Leviticus 17
Lexham English Bible
The Place of Sacrifice
17 Then[a] Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to Aaron and to his sons and to all the Israelites,[b] and you shall say to them, ‘This is the word that Yahweh has commanded, saying, 3 “Any man[c] from the house of Israel who slaughters an ox or a sheep or a goat in the camp or who slaughters it outside the camp[d] 4 and he does not bring it to the tent of assembly’s entrance to present an offering to Yahweh before[e] Yahweh’s tabernacle, then[f] that man shall be accounted bloodguilty—he has poured out blood, and that man shall be cut off from the midst of his people. 5 This is so that the Israelites[g] may bring their sacrifices that they are sacrificing in the open field[h] and bring[i] them for Yahweh to the tent of assembly’s entrance to the priest, and they shall sacrifice fellowship offerings for Yahweh with them. 6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on Yahweh’s altar at the tent of assembly’s entrance, and he shall burn[j] the fat as an appeasing fragrance for Yahweh. 7 And they may no longer sacrifice[k] their sacrifices to the goat-idols after which they were prostituting. This is a lasting statute[l] for them throughout[m] their generations.”’
Instructions Against Eating Blood
8 “And you shall say to them, ‘if there is anyone[n] from the house of Israel or[o] from the alien who dwells in their midst who offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 and he does not bring it to the tent of assembly’s entrance to sacrifice[p] it for Yahweh, then[q] that man shall be cut off from his people. 10 And if there is anyone[r] from the house of Israel or[s] from the alien who is dwelling in their midst who eats any blood, then[t] I will set my face against the person who eats the blood, and I will cut him off from among his people. 11 Indeed[u] the flesh’s life is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your lives, because it is the blood with the life that makes atonement. 12 Therefore[v] I said to the Israelites,[w] ‘None of you[x] may eat blood, nor[y] may the alien who is dwelling in your midst eat blood.’
13 “And if there is anyone[z] from the Israelites[aa] or[ab] from the alien who is dwelling in their midst who hunts a wild game animal or a bird that may be eaten, then[ac] he shall pour out its blood, and he shall cover it with the soil. 14 Indeed,[ad] the life of all flesh, its blood, is in its life, so[ae] I said to the Israelites,[af] ‘You may not eat the blood of any flesh, because the life of all flesh is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.’
15 “And if there is any person who eats a dead body or[ag] a mangled carcass, whether among the native or[ah] among the alien, then[ai] he shall wash his garments, and he shall wash himself[aj] with water, and he shall be unclean until the evening, and he shall be clean. 16 But[ak] if he does not wash his garments[al] and he does not wash his body, then[am] he shall bear his guilt.”
Footnotes
- Leviticus 17:1 Or “And”
- Leviticus 17:2 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Leviticus 17:3 Literally “A man a man”
- Leviticus 17:3 Literally “from an outside place of the camp”
- Leviticus 17:4 Literally “to the faces of”
- Leviticus 17:4 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:5 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Leviticus 17:5 Literally “on the faces of the field”
- Leviticus 17:5 Or “they shall bring”
- Leviticus 17:6 Literally “turn into smoke”
- Leviticus 17:7 Literally “not they may sacrifice again”
- Leviticus 17:7 Literally “a statute of eternity” or “a statute of long duration”
- Leviticus 17:7 Literally “to”
- Leviticus 17:8 Literally “A man a man”
- Leviticus 17:8 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:9 Literally “do” or “make”
- Leviticus 17:9 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:10 Literally “a man a man”
- Leviticus 17:10 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:10 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:11 Or “Because”
- Leviticus 17:12 Literally “Unto thus”
- Leviticus 17:12 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Leviticus 17:12 Literally “all of individual self from you not”
- Leviticus 17:12 Or “and not”
- Leviticus 17:13 Literally “a man a man”
- Leviticus 17:13 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Leviticus 17:13 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:13 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:14 Or “Because”
- Leviticus 17:14 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:14 Literally “sons/children of Israel”
- Leviticus 17:15 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:15 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:15 Or “and”
- Leviticus 17:15 The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Leviticus 17:16 Or “And”
- Leviticus 17:16 The direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
- Leviticus 17:16 Or “and”
Leviticus 17
New Living Translation
Prohibitions against Eating Blood
17 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Give the following instructions to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel. This is what the Lord has commanded.
3 “If any native Israelite sacrifices a bull[a] or a lamb or a goat anywhere inside or outside the camp 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance of the Tabernacle[b] to present it as an offering to the Lord, that person will be as guilty as a murderer.[c] Such a person has shed blood and will be cut off from the community. 5 The purpose of this rule is to stop the Israelites from sacrificing animals in the open fields. It will ensure that they bring their sacrifices to the priest at the entrance of the Tabernacle, so he can present them to the Lord as peace offerings. 6 Then the priest will be able to splatter the blood against the Lord’s altar at the entrance of the Tabernacle, and he will burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 7 The people must no longer be unfaithful to the Lord by offering sacrifices to the goat idols.[d] This is a permanent law for them, to be observed from generation to generation.
8 “Give them this command as well. If any native Israelite or foreigner living among you offers a burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 but does not bring it to the entrance of the Tabernacle to offer it to the Lord, that person will be cut off from the community.
10 “And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you eats or drinks blood in any form, I will turn against that person and cut him off from the community of your people, 11 for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord.[e] It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible. 12 That is why I have said to the people of Israel, ‘You must never eat or drink blood—neither you nor the foreigners living among you.’
13 “And if any native Israelite or foreigner living among you goes hunting and kills an animal or bird that is approved for eating, he must drain its blood and cover it with earth. 14 The life of every creature is in its blood. That is why I have said to the people of Israel, ‘You must never eat or drink blood, for the life of any creature is in its blood.’ So whoever consumes blood will be cut off from the community.
15 “And if any native-born Israelites or foreigners eat the meat of an animal that died naturally or was torn up by wild animals, they must wash their clothes and bathe themselves in water. They will remain ceremonially unclean until evening, but then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be punished for their sin.”
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