Leviticus 17

1Yahweh spoke to Moses:

2“Speak to Aaron and his sons and to all the Israelites, and say to them: This is what Yahweh has commanded.

3Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a lamb or a goat in the camp, or who slaughters it outside the camp,

4and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to Yahweh in front of Yahweh’s tabernacle—bloodguilt will be counted against that person. They have shed blood, and that person must be cut off from among their people.

5This is so that the Israelites will bring their sacrifices, which they are now sacrificing in the open field—so that they will bring them to Yahweh, to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings to Yahweh.

6The priest is to splash the blood against Yahweh’s altar at the entrance of the tent of meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to Yahweh.

7They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat demons, after whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a permanent statute for them throughout their generations.

8Say to them also: Anyone from the house of Israel, or from the foreigners who live among them, who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice

9and does not bring it to the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it to Yahweh—that person must be cut off from their people.

10If anyone from the house of Israel, or from the foreigners who live among them, eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats the blood and cut them off from among their people.

11For the life of the body is in the blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, because it is by the life that the blood makes atonement.

12That is why I have said to the Israelites, ‘No one among you may eat blood, and no foreigner who lives among you may eat blood.’

13Anyone from the Israelites, or from the foreigners who live among them, who hunts and catches a wild animal or a bird that may be eaten must pour out its blood and cover it with dirt.

14For the life of every creature is its blood; its blood is its life. So I have said to the Israelites, ‘You must not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood. Anyone who eats it must be cut off.’

15Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats an animal that died on its own or was torn by wild animals must wash their clothes and bathe in water, and they will be unclean until evening; then they will be clean.

16But if they do not wash their clothes or bathe their body, they will bear their guilt.”