Holy Living: Sacrifices and Blood
1-7 Godspoke to Moses: “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the Israelites. Tell them, This is whatGodcommands: Any and every man who slaughters an ox or lamb or goat inside or outside the camp instead of bringing it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to offer it toGodin front of The Dwelling ofGod—that man is considered guilty of bloodshed; he has shed blood and must be cut off from his people. This is so the Israelites will bring toGodthe sacrifices that they’re in the habit of sacrificing out in the open fields. They must bring them toGodand the priest at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and sacrifice them as Peace-Offerings toGod. The priest will splash the blood on the Altar ofGodat the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and burn the fat as a pleasing fragrance toGod. They must no longer offer their sacrifices to goat-demons—a kind of religious orgy. This is a perpetual decree down through the generations.
8-9 “Tell them, Any Israelite or foreigner living among them who offers a Whole-Burnt-Offering or Peace-Offering but doesn’t bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting to sacrifice it toGod, that person must be cut off from his people.
10-12 “If any Israelite or foreigner living among them eats blood, I will disown that person and cut him off from his people, for the life of an animal is in the blood. I have provided the blood for you to make atonement for your lives on the Altar; it is the blood, the life, that makes atonement. That’s why I tell the People of Israel, ‘Don’t eat blood.’ The same goes for the foreigner who lives among you, ‘Don’t eat blood.’
13-14 “Any and every Israelite—this also goes for the foreigners—who hunts down an animal or bird that is edible, must bleed it and cover the blood with dirt, because the life of every animal is its blood—the blood is its life. That’s why I tell the Israelites, ‘Don’t eat the blood of any animal because the life of every animal is its blood. Anyone who eats the blood must be cut off.’
15-16 “Anyone, whether native or foreigner, who eats from an animal that is found dead or mauled must wash his clothes and bathe in water; he remains unclean until evening and is then clean. If he doesn’t wash or bathe his body, he’ll be held responsible for his actions.”
—https://d1b84921e69nmq.cloudfront.net/85/32k/LEV/17-2460d27e44774951da68d7901ae6cb22.mp3?version_id=97—