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Rules about food

14 You are people who belong to the Lord your God. When someone dies, you are sad. But do not cut your bodies. Do not cut off all the hair from the front of your head. [ a ]

2 You are the Lord 's own special people. He has chosen you to belong to him. You are much more valuable to him than any other people in the whole earth.

3 Do not eat anything that God says is unclean. 4 You may eat the meat of these animals: cows, sheep, goats, 5 deer, wild goats, mountain goats, antelopes and wild sheep. 6 You may eat any animal with feet that have two separate parts. They must also bring their food back into their mouths and eat it again. [ b ]

7 But you must not eat these animals: camels, wild rabbits and rock badgers. They eat their food a second time, but they do not have feet with two separate parts. For this reason they are unclean food for you. 8 You may not eat pigs, either. They have feet in two parts but they do not eat their food a second time. You must not eat any meat from these animals. You must not even touch their dead bodies.

9 You may eat any fish that has fins and scales. [ c ] 10 But other things that live in the water do not have fins or scales. Those are not clean food for you. Do not eat them.

11 You may eat any clean bird. 12-18 But these birds you must not eat: eagles, vultures, kites, owls, hawks, falcons, buzzards, ostriches, seagulls, storks, herons, pelicans, cormorants, hoopoes and bats. [ d ]

19 Some insects have wings but they walk on the ground. Insects like that are unclean food for you. You must not eat them. 20 But you may eat any clean insect that has wings.

21 You must not eat anything that you find dead already. You may give it to a foreign person who lives in any of your towns. He may eat it. You may give it to him or sell it to him. But you yourselves are special people who belong to the Lord your God.

You must not cook a young goat in the milk from its mother.

Regular gifts to the Lord

22 You must keep safe a tenth part of all the crops that grow in your fields. You must be careful to do this every year. 23 Then take your tithe to the place that the Lord your God will choose as his special home. It will be a tenth part of your grain, your new wine, your olive oil and the firstborn animals from your cows, sheep and goats. Eat them there, at the Lord 's special home. Then you will learn to respect the Lord your God always.

24 But the Lord 's special place may be a long way from your home. If he has blessed you with a lot of things, they may be too heavy for you to carry all that way. 25 If that is true, you may sell your tithe. Then you may take the money carefully to the place that the Lord your God will choose. 26 When you arrive there, you can use the money to buy any food that you choose: cows, sheep, wine, beer or anything else. Then you and your family should eat it there. You should enjoy your time together at the Lord 's special home. 27 Do not forget to help the Levites who live in your towns. Remember that they have not received any land as you have.

28 Every third year, take the tithe of the food that you have grown in your fields that year. Store it in your town or your village. 29 Keep this food for the Levites, who have no land of their own. It is also for the foreign people, the widows, and the children who have no family. These people in your town can eat as much as they want. If you do that, the Lord your God will bless you in all your work.

Footnotes

  1. 14:1 People from other nations would cut their bodies or their hair when their friends died.
  2. 14:6 All the animals in verses 4 and 5 have feet that grow in two parts. They also bring their food back into their mouths and eat it again. God said that these were ‘clean’ animals. That means that the Israelites could eat them.
  3. 14:9 Most fish have fins and scales on their bodies. They use their fins when they are swimming. The scales are hard pieces of skin that cover the fish's body.
  4. 14:12-18 These birds eat dirty pieces of dead animals as their food. We do not have the exact names in English for all these birds.

Israel, God’s Special People

14 “You are the children of the Lord your God. When someone dies, you must not cut yourselves or shave your heads [ a ] to show your sadness. 2 This is because you are different from other people. You belong to the Lord your God. From all the people in the world, the Lord chose you to be his own special people.

Food the Israelites Are Allowed to Eat

3 “Don’t eat anything that the Lord hates. 4 You may eat these animals: cattle, sheep, goats, 5 deer, gazelles, roe deer, wild sheep, wild goats, antelopes, and mountain sheep. 6 You may eat any animal that has hooves divided into two parts and that chews the cud. 7 But don’t eat camels, rabbits, or rock badgers. These animals chew the cud, but they don’t have split hooves. So these animals are not a clean food for you. 8 And you must not eat pigs. Their hooves are divided, but they don’t chew the cud. So pigs are not a clean food for you. Don’t eat any meat from pigs. Don’t even touch a pig’s dead body.

9 “You may eat any kind of fish that has fins and scales. 10 But don’t eat anything living in the water that does not have fins and scales. It is not a clean food for you.

