Deuteronomy 14

1 You [as sons, children of God] are sons of the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God; do not [refuse to, absolutely not] cut yourselves [gash or mutilate your bodies] or shave your foreheads [make any baldness between your eyes] on behalf of the dead [for the deceased, in mourning], word study 2 for you are a people holy [set apart] to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God]. The LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] has chosen [selected, elected] you to be a people [a nation, a treasured possession] for His prized possession [a valuable treasure, a special inheritance] out of all the peoples [nations, tribes] on the face [surface, presence] of the earth [land, ground]. word study 3 You must not [under any circumstances] eat [consume, devour] any [all manner of] detestable thing [abomination, something disgusting, repulsive]. word study 4 These are the animals [beasts, livestock] that you may eat: The ox [cattle], the sheep [a flock, or a young animal], the goat [she-goat, or kid, izzim], word study 5 the deer [hart, male deer], the gazelle [beauty], the roe deer [roebuck, type of deer], the wild goat [ibex, slender goat], the ibex [pygarg, mountain goat], the antelope [wild ox, oryx], and the mountain sheep [chamois, allowed as food]. word study 6 You may eat any animal [beast, large quadruped mammal] that has a split [divided in two, cloven] hoof [foot of an animal, like a cow or horse] divided in two and that chews [brings up, regurgitates] the cud [food regurgitated from the stomach, to be chewed again]. word study 7 But of those that chew [chew and regurgitate] the cud [food brought back up to be chewed again] or have a completely [totally, fully] divided hoof [split, parted], you are not to eat [consume, devour] the following: the camel [a large, riding animal], the rabbit [or hare, a small, fast creature], or the rock badger [a type of rock rabbit, likely a hyrax]. Although they [these specific animals] chew the cud [regurgitate food], they do not have a [fully] divided hoof [split, parted]. They are [considered] unclean [ritually impure, defiled] for you, word study 8 as well as the pig [swine, including hogs and boars]; though it has a divided [split] hoof, it does not chew the cud [regurgitate and re-chew its food]. It is unclean [spiritually impure, defiled] for you. You must not eat its meat [flesh, the body of the animal] or touch its carcass [dead body, corpse]. word study 9 Of all [every kind of, everything that exists in] the creatures [living beings, animals] that live [dwell, reside] in the water [the sea, aquatic environments], you may eat [consume, devour] anything [all things, whatever] with [possessing, having] fins [scales and fins, swimming appendages] and [as well as, including] scales [plates, protective coverings], word study 10 but you may not eat anything [that lives in the water] that does not have [collective] fins and scales [a coat of mail]; it is [considered] unclean [spiritually impure] for you. word study 11 You may eat [are permitted to] any [all kinds of] clean [pure, ceremonially acceptable] bird [little bird, fowl], word study 12 but these [specific, particular] you may not eat: the eagle [a large bird of prey], the bearded vulture [also known as the gier-eagle or griffon vulture], the black vulture [or osprey, a type of bird of prey], word study 13 the red kite [vulture, bird of prey], the falcon [swift and powerful creature, hawk], any kind [species, type] of kite [hawk, bird of prey], word study 14 any kind [every type, all sorts] of raven [including crows, dark-colored birds], word study 15 the ostrich [or possibly another type of bird], the screech owl [night-hawk, a nocturnal bird of prey], the gull [seagull, sea-mew], any kind of hawk [according to its kind, including falcons], word study 16 the little owl [or horned owl], the great owl [possibly a heron], the white owl [or swan, a type of water bird], word study 17 the desert owl [pelican, Egyptian vulture], the osprey [vulture, gier eagle], the cormorant [diving bird of prey, fish eater], word study 18 the stork, any kind of heron [possibly a heron, an unclean bird], the hoopoe [or lapwing, an unclean bird], or the bat [a small flying mammal, considered unclean]. word study 19 All [every, including all types of] flying insects [winged creeping things, swarming creatures] are unclean [spiritually impure, defiled] for you; they may not [shall not, are not allowed to] be eaten [consumed, devoured]. word study 20 But you may eat [any kind of, all types of] any clean [pure, ceremonially acceptable] bird [fowl, winged creature]. word study 21 You are not [under any circumstances] to eat any carcass [dead body, animal that has died of itself]; you may give it to the foreigner [sojourner, non-Israelite] residing within your gates, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner [non-Israelite, stranger]. For you are a holy [set apart, sacred] people belonging to the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God. You must not [on any account] cook a young goat [kid, juvenile goat] in its mother’s [female parent] milk. word study 22 You must be sure to set aside [give a tenth of, tithe] a tenth [one-tenth, 10 percent] of all [everything, the whole] the produce [crops, fruit, revenue] brought forth [harvested, gathered] each year [annually, every year] from your fields [land, cultivated area]. word study 23 And you are to eat [in the presence of, before] a tenth [tithe, a tenth part] of your grain [corn, wheat], new wine [freshly squeezed, fermented], and oil [olive oil], and the firstborn [firstlings, birthright] of your herds [cattle, oxen] and flocks [sheep, goats], in the presence [face, before] of the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] at the place [location, dwelling] He will choose [select, appoint] as a dwelling [residence, home] for His Name [identity, character], so that you may learn [be taught, guided] to fear [revere, stand in awe] the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] always [at all times, continually]. word study 24 But if the distance [way, journey] is too great [long, far] for you to carry [lift, transport] that with which the LORD [Yehovah, the Lord God] your God [Elohim, the supreme God] has blessed [praised, honored] you, because the place [location, site] where the LORD your God will choose [select, appoint] to put [set, establish] His Name [identity, character] is too far [distant, remote] away [from you], word study 25 then exchange it for money [turn it into silver], take the money [silver, payment] in your hand [an open hand; strength, a side or share], and go [walk, proceed] to the place [location, region] the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] will choose [select, appoint]. word study 26 Then you may spend the money [silver, payment] on anything you desire [strongly wish for, long for]: cattle [oxen, domesticated animals], sheep [a flock, goats], wine [fermented drink], strong drink [intoxicating liquor], or anything you wish [desire, ask for]. You are to feast [eat, celebrate] there in the presence [face, before] of the LORD [Yehovah, God] your God [Elohim, supreme Being] and rejoice [be glad, joyful] with your household [family, house]. word study 27 And do not [by any means, utterly] neglect [forsake, abandon] the Levite [a descendant of Levi, a priestly tribe] within your gates [city entrances, places of gathering], since he has no [nothing, none] portion [inheritance, allotted share] or inheritance [legacy, heritage] among you [with you, in your midst]. word study 28 At the end [termination, conclusion] of every three [thrice, a period of three years] years, bring [to come out, to produce] a tenth [tithe, a tenth part] of all [everything, the whole] your produce [income, crops] for that year [a period of time, a cycle] and lay [to rest, to store] it up [to place, to deposit] within [inside, within the boundaries of] your gates [city entrances, doors]. word study 29 Then the Levite [a descendant of Levi, without inheritance] (because he has no portion [smoothness, an inheritance] or inheritance [something passed down] among you), the foreigner [sojourner, temporary resident], the fatherless [orphan, without a father], and the widow [a woman whose husband has died] within your gates [city entrances] may come [approach, enter] and eat [devour, consume] and be satisfied [filled, content]. And the LORD [Yehovah, the supreme God] your God [Elohim, the one supreme God] will bless [praise, honor] you in all [everything] the work [deed, action] of your hands [power, direction]. word study