The Daily Audio Bible

Rules About What May Be Eaten

11 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Tell the ·Israelites [^Lsons/^Tchildren of Israel] this: ‘From among the land animals, these are the creatures you may eat: ³ You may eat any animal that has split hoofs completely divided and that chews the cud [^Cconsidered a normal land animal].

⁴ “‘Some animals only chew the cud or only have split hoofs, and you must not eat them. The camel chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean [^Cin a ritual sense] for you. ⁵ The rock badger chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁶ The rabbit chews the cud but does not have a split hoof; it is unclean for you. ⁷ Now the pig has a split hoof that is completely divided, but it does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you. ⁸ You must not eat the meat from these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean for you.

⁹ “‘Of the animals that live in the sea or in a river, if the animal has fins and scales, you may eat it [^Cconsidered a normal aquatic creature]. ¹⁰ But whatever lives in the sea or in a river and does not have fins and scales—including the things that ·fill [swarm] the water and all other things that live in it—·you should hate [^Lthey are detestable/abominable]. ¹¹ You must not eat any meat from them or even touch their dead bodies, because ·you should hate them [^Lthey are detestable/abominable to you]. ¹² ·You must hate [Detestable/Abominable to you is] any animal in the water that does not have fins and scales.

¹³ “‘Also, these are the birds you ·are to hate [should find detestable/abominable]. They are ·hateful [detestable; abominable] and should not be eaten. You must not eat eagles, vultures, black vultures, ¹⁴ kites, any kind of falcon, ¹⁵ any kind of raven, ¹⁶ horned owls, screech owls, sea gulls, any kind of hawk, ¹⁷ little owls, cormorants, great owls, ¹⁸ white owls, desert owls, ospreys, ¹⁹ storks, any kind of heron, hoopoes, or bats [^Cexact identification is sometimes uncertain, but all eat prey or carcasses and/or live in desolate places].

²⁰ “‘Don’t eat insects that have wings and walk on all four feet; they also are ·to be hated [detestable/abominable to you; ^Ctheir way of moving makes them abnormal insects].

²¹ “‘But you may eat certain insects that have wings and walk on four feet. You may eat those that have legs with joints above their feet so they can ·jump [leap]. ²² These are the insects you may eat: all kinds of locusts, winged locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers [^Cexact identification is uncertain]. ²³ But all other insects that have wings and walk on four feet ·you are to hate [are detestable/abominable to you]. ²⁴ Those insects will make you unclean [^Cin a ritual sense], and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these insects will become unclean until evening. ²⁵ Anyone who picks up one of these dead insects must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

²⁶ “‘Some animals have split hoofs, but the hoofs are not completely divided; others do not chew the cud. They are unclean for you, and anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean [^Cin a ritual sense]. ²⁷ Of all the animals that walk on four feet, the animals that walk on their paws are unclean for you. Anyone who touches the dead body of one of these animals will become unclean until evening. ²⁸ Anyone who picks up their dead bodies must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening; these animals are unclean for you.

²⁹ “‘These ·crawling [swarming] animals [^Canimals that move close to the ground] are unclean for you: moles, rats, all kinds of great lizards, ³⁰ geckos, crocodiles, lizards, sand reptiles, and chameleons [^Cidentification of some of these animals is uncertain]. ³¹ These ·crawling [swarming] animals are unclean for you [^Cprobably because they eat carrion or touch dead bodies]; anyone who touches their dead bodies will be unclean [^Cin a ritual sense] until evening.

³² “‘If an unclean animal dies and falls on something, that item will also become unclean [^Cin a ritual sense]. This includes anything made from wood, cloth, leather, or rough cloth, regardless of its use. Whatever the animal falls on must be washed with water and be unclean until evening; then it will become clean again. ³³ If the dead, unclean animal falls into a clay bowl, anything in the bowl will become unclean, and you must break the bowl. ³⁴ If water from the unclean clay bowl gets on any food, that food will become unclean. ³⁵ If any dead, unclean animal falls on something, it becomes unclean. If it is a clay oven or a clay baking pan, it must be broken into pieces. These things will be unclean; they are unclean for you.

³⁶ “‘A spring or ·well that collects water [cistern] will stay clean [^Cin a ritual sense], but anyone who touches the dead body of any unclean animal will become unclean. ³⁷ If a dead, unclean animal falls on a seed to be planted, that seed is still clean. ³⁸ But if you put water on some seeds and a dead, unclean animal falls on them, they are unclean for you.

³⁹ “‘Also, if an animal which you use for food dies, anyone who touches its body will be unclean [^Cin a ritual sense] until evening. ⁴⁰ Anyone who eats meat from this animal’s dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. Anyone who picks up the animal’s dead body must wash his clothes and be unclean until evening.

⁴¹ “‘Every animal that ·crawls [swarms] on the ground is ·to be hated [detestable; abominable]; it must not be eaten. ⁴² You must not eat any of the animals that ·crawl [^Lwalk] on the ground, including those that ·crawl [walk] on their stomachs, that walk on all four feet, or on many feet. They are ·to be hated [detestable; abominable]. ⁴³ Do not make yourself unclean [^Cin a ritual sense] by these animals; you must not become unclean by them. ⁴⁴ I am the Lord your God. ·Keep yourselves holy for me [^LSanctify/Consecrate yourselves and be holy] because I am holy. Don’t ·make yourselves unclean [defile yourselves] with any of these ·crawling [swarming] animals. ⁴⁵ I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt to be your God; you must be holy because I am holy.

