [set apart] to the LORD your God; and the LORD has chosen you out of all the peoples who are on the earth to be a people for His own possession.
Deu 14:3

“You shall not eat anything that is detestable [to the LORD and forbidden by Him].

Deu 14:4“These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,
Deu 14:5the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep.
Deu 14:6“Among the animals, you may eat any animal that has the divided hoof [that is, a hoof] split into two parts [especially at its distal extremity] and that chews the cud.
Deu 14:7“However, you are not to eat any of these [animals] among those which chew the cud, or among those that divide the hoof in two: the camel, the hare and the [fn]shaphan, for though they chew the cud, they do not split the hoof; they are unclean for you.
Deu 14:8“The swine, because it has a divided hoof but does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. You shall not eat their meat nor touch their carcasses.
Deu 14:9

“Of all [creatures] that are in the waters, you may eat these: anything that has fins and scales you may eat,

Deu 14:10but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales; it is unclean for you.
Deu 14:11

“You may eat any clean bird.

Deu 14:12“But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle, the vulture, and the black buzzard,
Deu 14:13and the red kite, the falcon, and the birds of prey [fn]of any variety,
Deu 14:14and every raven of any variety,
Deu 14:15and the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, the hawk of any variety,
Deu 14:16the little owl, the great owl, the long-eared owl,
Deu 14:17the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant,
Deu 14:18the stork, and the heron of any variety, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
Deu 14:19“And all flying insects are unclean for you; they shall not be eaten.
Deu 14:20“You may eat any clean bird.
Deu 14:21

“You shall not eat anything that dies on its own. You may give it to the stranger (resident alien, foreigner) who is in your [city] gates, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner [since they are not under God’s law], but you are a people holy (set apart) to the LORD your God. You shall not [fn]boil a young goat or a lamb in its mother’s milk.

Deu 14:22

“Every year you shall certainly tithe [a tenth] of all the yield of your seed which is produced by your field.

Deu 14:23[fn]You shall eat the tithe (tenth) of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock before the LORD your God in the place where He chooses to establish His Name (Presence), so that you may learn to fear [and worship] the LORD your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect] always.
Deu 14:24“If the place where the LORD your God chooses to set His Name (Presence) is a great distance from you and you are not able to carry your tithe, because the LORD your God has blessed you [with such an abundance],
Deu 14:25then you shall exchange your tithe for money, and take the money in your hand and go to the place [of worship] which the LORD your God chooses.
Deu 14:26“You may spend the money for [fn]anything your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or [other] strong drink, or [fn]anything else you want. You shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household.
Deu 14:27“Also you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your [city] gates, for he does not have a share [of land] or an inheritance among you.
Deu 14:28

“At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce for that year, and shall store it up within your [city] gates.

Deu 14:29“The Levite, because he has no share [of land] or an inheritance among you, and the stranger, and the orphan and the widow who are within your [city] gates, shall come and eat and be satisfied, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
AMP Footnotes
These practices were mourning customs associated with paganism.
Lit make a baldness between your eyes.
A small, shy, furry animal (Hyrax syriacus) found in the peninsula of the Sinai, northern Israel, and the region around the Dead Sea; KJV coney.
Lit according to its kind, and so throughout.
This may refer to an ancient Canaanite fertility rite, though another possibility is that it is an affront to the Creator to kill an animal with the substance that was intended to nourish it. In any case, the rabbis later extended the law to prohibit the consumption of boiled meat upon which a drop of milk had fallen, if the milk imparted any flavor to the meat. Subsequent Jewish law has forbidden the serving of meat and dairy products together.
This seems to refer to a communal meal which was part of worship, directed by the priests. Elsewhere, the tithe is designated for the priests in compensation for their services, and for the needy (Num 18:21; Deut 26:12).
Lit whatever your soul desires.
Lit whatever your soul desires.
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Deuteronomy Chapter 14 — Additional Translations: