Study Desk

"The breast of the wave offering, however, and the thigh of the offering you may eat in a clean place, you and your sons and your daughters with you; for they have been given as your allotted portion and your sons' allotted portion from the sacrifices of the peace offerings of the sons of Israel.

"They shall bring the thigh offered by lifting up and the breast offered by waving, along with the offerings by fire of the portions of fat, to present as a wave offering before the LORD; so it shall be a thing perpetually due you and your sons with you, just as the LORD has commanded."

But Aaron said to Moses, "Behold, this very day they presented their sin offering and their burnt offering before the LORD. When things like these happened to me, if I had eaten a sin offering today, would it have been good in the sight of the LORD?"

'Whatever has a divided hoof, showing split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat.

'Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which have a divided hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you.

'Likewise, the rock hyrax, for though it chews cud, it does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you.

The rabbit also, for though it chews cud, it does not have a divided hoof; it is unclean to you.

And the pig, for though it has a divided hoof, and so it shows a split hoof, it does not chew cud; it is unclean to you.

'As for all the animals which have a divided hoof but do not show a split hoof, or do not chew the cud, they are unclean to you; whoever touches them becomes unclean.

'Also anything on which one of them may fall when they are dead becomes unclean, including any wooden article, or clothing, or a hide, or a sack—any article of which use is made—it shall be put in the water and be unclean until evening, then it becomes clean.

'Moreover, everything on which part of their carcass may fall becomes unclean; an oven or a stove shall be smashed; they are unclean and shall continue as unclean to you.

'Nevertheless, a spring or a cistern collecting water shall be clean, though the one who touches their carcass shall be unclean.

'Now if a part of their carcass falls on any seed for sowing which is to be sown, it is clean.

'But if water is put on the seed and a part of their carcass falls on it, it is unclean to you.

to make a distinction between the unclean and the clean, and between the edible creature and the creature which is not to be eaten.

"Speak to the sons of Israel, saying: 'When a woman gives birth and delivers a male child, then she shall be unclean for seven days; as she is in the days of her menstruation, she shall be unclean.

'But if she gives birth to a female child, then she shall be unclean for two weeks, as in her menstruation; and she shall stay at home in her condition of blood purification for sixty-six days.

'When the days of her purification are completed, for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the doorway of the tent of meeting a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering.

'Then he shall offer it before the LORD and make atonement for her, and she shall be cleansed from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who gives birth to a child, whether a male or a female.

'But if she cannot afford a lamb, then she shall take two turtledoves or two young doves, the one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering; and the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.'"