⁴⁶ “‘These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] about all of the cattle, birds, and other animals on earth, as well as the animals ·in the sea [^Lthat moves in the water] and those that ·crawl [swarm] on the ground. ⁴⁷ These ·teachings [laws; teachings] help people know the difference between unclean animals and clean animals [^Cin a ritual sense]; they help people know which animals may be eaten and which ones must not be eaten.’”

Rules for New Mothers

12 The Lord said to Moses, ² “Tell the ·people [^Lsons; children] of Israel this: ‘If a woman [^Lconceives; becomes pregnant and] gives birth to a son, she will become unclean [^Cin a ritual sense] for seven days, as she is unclean during her ·monthly period [menstruation; 15:19]. ³ On the eighth day the ·boy [^Lflesh of his foreskin] must be circumcised [Gen. 17:10–14]. ⁴ Then it will be thirty-three days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood. She must not touch anything that is holy or enter the ·Holy Tent [^Lsanctuary] until her time of ·cleansing [purification] is finished. ⁵ But if she gives birth to a daughter, the mother will be unclean for two weeks, as she is unclean during her ·monthly period [menstruation]. It will be sixty-six days before she becomes clean from her loss of blood.

⁶ “‘After she has a son or daughter and her days of ·cleansing [purification] are over, the new mother must bring certain sacrifices to the Meeting Tent. She must give the priest at the entrance a year-old lamb for a burnt offering [1:1–17] and a dove or young pigeon for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering. ⁷ He will offer them before the Lord to make her clean [^Cin a ritual sense] ·so she will belong to the Lord again [^Lto make atonement for her]; then she will be clean from her ·loss [flow] of blood. These are the ·teachings [laws; instructions] for a woman who gives birth to a boy or girl.

⁸ “‘If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons, one for a burnt offering [1:1–17] and one for a ·sin [or purification; 4:3] offering. In this way the priest will make her clean [^Cin a ritual sense] ·so she will belong to the Lord again [^Land make atonement for her], and she will be clean.’”

Jesus Gives Life to a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman^(A)

²¹ When Jesus went in the boat back to the other side of the lake, a large crowd gathered around him there. ²² A leader of the synagogue, named Jairus, came there, saw Jesus, and ·fell [bowed; knelt] at his feet. ²³ He begged Jesus, ·saying again and again [earnestly saying], “My daughter is dying. Please come and ·put [lay] your hands on her so she will be healed and will live.” ²⁴ So Jesus went with him.

A large crowd followed Jesus and pushed very close around him. ²⁵ Among them was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years [^Cprobably a chronic menstrual disorder]. ²⁶ She had suffered very much from many doctors and had spent all the money she had, but instead of improving, she was getting worse. ²⁷ When the woman heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his ·coat [cloak; garment]. ²⁸ [^LFor] She ·thought [said], “If I can just touch his clothes, I will ·be healed [get well; be saved].” ²⁹ Instantly her bleeding stopped, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her disease.

³⁰ At once Jesus ·felt [perceived] power go out from him. So he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?”

³¹ His ·followers [disciples] said, “Look at how many people are pushing against you! And you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

³² But Jesus continued looking around to see who had touched him. ³³ The woman, knowing that she was healed, came and fell at Jesus’ feet. Shaking with fear, she told him the whole truth. ³⁴ Jesus said to her, “·Dear woman [^LDaughter], ·you are made well because you believed [your faith has saved/healed you]. Go in peace; be healed of your disease.”

³⁵ While Jesus was still speaking, some people came from the house of the synagogue leader. They said, “Your daughter is dead. ·There is no need to bother the teacher anymore.” [^LWhy trouble the teacher anymore?”]

³⁶ But Jesus ·paid no attention to [or overheard] what they said. He told the synagogue leader, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.”

³⁷ Jesus let only Peter, James, and John the brother of James go with him. ³⁸ When they came to the house of the synagogue leader, Jesus found many people there making lots of noise and ·crying loudly [^Lweeping and wailing loudly]. ³⁹ Jesus entered the house and said to them, “Why are you ·crying [weeping] and making so much noise? The child is not dead, only asleep.” ⁴⁰ But they ·laughed at [ridiculed] him. So, after ·throwing [putting] them [^Lall] out of the house, Jesus took the child’s father and mother and his three followers into the room where the child was. ⁴¹ Taking hold of the girl’s hand, he said to her, “Talitha, koum!” (This means [^Cin Aramaic, the language Jesus commonly spoke], “Little girl, I tell you to stand up!”) ⁴² At once the girl stood right up and began walking. (She was twelve years old.) Everyone was completely amazed. ⁴³ Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell people about this. Then he told them to give the girl something to eat.

A Prayer in Time of Sickness

A psalm of David ·to remember [or for the memorial offering].