Deuteronomy 14

Chapter 14

Ceremonially Clean and Unclean Animals

1 “Since you are the people of the LORD your God, never cut yourselves or shave the hair above your foreheads in mourning for the dead.

2 You have been set apart as holy to the LORD your God, and he has chosen you from all the nations of the earth to be his own special treasure.
3 “You must not eat any detestable animals that are ceremonially unclean.4 These are the animalst you may eat: the ox, the sheep, the goat,

5 the deer, the gazelle, the roe deer, the wild goat, the addax, the antelope, and the mountain sheep.
6 “You may eat any animal that has completely split hooves and chews the cud,7 but if the animal doesn’t have both, it may not be eaten. So you may not eat the camel, the hare, or the hyrax.t They chew the cud but do not have split hooves, so they are ceremonially unclean for you.

8 And you may not eat the pig. It has split hooves but does not chew the cud, so it is ceremonially unclean for you. You may not eat the meat of these animals or even touch their carcasses.
9 “Of all the marine animals, you may eat whatever has both fins and scales.

10 You may not, however, eat marine animals that do not have both fins and scales. They are ceremonially unclean for you.
11 “You may eat any bird that is ceremonially clean.12 These are the birds you may not eat: the griffon vulture, the bearded vulture, the black vulture,13 the kite, the falcon, buzzards of all kinds,14 ravens of all kinds,15 the eagle owl, the short-eared owl, the seagull, hawks of all kinds,16 the little owl, the great owl, the barn owl,17 the desert owl, the Egyptian vulture, the cormorant,

18 the stork, herons of all kinds, the hoopoe, and the bat.
19 “All winged insects that walk along the ground are ceremonially unclean for you and may not be eaten.

20 But you may eat any winged bird or insect that is ceremonially clean.

21 “You must not eat anything that has died a natural death. You may give it to a foreigner living in your town, or you may sell it to a stranger. But do not eat it yourselves, for you are set apart as holy to the LORD your God.
“You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

The Giving of Tithes

22 “You must set aside a tithe of your crops—one-tenth of all the crops you harvest each year.

23 Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored—and eat it there in his presence. This applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive oil, and the firstborn males of your flocks and herds. Doing this will teach you always to fear the LORD your God.
24 “Now when the LORD your God blesses you with a good harvest, the place of worship he chooses for his name to be honored might be too far for you to bring the tithe.25 If so, you may sell the tithe portion of your crops and herds, put the money in a pouch, and go to the place the LORD your God has chosen.26 When you arrive, you may use the money to buy any kind of food you want—cattle, sheep, goats, wine, or other alcoholic drink. Then feast there in the presence of the LORD your God and celebrate with your household.

27 And do not neglect the Levites in your town, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.
28 “At the end of every third year, bring the entire tithe of that year’s harvest and store it in the nearest town.

29 Give it to the Levites, who will receive no allotment of land among you, as well as to the foreigners living among you, the orphans, and the widows in your towns, so they can eat and be satisfied. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all your work.

DEUTERONOMY 14

Don't Mourn //like Other Nations

Moses said:

1  t People of Israel, you are the [Lord]'s children, so when you mourn for the dead, you must not cut yourselves or shave your forehead.t

2 t Out of all the nations on this earth, the [Lord] your God chose you to be his own. You belong to the [Lord], so don't behave like those who worship other gods.

Animals That Can Be Eaten

(Leviticus 11.1-47)

3  t Don't eat any disgusting animals.
4-5 You may eat the meat of cattle, sheep, and goats; wild sheep and goats; and gazelles, antelopes, and all kinds of deer.

6 It is all right to eat meat from any animals that have divided hoofs and also chew the cud.t
7 But don't eat camels, rabbits, and rock badgers. These animals chew the cud but do not have divided hoofs. You must treat them as unclean.

8 And don't eat pork, since pigs have divided hoofs, but they do not chew their cud. Don't even touch a dead pig!
9 You can eat any fish that has fins and scales. But there are other creatures that live in the water,

10 and if they do not have fins and scales, you must not eat them. Treat them as unclean.
11 You can eat any clean bird. 12-18 But don't eat the meat of any of the following birds: eagles, vultures, falcons, kites, ravens, ostriches, owls, sea gulls, hawks, pelicans, ospreys, cormorants, storks, herons, and hoopoes.t You must not eat bats. 19 Swarming insects are unclean, so don't eat them.

20 However, you are allowed to eat certain kinds of winged insects.t

21  t You belong to the [Lord] your God, so if you happen to find a dead animal, don't eat its meat. You may give it to foreigners who live in your town or sell it to foreigners who are visiting your town.
Don't boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

Give the [Lord] Ten Percent //of Your Harvest

Moses said:

23 Also set aside ten percent of your wine and olive oil, and the first-born of every cow, sheep, and goat. Take these to the place where the [Lord] chooses to be worshiped, and eat them there. This will teach you to always respect the [Lord] your God.
24 But suppose you can't carry that ten percent of your harvest to the place where the [Lord] chooses to be worshiped. If you live too far away, or if the [Lord] gives you a big harvest, 25 then sell this part and take the money there instead. 26 When you and your family arrive, spend the money on food for a big celebration. Buy cattle, sheep, goats, wine, beer, and if there are any other kinds of food that you want, buy those too.

27 And since people of the Levi tribe won't own any land for growing crops, remember to ask the Levites to celebrate with you.
28 Every third year, instead of using the ten percent of your harvest for a big celebration, bring it into town and put it in a community storehouse. 29 The Levites have no land of their own, so you must give them food from the storehouse. You must also give food to the poor who live in your town, including orphans, widows, and foreigners. If they have enough to eat, then the [Lord] your God will be pleased and make you successful in everything you do.