11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But don’t eat any of these birds: eagles, vultures, buzzards, 13 red kites, falcons, any kind of kite, 14 any kind of raven, 15 horned owls, screech owls, sea gulls, any kind of hawk, 16 little owls, great owls, white owls, 17 desert owls, ospreys, cormorants, 18 storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, or bats.

19 “All insects with wings are unclean, so don’t eat them. 20 But you may eat any clean bird.

21 “Don’t eat any animal that has died by itself. You may give the dead animal to the foreigner in your town, and he can eat it. Or you may sell the dead animal to a foreigner. But you yourselves must not eat the dead animal, because you belong to the Lord your God. You are his special people.

“Don’t cook a baby goat in its mother’s milk.

Giving One-Tenth

22 “Every year you must be sure to save one-tenth of all the crops that grow in your fields. 23 Then you must go to the place the Lord chooses to be the home for his name. You will go there to be with the Lord your God. At that place you will eat the tenth of your crops—one-tenth of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the first animals born in your herds and flocks. In this way you will always remember to respect the Lord your God. 24 But that place might be too far for you to travel to. Maybe you will not be able to carry one-tenth of all the crops that the Lord has blessed you with. If that happens, 25 sell that part of your crops and take the money with you to the special place the Lord has chosen. 26 Use the money to buy anything you want—cattle, sheep, wine or beer or any other food. Then you and your family should eat and enjoy yourselves there in that place with the Lord your God. 27 But don’t forget the Levites living in your town. Share your food with them because they don’t have a share of the land like you have.

28 “At the end of every three years, you must gather one-tenth of your harvest for that year. Store this food in your towns. 29 Keep this food for the Levites, because they don’t have any land of their own. Also keep this food for the foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your towns. This will provide enough for them to come and eat all they want. If you do this, the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 14:1 shave your heads Literally, “shave between your eyes.”

14 Ye are the children of the Lord your God: ye shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

2 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

3 Thou shalt not eat any abominable thing.

4 These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,

5 The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg, and the wild ox, and the chamois.

6 And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.

7 Nevertheless these ye shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the cloven hoof; as the camel, and the hare, and the coney: for they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof; therefore they are unclean unto you.

8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.

9 These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat:

10 And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.

11 Of all clean birds ye shall eat.

12 But these are they of which ye shall not eat: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,

13 And the glede, and the kite, and the vulture after his kind,

14 And every raven after his kind,

15 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,

16 The little owl, and the great owl, and the swan,

17 And the pelican, and the gier eagle, and the cormorant,

18 And the stork, and the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.

19 And every creeping thing that flieth is unclean unto you: they shall not be eaten.

20 But of all clean fowls ye may eat.

21 Ye shall not eat of anything that dieth of itself: thou shalt give it unto the stranger that is in thy gates, that he may eat it; or thou mayest sell it unto an alien: for thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk.

22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.

24 And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed thee:

25 Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose:

26 And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the Lord thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,

27 And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:

29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Clean and Unclean Animals

14 “You are ( A ) sons of the Lord your God; ( B ) you shall not cut yourselves nor [ a ] shave a bald spot [ b ] above your forehead for the dead. 2 For you are ( C ) a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a ( D ) people for His personal possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

3 ( E ) You shall not eat any detestable thing. 4 ( F ) These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat, 5 [ c ] the deer, the gazelle, the roebuck, the wild goat, the ibex, the antelope, and the mountain sheep. 6 And any animal that has a divided hoof and has its hoofs split in two, and [ d ] chews the cud, among the animals, [ e ] that animal you may eat. 7 However, you are not to eat these among the ones that [ f ] chew the cud, or among those that have the hoof divided in [ g ] two: the camel, the [ h ] rabbit, and the rock hyrax, for though they [ i ] chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are unclean to you. 8 And the pig, because it has a divided hoof but does not chew the cud, it is unclean for you. You shall not eat any of their flesh, nor touch their carcasses.

9 “These you may eat of everything that is in the water: anything that has fins and scales you may eat, 10 but anything that does not have fins and scales, you shall not eat; it is unclean for you.

11 “You may eat any clean bird. 12 But ( G ) these are the ones that you shall not eat: the [ j ] eagle and the vulture and the [ k ] buzzard, 13 and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, 14 and every raven in its kind, 15 and the ostrich, the owl, the seagull, and the hawk in their kinds, 16 the little owl, the [ l ] great owl, the white owl, 17 the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, 18 the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. 19 And all the swarming insects with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. 20 You may eat any clean bird.

21 ( H ) You shall not eat anything which dies of itself . You may give it to the stranger who is in your [ m ] town, so that he may eat it, or you may sell it to a stranger; for you are ( I ) a holy people to the Lord your God. ( J ) You shall not boil a young goat in its mother’s milk.

