World English Bible

The Third Book of Moses, called Leviticus

Return to Index
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying to them,
2 Speak to the children of Israel, saying, These are the living things which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.
3 Whatever parts the hoof, and is cloven-footed, [and] chews the cud, among the animals, that may you eat.
4 Nevertheless these shall you not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who part the hoof: the camel, because he chews the cud but doesn't have a parted hoof, he is unclean to you.
5 The rabbit, because he chews the cud but doesn't have a parted the hoof, he is unclean to you.
6 The hare, because she chews the cud but doesn't part the hoof, she is unclean to you.
7 The pig, because he doesn't part the hoof, and is cloven-footed, but doesn't chew the cud, he is unclean to you.
8 Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.
9 These may you eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, that may you eat.
10 All that don't have fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of all the living creatures that are in the waters, they are an abomination to you,
11 and they shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat of their flesh, and their carcasses you shall have in abomination.
12 Whatever has no fins nor scales in the waters, that is an abomination to you.
13 These you shall have in abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the gier-eagle, and the ospray,
14 and the kite, and the falcon after its kind,
15 every raven after its kind,
16 and the ostrich, and the night-hawk, and the seamew, and the hawk after its kind,
17 and the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18 and the horned owl, and the pelican, and the vulture,
19 and the stork, the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
20 All winged creeping things that go on all fours are an abomination to you.
21 Yet these may you eat of all winged creeping things that go on all fours, which have legs above their feet, with which to leap on the earth.
22 Even these of them you may eat: the locust after its kind, and the bald locust after its kind, and the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind.
23 But all winged creeping things, which have four feet, are an abomination to you.
24 By these you shall become unclean: whoever touches the carcass of them shall be unclean until the even;
25 Whoever bears [anything] of the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
26 Every animal which parts the hoof, and is not cloven-footed, nor chews the cud, is unclean to you: everyone who touches them shall be unclean.
27 Whatever goes on its paws, among all animals that go on all fours, they are unclean to you: whoever touches their carcass shall be unclean until the even.
28 He who bears the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean to you.
29 These are they which are unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the weasel, and the mouse, and the great lizard after its kind,
30 and the gecko, and the land-crocodile, and the lizard, and the sand-lizard, and the chameleon.
31 These are they which are unclean to you among all that creep: whoever does touch them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until the even.
32 On whatever any of them, when they are dead, does fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or clothing, or skin, or sack, whatever vessel it be, with which any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; then shall it be clean.
33 Every earthen vessel, into which any of them falls, whatever is in it shall be unclean, and it you shall break.
34 All food [therein] which may be eaten, that on which water comes, shall be unclean; and all drink that may be drunk in every [such] vessel shall be unclean.
35 Every thing whereupon [any part] of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether oven, or range for pots, it shall be broken in pieces: they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you.
36 Nevertheless a spring or a pit in which is a gathering of water shall be clean: but that which touches their carcass shall be unclean.
37 If [anything] of their carcass fall on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it is clean.
38 But if water be put on the seed, and [anything] of their carcass fall thereon, it is unclean to you.
39 If any animal, of which you may eat, die; he who touches the carcass of it shall be unclean until the even.
40 He who eats of the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that bears the carcass of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
41 Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth is an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
42 Whatever goes on the belly, and whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet, even all creeping things that creep on the earth, them you shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
43 You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps, neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled thereby.
44 For I am Yahweh your God: sanctify yourselves therefore, and be you holy; for I am holy: neither shall you defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that moves on the earth.
45 For I am Yahweh who brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
46 This is the law of the animal, and of the bird, and of every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth;
47 to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten.