Leviticus 11 :: New International Version (NIV)

Clean and Unclean Food

(Deu 14:3–21 )

Lev 11:1

Lev 11:1The LORD said to Moses and Aaron,

Lev 11:2

Lev 11:2“Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat:

Lev 11:3

Lev 11:3You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud.

Lev 11:4

Lev 11:4“ ‘There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you.

Lev 11:5

Lev 11:5The hyrax, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.

Lev 11:6

Lev 11:6The rabbit, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean for you.

Lev 11:7

Lev 11:7And the pig, though it has a divided hoof, does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you.

Lev 11:8

Lev 11:8You must not eat their meat or touch their carcasses; they are unclean for you.

Lev 11:9

Lev 11:9“ ‘Of all the creatures living in the water of the seas and the streams you may eat any that have fins and scales.

Lev 11:10

Lev 11:10But all creatures in the seas or streams that do not have fins and scales—whether among all the swarming things or among all the other living creatures in the water—you are to regard as unclean.

Lev 11:11

Lev 11:11And since you are to regard them as unclean, you must not eat their meat; you must regard their carcasses as unclean.

Lev 11:12

Lev 11:12Anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales is to be regarded as unclean by you.

Lev 11:13

Lev 11:13“ ‘These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle,[fn] the vulture, the black vulture,

Lev 11:14

Lev 11:14the red kite, any kind of black kite,

Lev 11:15

Lev 11:15any kind of raven,

Lev 11:16

Lev 11:16the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk,

Lev 11:17

Lev 11:17the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl,

Lev 11:18

Lev 11:18the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey,

Lev 11:19

Lev 11:19the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

Lev 11:20

Lev 11:20“ ‘All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be regarded as unclean by you.

Lev 11:21

Lev 11:21There are, however, some flying insects that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground.

Lev 11:22

Lev 11:22Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper.

Lev 11:23

Lev 11:23But all other flying insects that have four legs you are to regard as unclean.

Lev 11:24

Lev 11:24“ ‘You will make yourselves unclean by these; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.

Lev 11:25

Lev 11:25Whoever picks up one of their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.

Lev 11:26

Lev 11:26“ ‘Every animal that does not have a divided hoof or that does not chew the cud is unclean for you; whoever touches the carcass of any of them will be unclean.

Lev 11:27

Lev 11:27Of all the animals that walk on all fours, those that walk on their paws are unclean for you; whoever touches their carcasses will be unclean till evening.

Lev 11:28

Lev 11:28Anyone who picks up their carcasses must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. These animals are unclean for you.

Lev 11:29

Lev 11:29“ ‘Of the animals that move along the ground, these are unclean for you: the weasel, the rat, any kind of great lizard,

Lev 11:30

Lev 11:30the gecko, the monitor lizard, the wall lizard, the skink and the chameleon.

Lev 11:31

Lev 11:31Of all those that move along the ground, these are unclean for you. Whoever touches them when they are dead will be unclean till evening.

Lev 11:32

Lev 11:32When one of them dies and falls on something, that article, whatever its use, will be unclean, whether it is made of wood, cloth, hide or sackcloth. Put it in water; it will be unclean till evening, and then it will be clean.

Lev 11:33

Lev 11:33If one of them falls into a clay pot, everything in it will be unclean, and you must break the pot.

Lev 11:34

Lev 11:34Any food you are allowed to eat that has come into contact with water from any such pot is unclean, and any liquid that is drunk from such a pot is unclean.

Lev 11:35

Lev 11:35Anything that one of their carcasses falls on becomes unclean; an oven or cooking pot must be broken up. They are unclean, and you are to regard them as unclean.

Lev 11:36

Lev 11:36A spring, however, or a cistern for collecting water remains clean, but anyone who touches one of these carcasses is unclean.

Lev 11:37

Lev 11:37If a carcass falls on any seeds that are to be planted, they remain clean.

Lev 11:38

Lev 11:38But if water has been put on the seed and a carcass falls on it, it is unclean for you.

Lev 11:39

Lev 11:39“ ‘If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening.

Lev 11:40

Lev 11:40Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening.

Lev 11:41

Lev 11:41“ ‘Every creature that moves along the ground is to be regarded as unclean; it is not to be eaten.

Lev 11:42

Lev 11:42You are not to eat any creature that moves along the ground, whether it moves on its belly or walks on all fours or on many feet; it is unclean.

Lev 11:43

Lev 11:43Do not defile yourselves by any of these creatures. Do not make yourselves unclean by means of them or be made unclean by them.

Lev 11:44

Lev 11:44I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves along the ground.

Lev 11:45

Lev 11:45I am the LORD, who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy.

Lev 11:46

Lev 11:46“ ‘These are the regulations concerning animals, birds, every living thing that moves about in the water and every creature that moves along the ground.

Lev 11:47

Lev 11:47You must distinguish between the unclean and the clean, between living creatures that may be eaten and those that may not be eaten.’ ”

See the NIV Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NIV Footnotes

(11:13)

The precise identification of some of the birds, insects and animals in this chapter is uncertain.

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