CHAPTER 17
“Speak
to
Aaron,
his sons,
and all
the Israelites
and tell
them
this
is what
the LORD
has commanded:
‘Anyone
from the house
of Israel
who
slaughters
an ox,
a lamb,
or
a goat
in the camp
or outside
of it
instead of
bringing
it to
the entrance
to the Tent
of Meeting
to present
it as an offering
to the LORD
before
His
tabernacle—
that
man
shall incur
bloodguilt.
He has shed
blood
and must be cut off
from
his people.
For this reason
the Israelites
will bring
to the LORD
the sacrifices
they
have been offering
in
the open
fields.
They are to bring
them to
the priest
at
the entrance
to the Tent
of Meeting
and offer
them
as sacrifices
of peace
to the LORD.
The priest
will then sprinkle
the blood
on
the altar
of the LORD
at the entrance
to the Tent
of Meeting
and burn
the fat
as a pleasing
aroma
to the LORD.
They must no
longer
offer
their sacrifices
to the goat demons
to which
they
have prostituted
themselves.
This
will be
a permanent
statute
for them
for the generations to come.’
Tell
them
that if anyone
from
the house
of Israel
or any foreigner
living
among them
offers
a burnt offering
or
a sacrifice
but does not
bring
it to
the entrance
to the Tent
of Meeting
to sacrifice
it
to the LORD,
that
man
must be cut off
from among his people.
If anyone
from
the house
of Israel
or foreigner
living
among them
eats
any
blood,
I will set
My face
against that person
and cut him off
from among
his people.
For
the life
of a creature
is in the blood,
and I
have given it
to you
to make an atonement
for
your souls
upon
the altar,
since
it
is the lifeblood
that makes atonement.
Therefore
I say
to the Israelites,
‘None
of you
may eat
blood,
nor may
any foreigner
living
among you
eat
blood.’
And if any
Israelite
or foreigner
living
among them
hunts down
a wild
animal
or
bird
that
may be eaten,
he must drain
its blood
and cover
it with dirt.
For
the life
of all
flesh
is its blood.
Therefore I have told
the Israelites:
You must not
eat
the blood
of any
living thing,
because
the life
of all
flesh
is its blood;
whoever
eats
it must be cut off.
And any
person,
whether native
or foreigner,
who
eats
anything found dead
or mauled by wild beasts
must wash
his clothes
and bathe
with water,
and he will be unclean
until
evening;
then he will be clean.