Blood for Atonement
1 Then the Lordspoke to Moses, saying,
2 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the children of Israel, and say to them, ‘This is what the Lordhas commanded, saying,
3 “Any man from the house of Israel who kills an ox or lamb or goat in the camp, or kills it outside the camp
4 and has not brought it to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting tooffer it as an offering to the Lordbefore the tabernacle of the Lord, that man shall be guilty of bloodshed. He has shed blood and shall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].
5 This is so that the sons of Israel may bring their sacrifices which they were sacrificing [to idols] in the open field [where they killed them], that they may bring them in to the Lord, at the doorway of the Tent of Meeting to the priest, and sacrifice them as sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord.
6 The priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lordat the doorway of the Tent of Meeting and offer the fat up in smoke as a sweetandsoothing aroma to the Lord.
7 So they shall no longer offer their sacrifices to goat-idolsordemonsorfield spirits with which they have played the prostitute. This shall be a permanent statute for them throughout their generations.”’
8 “Then you shall say to them, ‘Any man from the house of Israel or any of the strangers living temporarily among you, who offers a burnt offering or sacrifice
9 and does not bring it to the doorway of the Tent of Meeting to offer it to the Lordshall be cut off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].
10 ‘Any man from the house of Israel, or any stranger living temporarily among you, who eats any blood, against that person I shall set My face and I will cut him off from his people [excluding him from the atonement made for them].
11 ~‘For thelife of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement, by reason of the life [which it represents].’
12 Therefore I have said to the sons of Israel, ‘No person among you may eat blood, nor may any stranger living temporarily among you eat blood.’
13 So when any Israelite or any stranger living temporarily among them, catchesany ceremonially clean animal or bird when hunting, he shall pour out its blood and cover it with earth.
14 “For in regard to the life of all flesh, its blood is [the same] as its life; therefore I said to the Israelites, ‘You are not to eat the blood of any flesh, for thelife of all flesh is its blood. Whoever eats it shall be cut off [excluding him from the atonement made for them].’
15 Every person who eats an animal which dies [of natural causes] or was torn by a predator, whether he is native-born or a stranger, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be [ceremonially] unclean until evening; then he will become clean.
16 But if he does not washhis clothesor bathe his body, he shall bear his guilt [for it will not be borne by the sacrifice of atonement].”