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17 Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is the thing which Yahweh has commanded: Whatever man there is of the house of Israel who kills a bull, or lamb, or goat in the camp, or who kills it outside the camp, and hasn’t brought it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to offer it as an offering to Yahweh before Yahweh’s tabernacle: blood shall be imputed to that man. He has shed blood. That man shall be cut off from among his people. This is to the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they sacrifice in the open field, that they may bring them to Yahweh, to the door of the Tent of Meeting, to the priest, and sacrifice them for sacrifices of peace offerings to Yahweh. The priest shall sprinkle the blood on Yahweh’s altar at the door of the Tent of Meeting, and burn the fat for a pleasant aroma to Yahweh. They shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat idols, after which they play the prostitute. This shall be a statute forever to them throughout their generations.’

“You shall say to them, ‘Any man there is of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live as foreigners among them, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice, and doesn’t bring it to the door of the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it to Yahweh, that man shall be cut off from his people.

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Ritual Animal Slaughter

17 The Lord told Moses, “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelis and tell them that this is what the Lord has commanded: When a person from the house of Israel slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat (whether in the camp or outside the camp), but fails to bring it to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting as an offering in the presence of the tent of the Lord, that person will incur bloodguilt. Because he has shed blood, that person is to be eliminated from contact with[a] his people.”

Centralized Sacrificial Slaughter

“This statute is required so that[b] the Israelis may bring their sacrifices that they have been sacrificing to the Lord in the open field to the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, where they are to slaughter their peace offering to the Lord. The priest is to sprinkle the blood on the Lord’s altar at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and incinerate the fat, making a pleasing aroma to the Lord. They are no longer to slaughter their sacrifices to the goat demons, with whom they have been committing prostitution. This will be a perpetual statute for you throughout your generations. Tell them that if a person from the house of Israel or a resident alien who lives among you brings a whole burnt offering or a sacrifice to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, but fails to bring it to offer[c] it to the Lord, that person[d] is to be eliminated from contact with[e] his people.”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 17:4 The Heb. lacks from contact with
  2. Leviticus 17:5 Lit. For the sake of
  3. Leviticus 17:9 Lit. to do
  4. Leviticus 17:9 Lit. man
  5. Leviticus 17:9 The Heb. lacks from contact with