Laws Against Eating Blood

10 “If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them (A)eats any blood, I will (B)set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. 11 (C)For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar (D)to make atonement for your souls, (E)for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. 12 Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, No person among you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger who sojourns among you eat blood.

13 “Any one also of the people of Israel, or of the strangers who sojourn among them, who takes in hunting any beast or bird that may be eaten shall (F)pour out its blood and (G)cover it with earth. 14 For the life of every creature[a] is its (H)blood: its blood is its life.[b] Therefore I have said to the people of Israel, 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. 15 (I)And every person who eats what dies of itself or what is torn by beasts, (J)whether he is a native or a sojourner, (K)shall wash his clothes and (L)bathe himself in water and be unclean until the evening; then he shall be clean. 16 But if he does not wash them or bathe his flesh, (M)he shall bear his iniquity.”

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 17:14 Hebrew all flesh
  2. Leviticus 17:14 Hebrew it is in its life

Consuming blood forbidden

10 I will oppose the person who consumes blood—whether they are from Israel’s house or from the immigrants who live with you—and I will cut them off from their people. 11 A creature’s life is in the blood. I have provided you the blood to make reconciliation for your lives on the altar, because the blood reconciles by means of the life.[a] 12 That is why I have told the Israelites: No one among you can consume blood, nor can the immigrant who lives with you consume blood.

13 Anyone who hunts any animal or bird that can be eaten—whether the hunter is an Israelite or an immigrant who lives with you—must drain its blood out and cover it with dirt. 14 Again: for every creature’s life, its blood is its life. That is why I have told the Israelites: You must not consume any creature’s blood because every creature’s life is its blood. Anyone who consumes it will be cut off.

Eating meat

15 Anyone, whether citizen or immigrant, who eats an animal that has died naturally or that was killed by another animal, must wash their clothes, bathe in water, and will be unclean until evening. At that time, they will be clean again. 16 If they do not wash or bathe their body, they will be liable to punishment.

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Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 17:11 Or as life