Deuteronomy 14

1 Be ye children of the Lord your God: you shall not cut yourselves, no, make any baldness for the dead;

“We are people who belong to Yahweh our God. So, when people die, do not show that you are grieving by gashing/cutting yourselves or by shaving the hair on your foreheads [like the other people-groups do].

2 Because thou art a holy people to the Lord thy God: and he chose thee to be his peculiar people of all nations that are upon the earth.

We belong to Yahweh alone. Yahweh chose us from all the other people-groups on the earth to be his special people.

3 Eat not the things that are unclean.

“Do not eat anything that [Yahweh] detests.

4 These are the beasts that you shall eat, the ox, and the sheep, and the goat,

The animals [whose meat] you are permitted to eat are cattle, sheep, goats,

5 The hart and the roe, the buffle, the chamois, the pygarg, the wild goat, the camelopardalus.

deer, gazelles, wild goats, antelopes, and mountain sheep.

6 Every beast that divideth the hoof in two parts, and cheweth the cud, you shall eat.

Those are animals that have split hoofs and that also (chew their cuds/regurgitate their food [from their stomachs] to chew it again).

7 But of them that chew the cud, but divide not the hoof, you shall not eat, such as the camel, the hare, and the cherogril: because they chew the cud, but divide not the hoof, they shall be unclean to you.

But there are other animals that chew their cuds that you must not eat. Those are camels, rabbits, and rock badgers. They chew their cuds, but their hooves are not split. So they are not acceptable for you to eat.

8 The swine also, because it divideth the hoof, but cheweth not the cud, shall be unclean, their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch.

Do not eat pigs. They are unacceptable for you to eat; their hooves are split, but they do not chew cud. Do not eat the meat of those animals; do not even touch their dead bodies.

9 These shall you eat of all that abide in the waters: All that have fins and scales, you shall eat.

You are permitted to eat any fish that has scales and fins.

10 Such as are without fins and scales, you shall not eat, because they are unclean.

But anything else [that lives in the water] that does not have scales and fins, you must not eat, because [if you eat them], you will become unacceptable [to Yahweh].

11 All birds that are clean you shall eat.

“You are permitted to eat the flesh of any bird that is acceptable [to Yahweh].

12 The unclean eat not: to wit, the eagle, and the grype, and the osprey,

But eagles, vultures, black vultures,

13 The ringtail, and the vulture, and the kite according to their kind:

buzzards, all kinds of kites,

14 And all of the raven’s kind:

all kinds of crows,

15 And the ostrich, and the owl, and the larus, and the hawk according to its kind:

ostriches, seagulls,

16 The heron, and the swan, and the stork,

owls, hawks, falcons,

17 And the cormorant, the porphyrion, and the night crow,

pelicans, vultures that eat dead animals, cormorants,

18 The bittern, and the charadrion, every one in their kind: the hoop also and the bat.

storks, herons, hoopoes, and bats, you must not eat.

19 Every thing that creepeth, and hath little wings, shall be unclean, and shall not be eaten.

“All insects with wings [and which walk on the ground] are unacceptable [to Yahweh]; do not eat them.

20 All that is clean, you shall eat.

But other insects with wings [and which hop along the ground] are acceptable to eat.

21 But whatsoever is dead of itself, eat not thereof. Give it to the stranger, that is within thy gates, to eat, or sell it to him: because thou art the holy people of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not boil a kid in the milk of his dam.

“Do not eat any animal that has died naturally, [because its blood has not been drained out]. You may allow foreigners who live among you to eat those things or you may sell them to other foreigners. But you belong to Yahweh our God; [and those who belong to him are not permitted to eat the meat of animals whose blood has not been drained out]. “You must not cook a young sheep or goat in its mother’s milk.”

22 Every year thou shalt set aside the tithes of all thy fruits that the earth bringeth forth,

“Once each year you must set apart (a tithe/10 percent) of all the crops that are produced/harvested in your fields.

23 And thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose, that his name may be called upon therein, the tithe of thy corn, and thy wine, and thy oil, and the firstborn of thy herds and thy sheep: that thou mayst learn to fear the Lord thy God at all times.

Take those things to the place that Yahweh our God will choose [for you to worship him]. There eat the tithes of your grain, your wine, your [olive] oil, and the meat of the firstborn male animals of your cattle and your sheep. Do this in order that you may learn to always revere Yahweh, [the one who has blessed you by giving you these things].

24 But when the way and the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, are far off, and he hath blessed thee, and thou canst not carry all these things thither,

If the place that Yahweh has chosen [for you to worship him] is very far from your home, with the result that you are not able to take there the tithes [of your crops] with which Yahweh has blessed you, do this:

25 Thou shalt sell them all, and turn them into money, and shalt carry it in thy hand, and shalt go to the place which the Lord shall choose:

Sell [IDM] the tithes of your crops, wrap the money carefully [in a cloth], and take it with you to the place of worship that Yahweh has chosen.

26 And thou shalt buy with the same money whatsoever pleaseth thee, either of the herds or of sheep, wine also and strong drink, and all that thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, and shalt feast, thou and thy house:

There, [with that money], you may buy whatever you want to—beef or lamb or wine or fermented drinks. And there, in the presence of Yahweh, you and your families should eat [and drink] those things and be happy.

27 And the Levite that is within thy gates, beware thou forsake him not, because he hath no other part in thy possession.

But be sure to not neglect/forget [to help] the descendants of Levi who live in your towns, because they will not own any land.

28 The third year thou shalt separate another tithe of all things that grow to thee at that time, and shalt lay it up within thy gates.

“At the end of every three years, bring a tithe of all your crops that have been produced/harvested in that year and store it in your towns.

29 And the Levite that hath no other part nor possession with thee, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, that are within thy gates, shall come and shall eat and be filled: that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the works of thy hands that thou shalt do.

That food is for the descendants of Levi, because they do not have their own land, and for foreigners [who live among you], and for orphans and widows who live in your towns. They are permitted to come [to where the food is stored] and take what they need. Do that in order that Yahweh our God will bless you in everything that you do.”