22 “You ( K ) shall certainly tithe all the produce from [ n ] what you sow, which comes from the field every year. 23 You shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God, ( L ) at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may ( M ) learn to fear the Lord your God always. 24 But if the [ o ] distance is so great for you that you are not able to [ p ] bring the tithe , since the place where the Lord your God chooses ( N ) to set His name is too far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, 25 then you shall [ q ] exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses. 26 And you may spend the money on whatever your [ r ] heart desires: on oxen, sheep, wine, other strong drink, or whatever your [ s ] heart [ t ] desires; and ( O ) there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. 27 Also you shall not neglect ( P ) the Levite who is in your [ u ] town, ( Q ) for he has no portion or inheritance among you.

28 ( R ) At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and you shall deposit it in your [ v ] town. 29 And the Levite, ( S ) because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and ( T ) the stranger, the [ w ] orphan, and the widow who are in your [ x ] town, shall come and ( U ) eat and be satisfied, in order that ( V ) the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 14:1 Lit make
  2. Deuteronomy 14:1 Lit between your eyes
  3. Deuteronomy 14:5 Exact identification of these animals is uncertain
  4. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit brings up
  5. Deuteronomy 14:6 Lit it
  6. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit bring up
  7. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit a cleaving
  8. Deuteronomy 14:7 Or hare
  9. Deuteronomy 14:7 Lit bring up
  10. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or vulture
  11. Deuteronomy 14:12 Or black vulture
  12. Deuteronomy 14:16 Or great horned owl
  13. Deuteronomy 14:21 Lit gates
  14. Deuteronomy 14:22 Lit your seed
  15. Deuteronomy 14:24 Lit way
  16. Deuteronomy 14:24 Lit carry it
  17. Deuteronomy 14:25 Lit give in money
  18. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit soul
  19. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit soul
  20. Deuteronomy 14:26 Lit asks of you
  21. Deuteronomy 14:27 Lit gates
  22. Deuteronomy 14:28 Lit gates
  23. Deuteronomy 14:29 Or fatherless
  24. Deuteronomy 14:29 Lit gates

Clean and Unclean Food ( A )

14 You are the children ( B ) of the Lord your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, 2 for you are a people holy ( C ) to the Lord your God. ( D ) Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the Lord has chosen you to be his treasured possession. ( E )

3 Do not eat any detestable thing. ( F ) 4 These are the animals you may eat: ( G ) the ox, the sheep, the goat, ( H ) 5 the deer, ( I ) the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, ( J ) the ibex, the antelope and the mountain sheep. [ a ] 6 You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. 7 However, of those that chew the cud or that have a divided hoof you may not eat the camel, the rabbit or the hyrax. Although they chew the cud, they do not have a divided hoof; they are ceremonially unclean for you. 8 The pig is also unclean; although it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. You are not to eat their meat or touch their carcasses. ( K )

9 Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales. 10 But anything that does not have fins and scales you may not eat; for you it is unclean.

11 You may eat any clean bird. 12 But these you may not eat: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, 13 the red kite, the black kite, any kind ( L ) of falcon, ( M ) 14 any kind of raven, ( N ) 15 the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, 16 the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, 17 the desert owl, ( O ) the osprey, the cormorant, 18 the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.

19 All flying insects are unclean to you; do not eat them. 20 But any winged creature that is clean you may eat. ( P )

21 Do not eat anything you find already dead. ( Q ) You may give it to the foreigner residing in any of your towns, and they may eat it, or you may sell it to any other foreigner. But you are a people holy to the Lord your God. ( R )

Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk. ( S )

Tithes

22 Be sure to set aside a tenth ( T ) of all that your fields produce each year. 23 Eat ( U ) the tithe of your grain, new wine ( V ) and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, ( W ) so that you may learn ( X ) to revere ( Y ) the Lord your God always. 24 But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the Lord your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the Lord will choose to put his Name is so far away), 25 then exchange ( Z ) your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose. 26 Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, ( AA ) or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice. ( AB ) 27 And do not neglect the Levites ( AC ) living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own. ( AD )

28 At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes ( AE ) of that year’s produce and store it in your towns, ( AF ) 29 so that the Levites (who have no allotment ( AG ) or inheritance ( AH ) of their own) and the foreigners, ( AI ) the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, ( AJ ) and so that the Lord your God may bless ( AK ) you in all the work of your hands.

Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 14:5 The precise identification of some of the birds and animals in this chapter is uncertain.