Do not eat these animals or even touch their dead bodies; they are unclean.

(SEE 11:24)

(SEE 11:24)

Whoever touches them or their dead bodies will be unclean until evening.

But if the seed is soaking in water and one of them falls on it, the seed is unclean.

And if any of you eat any part of the animal, you must wash your clothes, but you will still be unclean until evening; any of you who carry the dead body must wash your clothes, but you will still be unclean until evening.

Any people, Israelites or foreigners, who eat meat from an animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild animals must wash their clothes, take a bath, and wait until evening before they are ritually clean.

If they do not, they must suffer the consequences.

The Sovereign LORD Almighty himself spoke to me and said, "This evil will never be forgiven them as long as they live. I, the Sovereign LORD Almighty, have spoken."

Do not be fooled. "Bad companions ruin good character."

And so the Lord says, "You must leave them and separate yourselves from them. Have nothing to do with what is unclean, and I will accept you.

In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins.

Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger.

Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light.

So let no one make rules about what you eat or drink or about holy days or the New Moon Festival or the Sabbath.

All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ.

You have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe. Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world? Why do you obey such rules as

for then he would have had to suffer many times ever since the creation of the world. Instead, now when all ages of time are nearing the end, he has appeared once and for all, to remove sin through the sacrifice of himself.

But if we live in the light---just as he is in the light---then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin.