Leviticus 17
1 The LORD spoke to Moses:
2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites, and say to them: ‘This is what the LORD has commanded:
3 Any man from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat inside the camp or outside the camp
4 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the LORD before the LORD’s tabernacle—that man shall be held guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and must be cut off from among his people.
5 This is so the Israelites will bring to the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting, to the priest, the sacrifices they slaughter in the open field. They must slaughter them there as fellowship offerings to the LORD.
6 The priest shall splatter the blood on the altar of the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.
7 They must no longer slaughter their sacrifices to the goat demons, after which they have prostituted themselves. This is to be a lasting statute for them throughout their generations.’
8 And say to them: ‘Any man from the house of Israel, or any resident foreigner living among them, who presents a burnt offering or a sacrifice
9 and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to the LORD, that man must be cut off from his people.
10 If anyone from the house of Israel, or any resident foreigner living among them, eats any blood, I will set my face against the person who eats blood, and I will cut that person off from among their people.
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives; for it is the blood that makes atonement by means of the life.
12 That is why I told the Israelites, ‘No one among you may eat blood, and no resident foreigner living among you may eat blood.’
13 If anyone from the Israelites, or any resident foreigner living among them, hunts an animal or a bird that may be eaten, that person must drain its blood and cover it with earth.
14 For the life of every living creature is its blood, which is bound up with its life. That is why I told the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any living creature, because the life of every living creature is its blood. Whoever eats it must be cut off.’
15 If anyone eats an animal that died on its own or was torn apart by wild beasts, whether native-born or a resident foreigner, that person must wash their clothes and bathe in water, and will be unclean until evening; then they will be clean.
16 But if they do not wash their clothes or bathe their body, they will bear the consequences of their guilt.’”
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