¹⁷ “‘This is a lasting ordinance^(A) for the generations to come,^(B) wherever you live:^(C) You must not eat any fat or any blood.^(D)’”

² The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be splashed against the sides of the altar. ³ All its fat^(A) shall be offered: the fat tail and the fat that covers the internal organs, ⁴ both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the long lobe of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys.^{(B) 5} The priest shall burn them on the altar^(C) as a food offering presented to the Lord. It is a guilt offering. ⁶ Any male in a priest’s family may eat it,^(D) but it must be eaten in the sanctuary area; it is most holy.^(E)

⁷ “‘The same law applies to both the sin offering^[a](F) and the guilt offering:^(G) They belong to the priest^(H) who makes atonement with them.^{(I) 8} The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide^(J) for himself. ⁹ Every grain offering baked in an oven^(K) or cooked in a pan^(L) or on a griddle^(M) belongs to the priest who offers it, ¹⁰ and every grain offering, whether mixed with olive oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.

The Fellowship Offering

¹¹ “‘These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord:

¹² “‘If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering^(N) they are to offer thick loaves^(O) made without yeast^(P) and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves^(Q) made without yeast and brushed with oil,^(R) and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. ¹³ Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgiving^(S) they are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast.^{(T) 14} They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. ¹⁵ The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.^(U)

¹⁶ “‘If, however, their offering is the result of a vow^(V) or is a freewill offering,^(W) the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day they offer it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day.^{(X) 17} Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up.^{(Y) 18} If any meat of the fellowship offering^(Z) is eaten on the third day, the one who offered it will not be accepted.^(AA) It will not be reckoned^(AB) to their credit, for it has become impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible.^(AC)

¹⁹ “‘Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up. As for other meat, anyone ceremonially clean may eat it. ²⁰ But if anyone who is unclean^(AD) eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord, they must be cut off from their people.^{(AE) 21} Anyone who touches something unclean^(AF)—whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean creature that moves along the ground^[b]—and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the Lord must be cut off from their people.’”

Eating Fat and Blood Forbidden

²² The Lord said to Moses, ²³ “Say to the Israelites: ‘Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats.^{(AG) 24} The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals^(AH) may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. ²⁵ Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which a food offering may be^[c] presented to the Lord must be cut off from their people. ²⁶ And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood^(AI) of any bird or animal. ²⁷ Anyone who eats blood^(AJ) must be cut off from their people.’”

The One Place of Worship

12 These are the decrees^(A) and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess—as long as you live in the land.^{(B) 2} Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,^(C) on the hills and under every spreading tree,^(D) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. ³ Break down their altars, smash^(E) their sacred stones and burn^(F) their Asherah^(G) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names^(H) from those places.

⁴ You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.^{(I) 5} But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name^(J) there for his dwelling.^(K) To that place you must go; ⁶ there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes^(L) and special gifts, what you have vowed^(M) to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.^{(N) 7} There, in the presence^(O) of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice^(P) in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

⁸ You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit,^{(Q) 9} since you have not yet reached the resting place^(R) and the inheritance^(S) the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁰ But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving^(T) you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest^(U) from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. ¹¹ Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name^(V)—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord.^{(W) 12} And there rejoice^(X) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites^(Y) from your towns who have no allotment or inheritance^(Z) of their own. ¹³ Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please.^{(AA) 14} Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose^(AB) in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.

¹⁵ Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer,^(AC) according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. ¹⁶ But you must not eat the blood;^(AD) pour^(AE) it out on the ground like water.^{(AF) 17} You must not eat in your own towns the tithe^(AG) of your grain and new wine and olive oil,^(AH) or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give,^(AI) or your freewill offerings or special gifts.^{(AJ) 18} Instead, you are to eat^(AK) them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose^(AL)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoice^(AM) before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. ¹⁹ Be careful not to neglect the Levites^(AN) as long as you live in your land.^(AO)

²⁰ When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory^(AP) as he promised^(AQ) you, and you crave meat^(AR) and say, “I would like some meat,” then you may eat as much of it as you want. ²¹ If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his Name^(AS) is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want.^{(AT) 22} Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.^(AU) Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. ²³ But be sure you do not eat the blood,^(AV) because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.^{(AW) 24} You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.^(AX)

³² They pounced on the plunder^(A) and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood.^{(B) 33} Then someone said to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has blood^(C) in it.”

“You have broken faith,” he said. “Roll a large stone over here at once.” ³⁴ Then he said, “Go out among the men and tell them, ‘Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still^(D) in it.’”

So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.