⁴ Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.^(A)

²³ Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the meat.^(A)

¹⁶ The blood, however, you must not eat; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.^(A)

²³ Its blood, however, you must not eat; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.^(A)

²⁰ but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from sexual immorality and from whatever has been strangled^[a] and from blood.^(A)

²⁶ You must not eat any blood whatever, either of bird or of animal, in any of your settlements.^(A)

²⁹ that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled^[a] and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”^(A)

Eating Blood Prohibited

¹⁰ “If anyone of the house of Israel or of the aliens who reside among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut that person off from the people.^{(A) 11} For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you for making atonement for your lives on the altar, for, as life, it is the blood that makes atonement.^{(B) 12} Therefore I have said to the Israelites, ‘No person among you shall eat blood, nor shall any alien who resides among you eat blood.’

¹³ “And anyone of the Israelites or of the aliens who reside among them who hunts down an animal or bird that may be eaten shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.^{(C) 14} For the life of every creature—its blood is its life; therefore I have said to the Israelites, ‘You shall not eat the blood of any creature, for the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off.’^(D)

¹⁷ It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, in all your settlements: you must not eat any fat or any blood.”^(A)

³³ Then it was reported to Saul, “Look, the troops are sinning against the Lord by eating with the blood.” And he said, “You have dealt treacherously; roll a large stone before me here.”^{[a] 34} Saul said, “Disperse yourselves among the troops and say to them: Let all bring their oxen or their sheep, and slaughter them here and eat, and do not sin against the Lord by eating with the blood.” So all of the troops brought their oxen with them that night and slaughtered them there.