Food laws – If you have been looking forward to long lists of things that God told Moses and Aaron their people could and could not eat, this is your time to shine. If you want to discuss it further we can discuss but we need to read the text first. Let’s look at it together.

Leviticus 11

The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them:

2 “Speak to the children of Israel, ‘These are the living creatures which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth.

3 Whatever parts the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you shall eat.

4 But these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of them that divide the hoof: as the camel, because he chews the cud, but does not divide the hoof; he is unclean to you.

5 And the rock badger, because he chews the cud, but does not divide the hoof; he is unclean unto you.

6 And the hare, because he chews the cud, but does not have hooves; he is unclean unto you.

7 And the pig, though he divides the hoof yet does chew not the cud; he is unclean to you.

8 Of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcass you shall not touch; they are unclean to you.

9 These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers, those you shall eat.

10 And all that have not fins and scales in the seas, and in the rivers, of all that move in the waters, and of any living thing which is in the waters, they shall be an abomination to you.

11 Since they are an abomination to you, you shall not eat of their flesh, and you must detest their carcasses. 

12 Whatever does not have fins or scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination to you.

13 And these shall be an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the bearded vulture, and the black vulture,

14 And the kite, and any kind of falcon;

15 Every raven after its kind;

16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the seafull, and the hawk after his kind,

17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,

18 And the barn owl, and the pelican, and the carrion vulture,

19 And the stork, any kind of heron, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

20 All insects that creep, going on all fours, shall be an abomination to you.

21 Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that goes on all fours, that have jointed legs above their feet for hopping on the ground: 

22 These you may eat; any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, and grasshopper.

23 But all other winged insects, which have four feet, shall be an abomination to you.

24 For these things you will be unclean: whoever touches the carcass of them shall be unclean until evening.

25 And whoever carries any of the carcasses of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening.

26 The carcasses of every beast which divideth the hoof, and are not clovenfooted, nor chews the cud, are unclean to you: every one that touches them shall be unclean.

27 And whatever goes on its paws, among all manner of beasts that go on all four, those are unclean to you: anyone that touches their carcass shall be unclean until evening.

28 He that carries the carcass of them shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening: they are unclean to you.

29 These also shall be unclean to you, among the creeping things that creep on the earth; the weasel, the mouse, and any kind of tortoise,

30 the ferret, chameleon, lizard, snail, and mole.

31 These are unclean to you among all that creep: whoever touches them, when they are dead, shall be unclean until evening.

32 And on anything that any of them fall when they are dead, it shall be unclean; any vessel of wood, raiment, skin, or sack, whatever vessel it is in which any work is done, it must be put into water, and it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be cleansed.

33 Every earthen vessel, into which any of them falls, whatever is in it will be unclean; and you shall break it.

34 Any food which may be eaten, that comes in contact with unclean water shall be unclean: and any drink that may be drunk in every such vessel shall be unclean.

35 And every thing that any part of their carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is oven or stove, they shall be broken down: for they are unclean and shall be unclean to you.

36 A spring or cistern in which there is  water shall be clean: but anything that touches a carcass in them shall be unclean. 

37 If any part of their carcass falls on any sowing seed which is to be sown, it shall be clean.

38 But if any water is put on the seed, and any part of their carcass falls on it, it shall be unclean to you.

39 If any animal that you may eat dies; he that touches the carcass of it shall be unclean until evening.

40 He that eats of the carcase of it shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening: and he that carries the carcass shall wash his clothes, and be unclean until evening.

41 Every swarming thing that swarms on the ground shall be an abomination; it shall not be eaten.

42 Whatever goes on its belly, and whatever goes on all four, or has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth, you shall not eat those; for they are an abomination.

43 You shall not defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps, neither shall you make yourselves unclean with them, that you should be defiled. 

44 For I am the LORD your God: therefore sanctify yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

45 For I am the LORD that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: therefore you shall be holy, for I am holy.

46 This is the law of the land animals, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moves in the water, and of every creature that creeps upon the earth:

47 To make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.'”

See also: Leviticus 11 in ESV, HCSB, NASB and NIV via Bible Gateway.