Deuteronomy 14

1 You are the people of the LORD your God: you shall not cut yourselves, nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead.

You are the children of the Lord your God. Don't mutilate yourselves or shave your forehead like pagans do when they mourn the dead,

2 For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth.

because you are a holy people who belong to the Lord your God. The Lord chose you as his special people out of all the nations on earth.

3 You shall not eat any abominable thing.

You must not eat anything repulsive.

4 These are the animals which you may eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,

These are the animals that you are allowed to eat: cattle, sheep, goats,

5 the deer, and the gazelle, and the roebuck, and the wild goat, and the ibex, and the antelope, and the chamois.

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

6 Every animal that parts the hoof, and has the hoof cloven in two and chews the cud, among the animals, that may you eat.

You can eat any animal that both has a divided hoof and also chews the cud.

7 Nevertheless these you shall not eat of them that chew the cud, or of those who have the hoof cloven: the camel, and the hare, and the rabbit; because they chew the cud but do not part the hoof, they are unclean to you.

But you are not allowed to eat those that either chew the cud or have a divided hoof. This includes: camels, rabbits, and rock hyraxes. Even though they chew the cud, they don't have a divided hoof. You must treat them as unclean.

8 The pig, because it has a split hoof, but doesn't chew the cud, is unclean to you: of their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch.

The same applies to the pig. Even though it has a divided hoof, it does not chew the cud. So you must treat it as unclean. You must not eat its meat or touch its dead body.

9 These you may eat of all that are in the waters: whatever has fins and scales may you eat;

When it comes to creatures that live in the water, you are allowed to eat anything that has fins and scales.

10 and whatever doesn't have fins and scales you shall not eat; it is unclean to you.

But you must not eat anything that does not have fins and scales. You must treat them as unclean.

11 Of all clean birds you may eat.

You are allowed to eat any clean bird.

12 But these are they of which you shall not eat: the eagle, and the vulture, and the osprey,

But you must not eat the following: eagle, griffon vulture, bearded vulture,

13 and the kite, and the buzzard, and the vulture after its kind,

buzzard, kites, any kind of falcon,

14 and every raven after its kind,

any member of the crow family,

15 and the ostrich, and the owl, and the seagull, and the hawk after its kind,

tawny owl, long-eared owl, gulls, any kind of hawk,

16 the little owl, and the great owl, and the horned owl,

little owl, eagle owl, barn owl,

17 and the pelican, and the vulture, and the cormorant,

desert owl, Egyptian vulture, fish owl,

18 and the stork, and the heron after its kind, and the hoopoe, and the bat.

storks, any kind of heron, hoopoe, or bats.

19 All winged crawling creatures are unclean to you: they shall not be eaten.

All insects that fly are unclean to you; you must not eat them.

20 Of all clean birds you may eat.

But you are allowed to eat any clean animal that has wings.

21 You shall not eat of anything that dies of itself: you may give it to the foreigner living among you who is within your gates, that he may eat it; or you may sell it to a foreigner: for you are a holy people to the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.

You must not eat any animal that dies. You can give it to a foreigner in your town, and they can eat it, or you can sell it to a foreigner. You, however, are a holy people who belong to the Lord your God. Don't cook a young goat in its mother's milk.

22 You shall surely tithe all the increase of your seed, that which comes forth from the field year by year.

Make sure you pay a tithe of every crop grown each year in your fields.

23 You shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place which he shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, the tithe of your grain, of your new wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock; that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

You are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose to live with you, so that you will learn to always respect the Lord your God.

24 If the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry it, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God shall choose, to set his name there, when the LORD your God shall bless you;

However, if it's too far to carry all the tithe that the Lord your God has blessed you with, because the place where the Lord your God will choose to live with you is too distant,

25 then you shall turn it into money, and bind up the money in your hand, and shall go to the place which the LORD your God shall choose:

then you can exchange it for money, take the money with you and go to the place the Lord your God will choose.

26 and you shall bestow the money for whatever your soul desires, for cattle, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatever your soul asks of you; and you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.

Then you can spend the money on anything you like—cattle, sheep, wine, alcoholic drink, or anything else you want. Then you can have a feast there in the presence of the Lord your God and celebrate with your family.

27 The Levite who is within your gates, you shall not forsake him; for he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

Don't forget to take care of the Levites in your town, because they don't have any share in the allotment of land.

28 At the end of every three years you shall bring forth all the tithe of your increase in the same year, and shall lay it up within your gates:

At the end of every third year, collect a tenth of all your produce for that year and store it in your town.

29 and the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the foreigner living among you, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

This way the Levites (who don't have any share in the allotment of land), the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows in your town will be provided with what they need. The Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.