Forbidden Practices
1“You are sons of the Lord your God; do not cut yourselves or make a bald spot on your head on behalf of the dead, 2for you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord has chosen you to be his own possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.
Clean and Unclean Foods
3“You must not eat any detestable thing. 4These are the animals you may eat:
oxen, sheep, goats,
5deer, gazelles, roe deer,
wild goats, ibexes, antelopes,
and mountain sheep.
6You may eat any animal that has hooves divided in two and chews the cud. 7But among the ones that chew the cud or have divided hooves, you are not to eat these:
camels, hares, and hyraxes,
though they chew the cud, they do not have hooves —
they are unclean for you;
8and pigs, though they have hooves, they do not chew the cud —
they are unclean for you.
Do not eat their meat or touch their carcasses.
9“You may eat everything from the water that has fins and scales, 10but you may not eat anything that does not have fins and scales — it is unclean for you.
11“You may eat every clean bird, 12but these are the ones you may not eat:
eagles, bearded vultures,
black vultures, 13the kites,
any kind of falcon,
14every kind of raven, 15ostriches,
short-eared owls, gulls,
any kind of hawk,
16little owls, long-eared owls,
barn owls, 17eagle owls,
ospreys, cormorants, 18storks,
any kind of heron,
hoopoes, and bats.
19All winged insects are unclean for you; they may not be eaten. 20But you may eat every clean flying creature.
21“You are not to eat any carcass; you may give it to a resident alien within your city gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner. For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. Do not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.
A Tenth for the Lord
22“Each year you are to set aside a tenth of all the produce grown in your fields. 23You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and fresh oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, in the presence of the Lord your God at the place where he chooses to have his name dwell, so that you will always learn to fear the Lord your God. 24But if the distance is too great for you to carry it, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you and since the Lord your God has blessed you, 25then exchange it for silver, take the silver in your hand, and go to the place the Lord your God chooses. 26You may spend the silver on anything you want: cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, or anything you desire. You are to feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your family. 27Do not neglect the Levite within your city gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
28“At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it within your city gates. 29Then the Levite, who has no portion or inheritance among you, the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow within your city gates may come, eat, and be satisfied. And the Lord your God will bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.