¹Now the Lᴏʀᴅ spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying to them, ²“Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘These are the animals which you may eat among all the animals that are on the earth: ³Among the animals, whatever divides the hoof, having cloven hooves and chewing the cud—that you may eat. ⁴Nevertheless these you shall not eat among those that chew the cud or those that have cloven hooves: the camel, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; ⁵the rock hyrax, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; ⁶the hare, because it chews the cud but does not have cloven hooves, is unclean to you; ⁷and the swine, though it divides the hoof, having cloven hooves, yet does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. ⁸Their flesh you shall not eat, and their carcasses you shall not touch. They are unclean to you. ⁹‘These you may eat of all that are in the water: whatever in the water has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers—that you may eat. ¹⁰But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you. ¹¹They shall be an abomination to you; you shall not eat their flesh, but you shall regard their carcasses as an abomination. ¹²Whatever in the water does not have fins or scales—that shall be an abomination to you. ¹³‘And these you shall regard as an abomination among the birds; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, the vulture, the buzzard, ¹⁴the kite, and the falcon after its kind; ¹⁵every raven after its kind, ¹⁶the ostrich, the short-eared owl, the sea gull, and the hawk after its kind; ¹⁷the little owl, the fisher owl, and the screech owl; ¹⁸the white owl, the jackdaw, and the carrion vulture; ¹⁹the stork, the heron after its kind, the hoopoe, and the bat. ²⁰‘All flying insects that creep on all fours shall be an abomination to you. ²¹Yet these you may eat of every flying insect that creeps on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to leap on the earth. ²²These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. ²³But all other flying insects which have four feet shall be an abomination to you. ²⁴‘By these you shall become unclean; whoever touches the carcass of any of them shall be unclean until evening; ²⁵whoever carries part of the carcass of any of them shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening: ²⁶The carcass of any animal which divides the foot, but is not cloven-hoofed or does not chew the cud, is unclean to you. Everyone who touches it shall be unclean. ²⁷And whatever goes on its paws, among all kinds of animals that go on all fours, those are unclean to you. Whoever touches any such carcass shall be unclean until evening. ²⁸Whoever carries any such carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. It is unclean to you. ²⁹‘These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; ³⁰the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. ³¹These are unclean to you among all that creep. Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. ³²Anything on which any of them falls, when they are dead shall be unclean, whether it is any item of wood or clothing or skin or sack, whatever item it is, in which any work is done, it must be put in water. And it shall be unclean until evening; then it shall be clean. ³³Any earthen vessel into which any of them falls you shall break; and whatever is in it shall be unclean: ³⁴in such a vessel, any edible food upon which water falls becomes unclean, and any drink that may be drunk from it becomes unclean. ³⁵And everything on which a part of any such carcass falls shall be unclean; whether it is an oven or cooking stove, it shall be broken down; for they are unclean, and shall be unclean to you. ³⁶Nevertheless a spring or a cistern, in which there is plenty of water, shall be clean, but whatever touches any such carcass becomes unclean. ³⁷And if a part of any such carcass falls on any planting seed which is to be sown, it remains clean. ³⁸But if water is put on the seed, and if a part of any such carcass falls on it, it becomes unclean to you. ³⁹‘And if any animal which you may eat dies, he who touches its carcass shall be unclean until evening. ⁴⁰He who eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. He also who carries its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until evening. ⁴¹‘And every creeping thing that creeps on the earth shall be an abomination. It shall not be eaten. ⁴²Whatever crawls on its belly, whatever goes on all fours, or whatever has many feet among all creeping things that creep on the earth—these you shall not eat, for they are an abomination. ⁴³You shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creeps; nor shall you make yourselves unclean with them, lest you be defiled by them. ⁴⁴For I am the Lᴏʀᴅ your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. ⁴⁵For I am the Lᴏʀᴅ who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. ⁴⁶‘This is the law of the animals and the birds and every living creature that moves in the waters, and of every creature that creeps on the earth, ⁴⁷to distinguish between the unclean and the clean, and between the animal that may be eaten and the animal that may not be eaten.’ ”

¹Then the Lᴏʀᴅ spoke to Moses, saying, ²“Speak to the children of Israel, saying: ‘If a woman has conceived, and borne a male child, then she shall be unclean seven days; as in the days of her customary impurity she shall be unclean. ³And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. ⁴She shall then continue in the blood of her purification thirty-three days. She shall not touch any hallowed thing, nor come into the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled. ⁵But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her customary impurity, and she shall continue in the blood of her purification sixty-six days. ⁶‘When the days of her purification are fulfilled, whether for a son or a daughter, she shall bring to the priest a lamb of the first year as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtledove as a sin offering, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ⁷Then he shall offer it before the Lᴏʀᴅ, and make atonement for her. And she shall be clean from the flow of her blood. This is the law for her who has borne a male or a female. ⁸And if she is not able to bring a lamb, then she may bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons—one as a burnt offering and the other as a sin offering. So the priest shall make atonement for her, and she will be clean.’ ”

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. How long, O Lᴏʀᴅ? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me? ²How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? ³Consider and hear me, O Lᴏʀᴅ my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death; ⁴Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved. ⁵But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. ⁶I will sing to the Lᴏʀᴅ, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

¹To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. ²The Lᴏʀᴅ looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. ³They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one. ⁴Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, Who eat up my people as they eat bread, And do not call on the Lᴏʀᴅ? ⁵There they are in great fear, For God is with the generation of the righteous. ⁶You shame the counsel of the poor, But the Lᴏʀᴅ is his refuge. ⁷Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lᴏʀᴅ brings back the captivity of His people, Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.

¹As snow in summer and rain in harvest, So honor is not fitting for a fool. ²Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight. ³A whip for the horse, A bridle for the donkey, And a rod for the fool’s back. ⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him. ⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, Lest he be wise in his own eyes. ⁶He who sends a message by the hand of a fool Cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. ⁷Like the legs of the lame that hang limp Is a proverb in the mouth of fools. ⁸Like one who binds a stone in a sling Is he who gives honor to a fool. ⁹Like a thorn that goes into the hand of a drunkard Is a proverb in the mouth of fools. ¹⁰The great God who formed everything Gives the fool his hire and the transgressor his wages. ¹¹As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly. ¹²Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. ¹³The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!” ¹⁴As a door turns on its hinges, So does the lazy man on his bed. ¹⁵The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. ¹⁶The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly. ¹⁷He who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own Is like one who takes a dog by the ears. ¹⁸Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, ¹⁹Is the man who deceives his neighbor, And says, “I was only joking!” ²⁰Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. ²¹As charcoal is to burning coals, and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife. ²²The words of a talebearer are like tasty trifles, And they go down into the inmost body. ²³Fervent lips with a wicked heart Are like earthenware covered with silver dross. ²⁴He who hates, disguises it with his lips, And lays up deceit within himself; ²⁵When he speaks kindly, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart; ²⁶Though his hatred is covered by deceit, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. ²⁷Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, And he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. ²⁸A lying tongue hates those who are crushed by it, And a flattering mouth works ruin.

¹But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. ²For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. ³For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. ⁴But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. ⁷For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. ⁸But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. ¹¹Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. ¹²And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, ¹³and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves. ¹⁴Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. ¹⁵See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all. ¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise prophecies. ²¹Test all things; hold fast what is good. ²²Abstain from every form of evil. ²³Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. ²⁵Brethren, pray for us. ²⁶Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. ²⁷I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read to all the holy brethren. ²⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.