Leviticus 17:10–16

¹⁰“ ‘I will be against any citizen of Israel or foreigner living with you who eats blood. I will cut off that person from the people. ¹¹This is because the life of the body is in the blood, and I have given you rules for pouring that blood on the altar to remove your sins so you will belong to the Lord. It is the blood that removes the sins, because it is life. ¹²So I tell the people of Israel this: “None of you may eat blood, and no foreigner living among you may eat blood.”

¹³“ ‘If any citizen of Israel or foreigner living among you catches a wild animal or bird that can be eaten, that person must pour the blood on the ground and cover it with dirt. ¹⁴If blood is still in the meat, the animal’s life is still in it. So I give this command to the people of Israel: “Don’t eat meat that still has blood in it, because the animal’s life is in its blood. Anyone who eats blood must be cut off.”

¹⁵“ ‘If a person, either a citizen or a foreigner, eats an animal that died by itself or was killed by another animal, he must wash his clothes and bathe in water. He will be unclean until evening; then he will be clean. ¹⁶If he does not wash his clothes and bathe his body, he will be guilty of sin.’ ”