If you unintentionally touch anything ritually unclean, such as a dead animal, you are unclean and guilty as soon as you realize what you have done.

Be sure to leave Babylonia, all you that carry the Temple equipment. Touch no forbidden thing; keep yourselves holy and leave.

The people of Israel will not remain in the LORD's land, but will have to go back to Egypt and will have to eat forbidden food in Assyria.

It is not what goes into your mouth that makes you ritually unclean; rather, what comes out of it makes you unclean."

These are the things that make you unclean. But to eat without washing your hands as they say you should---this doesn't make you unclean."

They noticed that some of his disciples were eating their food with hands that were ritually unclean---that is, they had not washed them in the way the Pharisees said people should.

There is nothing that goes into you from the outside which can make you ritually unclean. Rather, it is what comes out of you that makes you unclean."

"You are no more intelligent than the others," Jesus said to them. "Don't you understand? Nothing that goes into you from the outside can really make you unclean,

He became hungry and wanted something to eat; while the food was being prepared, he had a vision.

In it were all kinds of animals, reptiles, and wild birds.

But Peter said, "Certainly not, Lord! I have never eaten anything ritually unclean or defiled."

He said to them, "You yourselves know very well that a Jew is not allowed by his religion to visit or associate with Gentiles. But God has shown me that I must not consider any person ritually unclean or defiled.

eat no food that has been offered to idols; eat no blood; eat no animal that has been strangled; and keep yourselves from sexual immorality. You will do well if you take care not to do these things. With our best wishes."

My union with the Lord Jesus makes me certain that no food is of itself ritually unclean; but if you believe that some food is unclean, then it becomes unclean for you.

Do not let what you regard as good get a bad name.

Food, however, will not improve our relation with God; we shall not lose anything if we do not eat, nor shall we gain anything if we do eat.

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.

So have nothing at all to do with such people.

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.

"Don't handle this," "Don't taste that," "Don't touch the other"?

Of course such rules appear to be based on wisdom in their forced worship of angels, and false humility, and severe treatment of the body; but they have no real value in controlling physical passions.

since they have to do only with food, drink, and various purification ceremonies. These are all outward rules, which apply only until the time when God will establish the new order.