Leviticus 17

EasyEnglish Bible

The people must not eat blood

17 The Lord said to Moses, ² ‘Tell this to Aaron and his sons and all the people. The Lord has given all these rules. ³ If a person sacrifices a bull, a sheep or a goat in the fields, that is a sin. Or if a person sacrifices it in the camp, that is a sin. ⁴ The animal is an offering to the Lord. The person should bring it to the door of the tabernacle. He should offer it to the Lord there. The person who offers a sacrifice anywhere else has sinned. He has sacrificed an animal in the wrong way. He must leave the camp. ⁵ This rule will stop the people giving sacrifices to the Lord in the fields. They must bring their gifts to the priest. They will be friendship offerings to the Lord. The priest will be at the door of the Tent of Meeting. ⁶ He must shake the blood of the animal on the Lord's altar. That altar is at the door of the Tent of Meeting. The priest must burn the fat. The smell of it while it is burning will give the Lord pleasure. ⁷ The people give sacrifices in the fields to worship idols that seem like goats. They must never do this again. This rule is for now and for all time.

⁸ If an Israelite gives a sacrifice or a burnt offering he must offer it at the Tent of Meeting's door. A foreigner may live among you. If he gives a sacrifice he must offer it at the Tent of Meeting's door. ⁹ If they did not offer it to the Lord at the Tent of Meeting's door, they are sinning. You must send them away from the camp.

¹⁰ An Israelite or a foreigner who lives among you must not eat blood. And they must not drink it. If somebody does, God will turn away from him. He will take that person away from his people. ¹¹ The blood of an animal gives it life. You must put the blood on the altar. God has given the blood to you to atone for your sins. It makes your life right again, because of the blood. ¹² For this reason, Israel's people must not eat blood. And the people who are travelling with them must not eat blood.^[a]

¹³ A person may catch an animal or a bird that is clean to eat. If he does, he must pour its blood on the ground. He must cover the blood with some earth. ¹⁴ The animal's life is in its blood. That is why no Israelite should eat any animal's blood. You must send any person that eats blood away from your people.

¹⁵ An Israelite or a foreign person may find a dead animal. If he eats it, he must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. Then he will become clean. A person might find an animal or a bird that a wild animal has killed. He must wash his clothes and his body. He will be unclean until evening. ¹⁶ If that person does not wash his clothes and his body, it is his own mistake.’^[b]