1The LORD said to Moses,2‘Speak to Aaron and his sons. Speak to all the Israelites. Tell them, “Here is what the LORD has commanded. He has said,3‘Suppose someone sacrifices an ox, a lamb or a goat. They sacrifice it in the camp or outside it.4They do it instead of bringing the animal to the entrance to the tent of meeting. They sacrifice it instead of giving it as an offering to me in front of my holy tent. Then they will be thought of as guilty of spilling blood. Because they have done that, they must be separated from their people.5The Israelites are now making sacrifices in the open fields. But they must bring their sacrifices to the priest. They must bring them to me at the entrance to the tent of meeting. There they must sacrifice them as friendship offerings.6The priest must splash the blood against my altar. It is the altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting. He must burn the fat. Its smell will please me.7The Israelites must stop offering any of their sacrifices to statues of gods that look like goats. When they offer sacrifices to those statues, they are not faithful to me. This is a law for them that will last for all time to come.’ ”8‘Tell them, “Suppose someone offers a burnt offering or sacrifice. It does not matter whether they are an Israelite or an outsider.9And suppose they do not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to me. Then they must be separated from their people.10‘ “Suppose someone eats meat that still has blood in it. It does not matter whether they are an Israelite or an outsider. I will turn against them if they eat it. I will separate them from their people.11The life of each creature is in its blood. So I have given you the blood of animals to pay for your sin on the altar. Blood is life. That is why blood pays for your sin.12So I say to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat meat that still has blood in it. And an outsider who lives among you must not eat it either.’13‘ “Suppose any of you hunts any animal or bird that can be eaten. It does not matter whether you are an Israelite or an outsider. You must let the blood flow out of the animal or bird. You must cover the blood with soil.14That is because every creature’s life is its blood. And that is why I have said to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat any creature’s meat that still has blood in it. Every creature’s life is its blood. Anyone who eats that kind of meat must be separated from the community of Israel.’15‘ “Suppose someone eats anything found dead or torn apart by wild animals. It does not matter whether they are an Israelite or an outsider. They must wash their clothes. They must take a bath. They will be ‘unclean’ until evening. After that, they will be ‘clean’.16But suppose they do not wash their clothes. And suppose they do not take a bath. Then they will be held responsible for what they have done.” ’
Leviticus 17
English Standard Version
The Place of Sacrifice
1And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,2“Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the people of Israel and say to them, This is the thing that the Lord has commanded.3If any one of the house of Israel kills an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp, (De 12:5; De 12:13; De 12:21)4and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a gift to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord, bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood, and that man shall be cut off from among his people. (Ex 30:33; Le 17:9)5This is to the end that the people of Israel may bring their sacrifices that they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to the Lord, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord. (Le 1:5; Le 14:7; Le 14:53)6And the priest shall throw the blood on the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat for a pleasing aroma to the Lord. (Ge 8:21; Le 17:5)7So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations. (Ex 34:15)8“And you shall say to them, Any one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice (Le 1:2)9and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the Lord, that man shall be cut off from his people. (Le 17:4)
Laws Against Eating Blood
10“If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. (Le 3:17; Le 20:3; Le 20:6; Le 26:17; Ps 34:16; Jer 44:11; Eze 14:8; Eze 15:7)11For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. (Le 17:14; Mt 26:28; Mr 14:24; Ro 3:25; Ro 5:9; Eph 1:7; Col 1:14; Col 1:20; Heb 9:22; Heb 13:12; 1Jo 1:7; Re 1:5)12Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.13“Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth. (De 12:16; De 12:24; De 15:23; Eze 24:7)14For the life of every creature[1] is its blood: its blood is its life.[2] Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off. (Ge 9:4; Le 17:11)15And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or a sojourner, shall wash his clothes and bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. (Le 11:25; Le 15:5; Le 16:29; Le 22:8)16But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, he shall bear his iniquity.” (Le 5:1; Nu 19:20)