1 And the LORD spake unto Moses and to Aaron, saying unto them,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, These are the beasts which ye shall eat among all the beasts that are on the earth.
3 Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat.
Say these words to the Israelites,These are the beasts that you may eat: [1]Whatever parts the hoof, is cloven footed, and chews the cud.
4 Nevertheless these shall ye not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Don't eat animals that don't chew the cud and divide the hoof.
Like the camel. Don't eat it since it chews the cud but doesn't divide the hoof. It is unclean to you.
5 And the coney, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
6 And the hare, because he cheweth the cud, but divideth not the hoof; he is unclean unto you.
Don't eat coneys or hares since they chew the cud [2], but don't divide the hoof. They are unclean to you.
7 And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.
Pigs divide the hoof and are cloven-footed, but they don't chew the cud. So they are unclean to you.
Don't eat them or touch their dead bodies.
9 These shall ye eat of all that are in the waters: whatsoever hath fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, them shall ye eat.
You may eat whatever lives in water and has fins and scales.
10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination unto you:
11 They shall be even an abomination unto you; ye shall not eat of their flesh, but ye shall have their carcases in abomination.
12 Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.
But every animal that lives in water and doesn't have both fins and scales is an abomination to you.
Don't eat them or touch their dead bodies. [3]
13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls ; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
15 Every raven after his kind;
16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18 And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
19 And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
The following birds are abominations: the eagle, ossifage, osprey, vulture, kite, raven, owl, nighthawk, cuckow, hawk, cormorant, swan, pelican, stork, heron, lapwing, and bat [4].
20 All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
All birds that creep, going on all four, shall be an abomination unto you.
21 Yet these may ye eat of every flying creeping thing that goeth upon all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap withal upon the earth;
22 Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.
But you may eat any flying creeping thing that goes on all four, with legs above their feet. [5]
23 But all other flying creeping things, which have four feet, shall be an abomination unto you.
But all other four-footed, flying, creeping things shall be an abomination to you. [6]
24 And for these ye shall be unclean: whosoever toucheth the carcase of them shall be unclean until the even.
25 And whosoever beareth ought of the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
26 The carcases of every beast which divideth the hoof, and is not clovenfooted, nor cheweth the cud, are unclean unto you: every one that toucheth them shall be unclean.
27 And whatsoever goeth upon his paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean unto you: whoso toucheth their carcase shall be unclean until the even.
28 And he that beareth the carcase of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: they are unclean unto you.
Whoever touches the carcass of a dead unclean thing is unclean until the evening. [7]
29 These also shall be unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,
30 And the ferret, and the chameleon, and the lizard, and the snail, and the mole.
31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whosoever doth touch them, when they be dead, shall be unclean until the even.
Weasels [8], mice, tortoises, ferrets, chameleons, lizards, snails, and moles are also unclean creeping things.
32 And upon whatsoever any of them, when they are dead, doth fall, it shall be unclean; whether it be any vessel of wood, or raiment, or skin, or sack, whatsoever vessel it be, wherein any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until the even; so it shall be cleansed.
Whoever or whatever touches a dead unclean beast will also be unclean, including vessels, wood, clothing, skin, sack, oven, and pots.
The unclean thing must be washed with water and will be unclean until the evening.
33 And every earthen vessel, whereinto any of them falleth, whatsoever is in it shall be unclean; and ye shall break it.
34 Of all meat which may be eaten, that on which such water cometh shall be unclean: and all drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.
36 Nevertheless a fountain or pit, wherein there is plenty of water, shall be clean: but that which toucheth their carcase shall be unclean.
37 And if any part of their carcase fall upon any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.
38 But if any water be put upon the seed, and any part of their carcase fall thereon, it shall be unclean unto you.
An unclean earthen vessel must be broken.
39 And if any beast, of which ye may eat, die; he that toucheth the carcase thereof shall be unclean until the even.
40 And he that eateth of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even: he also that beareth the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until the even.
If you touch the body of a beast that dies of natural causes, then you will be unclean until the evening.
And if you eat its carcass, you must wash your clothes and be unclean until the evening.
41 And every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.
Every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth is an abomination. Don't eat them.
42 Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon all four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they are an abomination.
43 Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby.
Don't make yourself abominable with any creeping thing that creeps.
44 For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Be holy, because I am holy.
Don't defile yourself with any creeping things that creep on the earth.
45 For I am the LORD that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
Be holy, because I am holy. [9]
46 This is the law of the beasts, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth:
47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the beast that may be eaten and the beast that may not be eaten.
This is the law of the beasts.
The Bible says that hares and coneys are unclean because they "chew the cud" but do not part the hoof. But hares and coneys are not ruminants and they do not "chew the cud."
(God Hates Shrimp)
What the Bible says about food and shrimp
Bats are birds to the biblical God.
Or as the Beatles said in Come Together, "He's got feet down below his knees."
Be sure to watch out for those "other flying creeping things which have four feet." (I wish God wouldn't get so technical!)
I guess he must mean four-legged insects.
You'd think that since God made the insects, and so many of them (at least several million species), he'd know how many legs they have!
Crap! There goes my insect collection.
Candida Moss: Christianity's Most Bizarre Creature? The Sex Weasel
11:1-47, Cf. 