Om at være indviet til Herren
1I er Guds børn. Derfor må I ikke snitte jer selv til blods eller barbere ansigtshåret14,1 Ifølge Jer. 41,5 var det et tegn på sorg at snitte sig selv og barbere skægget af, muligvis også øjenbrynene. Skikken var forbundet med afgudsdyrkelse og derfor forbudt for Israels folk. Teksten her taler ikke direkte om skægget, men om håret foran på hovedet, altså på ansigtet. af for at vise jeres sorg over en, der er død, sådan som de andre folkeslag gør. 2Nej, I skal være et helligt folk, indviet til Herren alene, for han har udvalgt jer blandt alle folk på jorden til at være hans ejendomsfolk.
3I må ikke spise urene dyr, 4men I må gerne spise okser, får, geder, 5hjorte, gazeller, antiloper, rådyr, stenbukke og bjerggeder.
6Alle dyr, der tygger drøv og har spaltede klove, må I spise, 7men alle andre dyr må I ikke spise. Derfor må I ikke spise kameler, harer og klippegrævlinger, for de tygger drøv, men de har ikke spaltede klove.
8I må heller ikke spise svin, for de har spaltede klove, men de tygger ikke drøv og er derfor urene. I må ikke engang røre den slags dyr, når de er døde.
9Alle fisk med finner og skæl må I spise, 10alle andre dyr, der lever i vandet, skal I regne for urene.
11-18Alle fugle må I spise, bortset fra følgende som er urene: ørne, gribbe, fiskeørne, de forskellige falke- og høgearter, krager og ravne, strudse, måger, skarver, ibiser, rørhøns, ørkenugler, storke, de forskellige hejrearter og hærfugle.14,11-18 Betydningen af nogle af de hebraiske navne for fuglearter kendes ikke med sikkerhed. Flagermus må I heller ikke spise.
19Alle insekter med vinger er urene og må derfor ikke spises, 20men de dyr med vinger, som er rene, må I gerne spise.14,20 Ifølge 3.Mos. 11,20-23 er alle insekter urene og må ikke spises, bortset fra græshopper, der ikke regnes for insekter, men vingede væsener på linie med de småfugle, der ikke er rovdyr.
21Spis ikke selvdøde dyr, men sælg dem eventuelt til de fremmede iblandt jer, så de kan spise dem. Men I må ikke selv spise den slags, for I er et helligt folk, indviet til Herren jeres Gud.
Kog ikke et gedekid i mælk fra dets mor.
Om tiende
22Hvert år skal I give en tiendedel af jeres høst til Herren. 23Bring din tiende til det sted, som Herren vil udvælge til sin helligdom og hold festmåltid der. Det gælder tiende af korn, ny vin og olivenolie samt de førstefødte husdyr. Formålet med at give tiende er, at I derved skal lære at sætte Gud på førstepladsen i jeres liv. 24Hvis helligdommen ligger så langt borte, at det er for besværligt at bringe tienden dertil, 25kan I sælge de varer, I ellers skulle have givet i tiende, og rejse op til helligdommen med pengene 26og dér købe en okse, et får, noget vin eller øl, så I sammen med jeres husstand kan feste for Herrens ansigt. 27Glem ikke levitterne iblandt jer. Inviter dem med og del maden med dem, for de har ikke fået tildelt jord som jer andre.
28Hvert tredje år skal I samle tienden på et bestemt sted i byen 29og dele den ud mellem de jordløse levitter, de fremmede, enkerne og de forældreløse iblandt jer, så de kan komme og spise sig mætte. Da vil Herren, jeres Gud, velsigne jer i jeres arbejde.
“Clean” and “Unclean” Food
1You are the children of the Lord your God. Don’t cut yourselves to honor the dead. Don’t shave the front of your heads to honor the dead. 2You are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself. He has chosen you to be his special treasure. He chose you out of all the nations on the face of the earth.
3Don’t eat anything the Lord hates. 4Here are the only animals you can eat. You can eat oxen, sheep, goats, 5deer, gazelles, roe deer, wild goats, ibexes, antelope and mountain sheep. 6You can eat any animal that has a divided hoof. But it must also chew the cud. 7Some animals only chew the cud. Others only have a divided hoof. The camel, rabbit and rock badger chew the cud, but they don’t have a divided hoof. So you can’t eat them. They are not “clean” for you. 8Pigs aren’t “clean” for you either. They have a divided hoof, but they don’t chew the cud. So don’t eat their meat. And don’t touch their dead bodies.
9Many creatures live in water. You can eat all the ones that have fins and scales. 10But don’t eat anything that doesn’t have fins and scales. It isn’t “clean” for you.
11You can eat any “clean” bird. 12But there are many birds you can’t eat. They include eagles, vultures, and black vultures. 13They include red kites, black kites and all kinds of falcons. 14They include all kinds of ravens. 15They include horned owls, screech owls, gulls and all kinds of hawks. 16They include little owls, great owls, white owls 17and desert owls. They include ospreys and cormorants. 18They include storks and all kinds of herons. They also include hoopoes and bats.
19All flying insects are “unclean” for you. So don’t eat them. 20But you can eat any creature that has wings and is “clean.”
21If you find something that’s already dead, don’t eat it. You can give it to an outsider living in any of your towns. They may eat it. Or you can sell it to someone from another country. But you are a holy nation. The Lord your God has set you apart for himself.
Don’t cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.
Give a Tenth of What You Produce
22Be sure to set apart a tenth of everything your fields produce each year. 23Here are the things you should eat in the sight of the Lord your God. You should eat a tenth part of your grain, olive oil and fresh wine. You should also eat the male animals among your livestock that were born first to their mothers. Eat all these things at the special place the Lord your God will choose. He will put his Name there. You will learn to honor him always. 24But suppose the place the Lord will choose for his Name is too far away from you. And suppose your God has blessed you. And your tenth part is too heavy for you to carry. 25Then sell it for silver. Take the silver with you. Go to the place the Lord your God will choose. 26Use the silver to buy anything you like. It can be cattle or sheep. It can be any kind of wine. In fact, it can be anything else you wish. Then you and your family can eat there in the sight of the Lord your God. You can be filled with joy. 27Don’t forget to take care of the Levites who will live in your towns. They won’t receive any part of the land as their share.
28At the end of every three years, bring a tenth of everything you produce that year. Store it in your towns. 29Then the Levites can come and eat. That’s because they won’t receive any part of the land as their share. The outsiders and widows who live in your towns can come. So can the children whose fathers have died. Everyone can have plenty to eat. Then the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do.
