Study Desk

For you are a people holy to Yahweh your God, and you Yahweh has chosen to be a treasured possession from among all of the peoples that are on the surface of the earth.

Only these you may not eat from those chewing the cud and from those having a division of the hoof: the camel and the hare and the coney, because they chew the cud, but they do not divide the hoof; they are therefore unclean for you.

And also the pig because it has a division of the hoof but does not chew the cud; it is unclean for you; from their meat you shall not eat, and you shall not touch their carcasses.

But anything that does not have fins and scales, you may not eat, for it is unclean for you.

And also all of the winged insects; they are unclean for you; you shall not eat them.

"You shall not eat any carcass; you may give it to the alien who is in your towns, and he may eat it, or you may sell it to a foreigner, for you are a holy people for Yahweh your God; you may not boil a kid in its mother's milk.

But if the distance is too great for you, so that you are not able to transport it, because the place that Yahweh your God will choose to set his name there, it is too far from you, when Yahweh your God will bless you,

then in that case you may exchange for money, and you shall take the money to your hand and go to the place that Yahweh your God will choose.

You may spend the money for anything that you desire, for oxen or for sheep or for wine or for strong drink or for anything that you desire, and you shall eat it there before Yahweh your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

And as to the Levite who is in your towns, you shall not neglect him, because there is not a plot of ground for him and an inheritance along with you.

"At the end of three years you shall bring out all of the tithe of your yield for that year, and you shall store it in your towns.

And so the Levite may come, because there is no plot of ground for him or an inheritance with you, and the alien also may come and the orphan and the widow that are in your towns, and they may eat their fill, so that Yahweh your God may bless you in all of the work of your hand that you undertake."

But you shall certainly open your hand for him, and you shall willingly lend to him enough to meet his need, whatever it is.

For the poor will not cease to be among you in the land; therefore I am commanding you, saying, ‘You shall willingly open your hand to your brother, to your needy and to your poor that are in your land.'

And then if it will happen that he says to you, ‘I do not want to go out from you,' because he loves you and your family, because it is good for him to be with you;

then you shall take an awl, and you shall thrust it through his earlobe and into the door, and he shall be to you a slave forever; and you shall also do likewise for your slave woman.

It shall not be hard in your eyes when you send him forth free, because for six years he has served you worth twice the wage of a hired worker; and Yahweh your God will bless you in whatever you will do.

"Observe the month of Abib, and you shall keep the Passover to Yahweh your God, for in the month of Abib Yahweh your God brought you out from Egypt by night.

And leaven shall not be seen with you in any of your territory for seven days, and none of the meat that you will slaughter on the evening on the first day shall remain overnight until morning.

Six days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be an assembly for Yahweh your God; you shall not do work.