Leviticus 17

₁The Lord said to Moses: ₂‘You must tell Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel that the Lord has said that ₃an Israelite who kills a bull or a sheep ram or a goat-ram may not do it inside or outside the camp. ₄He must bring it to the entrance of the tent of the Lord and he must sacrifice it to the Lord in front of the tent. Anyone who does not kill it there is guilty of the sin of bloodshed. He has poured out blood and you must cut him off from his people. ₅The Israelites may not sacrifice their offerings in the field like they did before. They must bring their offerings to the priest at the entrance of the tent of the Lord and they must sacrifice them as meal-offerings to the Lord. ₆The priest must sprinkle the blood against the altar of the Lord at the entrance of the tent of the Lord and he must burn the fat on the altar. This will please the Lord. ₇The Israelites may not be unfaithful to the Lord as they were before when they sacrificed offerings to the gods in the desert. The Israelites and their descendants may never do that again.

₈You must tell the Israelites: An Israelite, or a stranger who lives among them, who sacrifices a burnt-offering or any other offering ₉may only sacrifice it at the entrance of the tent of the Lord. He must sacrifice it to God at the tent. If he does not sacrifice it there, then they must cut him off from his people.’

₁₀‘If an Israelite or a stranger eats blood, then I will be angry with him and you must cut him off from his people. ₁₁Because the life of a person or animal is in their blood and I have given you blood for making atonement on the altar. Life is in the blood and blood makes atonement for your lives. ₁₂That is why I am telling you, the people of Israel and the strangers who live among you, that none of you may eat blood. ₁₃When an Israelite or a stranger kills a wild animal or bird that he may eat, then he must let the blood flow out of the animal and he must cover it with sand. ₁₄Because the life of every person or animal is in their blood. That is why I am saying to you: You may never eat blood and if someone does, you must cut him off from his people.

₁₅Any Israelite or stranger who eats an animal that he has found dead, or which has died because a wild animal has killed it, must wash his clothes and he must bathe himself. He is impure until the evening, and then he will be pure again. ₁₆If he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, then I will punish him because he is guilty.’