1    2   The Lord spoke to Moses and said, Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites in these words: This is what the Lord has commanded. 3   Any Israelite who slaughters an ox, a sheep, or a goat, either inside or outside the camp, 4   and does not bring it to the entrance

The law of holiness of the Tent of the Presence to present it as an offering to the Lord before the Tabernacle of the Lord shall be held guilty of bloodshed: that man has shed blood and shall be cut off from his people. 5   The purpose is that the Israelites should bring to the Lord the animals which they slaughter in the open country; they shall bring them to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of the Presence and sacrifice them as shared-offerings to the Lord. 6   The priest shall fling the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance to the Tent of the Presence, and burn the fat as a soothing odour to the Lord. 7   They shall no longer sacrifice their slaughtered beasts to the demons ^note whom they wantonly follow. This shall be a rule binding on them and their descendants for all time.

8   You shall say to them: Any Israelite or alien settled in Israel who 9   offers a whole-offering or a sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance of the Tent of the Presence to sacrifice it to the Lord shall be cut off from his father's kin.

10   If any Israelite or alien settled in Israel eats any blood, I will set my face against the eater and cut him off from his people, 11   because the life of a creature is the blood, and I appoint it to make expiation on the altar for yourselves: it is the blood, that is the life, that makes expiation. 12   Therefore I have told the Israelites that neither you, nor any alien settled among you, shall eat blood.

13   Any Israelite or alien settled in Israel who hunts beasts or birds that may lawfully be eaten shall drain out the blood and cover it with earth, because the life of every living creature is the blood, 14    ^note and I have forbidden the Israelites to eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood: every man who eats it shall be cut off.

15   Every person, native or alien, who eats that which has died a natural death or has been mauled by wild beasts shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain ritually unclean till evening; then he shall be clean. 16   If he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he must accept responsibility.

Previous section

Next section