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17 And Hashem spoke unto Moshe, saying,

Speak unto Aharon, and unto his banim, and unto all the Bnei Yisroel, and say unto them: This is the thing which Hashem hath commanded, saying,

What man soever there be of Bais Yisroel, that sacrificeth an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the machaneh, or that sacrificeth it outside of the machaneh,

And bringeth it not unto the petach (entrance) of the Ohel Mo’ed, to offer a korban unto Hashem before the Mishkan of Hashem, [shefach] dahm (shedding of blood) shall be imputed unto that man; he hath committed shefach dahm; and that man shall be cut off [see Daniel 9:26 regarding Moshiach] from among his people;

To the end that the Bnei Yisroel may bring their zevakhim, which they offer in the open sadeh, even that they may bring them unto Hashem, unto the petach of the Ohel Mo’ed, unto the kohen, and offer them for zivkhei shelamim unto Hashem.

And the kohen shall sprinkle [see Yeshayah 52:15] the dahm upon the Mizbe’ach of Hashem at the petach of the Ohel Mo’ed, and burn the fat for a re’ach nichoach unto Hashem.

And they shall no more offer their zevakhim unto goat demons, after whom they have gone a-whoring. This shall be a chukkat olam unto them throughout their dorot (generations).

And thou shalt say unto them, Whatsoever man there be of the Bais Yisroel, or of the ger which sojourn among them, that offereth an olah (burnt offering) or zevakh,

And bringeth it not unto the petach of the Ohel Mo’ed, to offer it unto Hashem; even that man shall be cut off [see Daniel 9:26 on Moshiach’s being cut off] from among his people.

10 And whatsoever man there be of Bais Yisroel, or of the ger that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of dahm; I will even set My face against that nefesh that eateth dahm, and will cut it off [see Daniel 9:26] from among its people.

11 For the nefesh of the basar is in the dahm: and I have given it to you upon the Mizbe’ach to make kapporah for your nefashot: for it is the dahm that maketh kapporah for the nefesh. [see Zecharyah 9:11; Tehillim 50:5]

12 Therefore I said unto the Bnei Yisroel, No nefesh of you shall eat dahm, neither shall any ger that sojourneth among you eat dahm.

13 And whatsoever ish there be of the Bnei Yisroel, or of the ger that sojourn among you, which hunteth down any beast or fowl that may be eaten, he shall even drain out the dahm thereof, and cover it with dust.

14 For as for the nefesh of all basar, the dahm of it is its nefesh; therefore I said unto the Bnei Yisroel, Ye shall eat the dahm of no manner of basar: for the nefesh of all basar is the dahm thereof; whosoever eateth it shall be cut off.

15 And every nefesh that eateth nevelah (carcass), or terefah (that which was torn with beasts), whether native born or a ger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in mayim, and be tamei until erev; then shall he be tahor.

16 But if he wash them not, nor bathe his basar; then he shall bear his avon (iniquity). [See Yeshayah 53:6,11.]

Eating Blood Forbidden

17 The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons(A) and to all the Israelites and say to them: ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: Any Israelite who sacrifices an ox,[a] a lamb(B) or a goat(C) in the camp or outside of it instead of bringing it to the entrance to the tent of meeting(D) to present it as an offering to the Lord in front of the tabernacle of the Lord(E)—that person shall be considered guilty of bloodshed; they have shed blood and must be cut off from their people.(F) This is so the Israelites will bring to the Lord the sacrifices they are now making in the open fields. They must bring them to the priest, that is, to the Lord, at the entrance to the tent of meeting and sacrifice them as fellowship offerings.(G) The priest is to splash the blood against the altar(H) of the Lord(I) at the entrance to the tent of meeting and burn the fat as an aroma pleasing to the Lord.(J) They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols[b](K) to whom they prostitute themselves.(L) This is to be a lasting ordinance(M) for them and for the generations to come.’(N)

“Say to them: ‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice and does not bring it to the entrance to the tent(O) of meeting(P) to sacrifice it to the Lord(Q) must be cut off from the people of Israel.

10 “‘I will set my face against any Israelite or any foreigner residing among them who eats blood,(R) and I will cut them off from the people. 11 For the life of a creature is in the blood,(S) and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.[c](T) 12 Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.”

13 “‘Any Israelite or any foreigner residing among you who hunts any animal or bird that may be eaten must drain out the blood and cover it with earth,(U) 14 because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, “You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.”(V)

15 “‘Anyone, whether native-born or foreigner, who eats anything(W) found dead or torn by wild animals(X) must wash their clothes and bathe with water,(Y) and they will be ceremonially unclean till evening;(Z) then they will be clean. 16 But if they do not wash their clothes and bathe themselves, they will be held responsible.(AA)’”

Footnotes

  1. Leviticus 17:3 The Hebrew word can refer to either male or female.
  2. Leviticus 17:7 Or the demons
  3. Leviticus 17:11 Or atonement by the life in the blood