Forbidden Sacrifices

17 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites and tell them: This is what the Lord has commanded: 3 Anyone from the house of Israel who slaughters v an ox, sheep, or goat in the camp, or slaughters it outside the camp, 4 instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to present it as an offering to the Lord before His tabernacle—that person will be considered * guilty. w x He has shed blood y and must be cut off from his people. z 5 This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices a they have been offering in the open country. They are to bring them to the priest at the entrance to the tent of meeting and offer them as * fellowship sacrifices b to the Lord. 6 The priest will then sprinkle the blood on the Lord’s altar at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing aroma to the Lord. 7 They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat-demons c that they have prostituted d themselves with. This will be a permanent statute e for them throughout their generations.

8 “Say to them: Anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners f who live among them who offers a * burnt offering or a sacrifice 9 but does not bring it to the entrance to the tent of meeting to sacrifice it to the Lord, that person must be cut off from his people.

Eating Blood and Carcasses Prohibited

10 “Anyone from the house of Israel or from the foreigners who live among them who eats any blood, g I will turn h against that person who eats blood and cut him off from his people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have appointed it to you to make * atonement on the altar for i your lives, since it is the lifeblood that makes atonement. j 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites: None of you and no foreigner who lives among you may eat blood.

13 “Any Israelite or foreigner living among them, who hunts k down a wild animal or bird that may be eaten must drain its blood l and cover it with dirt. 14 Since the life of every creature is its blood, I have told the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any creature, m because the life of every creature is its blood; whoever eats it must be cut off.

15 “Every person, whether the native or the foreigner, n who eats an animal that died a natural death or was mauled by wild beasts o is to wash his clothes and bathe with water, and he will remain * unclean until evening; then he will be * clean. 16 But if he does not wash his clothes and bathe himself, he will bear his punishment.”