Leviticus 11 - Easy To Read Version

¹ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron,

² “Tell the people of Israel: These are the animals you can eat:

^3-6 If an animal has hooves [125] that are split into two parts, and if that animal also chews the cud, [126] then you can eat the meat from that animal.

⁷ Other animals have hooves [130] that are split into two parts, but they don’t chew the cud. Don’t eat those animals. Pigs are like that, so they are unclean for you.

⁸ Don’t eat the meat from those animals! Don’t even touch their dead bodies! They are unclean for you!

^9-11 “If an animal lives in the sea or in a river and if the animal has fins and scales, then you can eat that animal.

¹² You must treat any animal in the water that does not have fins and scales as one of the animals that God says are bad to eat.

¹³ “You must also treat these birds as animals God says are bad to eat. Don’t eat any of these birds: eagles, vultures, buzzards,

¹⁴ kites, [131] all kinds of falcons,

¹⁵ all kinds of black birds,

¹⁶ ostriches, nighthawks, sea gulls, all kinds of hawks,

¹⁷ owls, cormorants, great owls,

¹⁸ water hens, pelicans, carrion-vultures,

¹⁹ storks, all kinds of herons, hoopoes, and bats.

²⁰ “If insects have wings and crawl, [132] then you should treat them as things the Lord says you must not eat. Don’t eat those insects!

²¹ But you can eat those insects if they have legs with joints above their feet so they can jump.

²² You can also eat all kinds of locusts, all kinds of winged locusts, all kinds of crickets, and all kinds of grasshoppers.

²³ “But all the other insects that have wings and crawl [133] are things the Lord says you must not eat.

²⁴ Those insects will make you unclean. [134] Any person who touches the dead bodies of these insects will become unclean until evening.

^25-27 If a person picks up one of those dead insects, then that person must wash his clothes. That person will be unclean until evening.

²⁸ If any person picks up their dead bodies, that person must wash his clothes. That person will be unclean until evening. Those animals are unclean to you.

²⁹ “These crawling animals are unclean [139] for you: moles, mice, all kinds of great lizards,

³⁰ geckos, crocodiles, lizards, sand reptiles, and chameleons.

³¹ Those crawling animals are unclean for you. Any person who touches their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

³² “If any of those unclean [140] animals dies and falls on something, then that thing will become unclean. It might be something made from wood, cloth, leather, a cloth of sadness or some work tool. Whatever it is, it must be washed with water. It will be unclean until evening. Then it will become clean again.

³³ If any of those unclean animals dies and falls into a clay dish, then anything in the dish will become unclean. And you must break the dish.

³⁴ If water {from the unclean clay dish} comes on any food, then that food will become unclean. Any drink in the unclean dish will become unclean.

³⁵ If any part of a dead unclean animal falls on something, then that thing is unclean. It may be a {clay} oven or a {clay} baking pan. It must be broken into pieces. Those things will not be clean {any more}. They will always be unclean for you.

³⁶ “A spring or a well that collects water will {stay} clean. [141] But any person who touches the dead bodies of any unclean animal will become unclean.

³⁷ If any part of those dead unclean [142] animals falls on any seed that is to be planted, then that seed is {still} clean.

³⁸ But if you put water on some seeds and then if any part of those dead unclean animals falls on those seeds, then those seeds are unclean for you.

³⁹ “Also, if an animal {that you use for food} dies, then the person who touches its dead body will be unclean [143] until evening.

⁴⁰ And the person who eats meat from this animal’s body must wash his clothes. This person will be unclean until evening. The person who picks up the dead body of the animal must wash his clothes. This person will be unclean until evening.

⁴¹ “Every animal that crawls on the ground is one of the animals the Lord says you must not eat. You must not eat it.

⁴² You must not eat any of the reptiles that crawl on their stomachs or that walk on all four feet, or any of the animals that have many feet. Don’t eat those animals!

⁴³ Don’t let those animals make you filthy. [144] You must not become unclean!

⁴⁴ Why? Because I am the Lord your God! I am holy, so you should keep yourselves holy! Don’t make yourselves unclean with those crawling things!

⁴⁵ I brought you people from Egypt. I did this so you could be my special people and I could be your God. I am holy, so you must be holy too!”

⁴⁶ Those are the rules about all of the tame animals, birds, and other animals on earth. Those are the rules about all of the animals in the sea and all of the animals that crawl on the ground.

⁴⁷ Those teachings are so people can know unclean [145] animals from clean [146] animals. So people will know which animals they can eat and which animals they must not eat.