Leviticus 17 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~1445 BC, during Israel's stay at Sinai before the march toward Canaan
Location
The Sinai camp, where every household lived within walking distance of the single worship tent
Audience
All Israel plus foreigners living among them, delivered through Aaron, his sons, and the wider community
Situation
God requires that animals fit for sacrifice be brought to the tent of meeting rather than killed in the open country, and forbids eating blood or the meat of animals found dead. Anyone who ignores these rules is cut off from the people.
Key Background
Out in the open, private slaughter easily slid into private worship, and the chapter names goat demons as the recipients some Israelites had been sacrificing to. Centralizing slaughter at one place put every killing under priestly eyes while the camp was small enough for that to be practical. The ban on eating blood rests on the stated reason that life itself is in the blood, and it became one of the few food rules the early church later asked Gentile converts to keep.
Yahweh spoke to Moses:
"Speak to Aaron, his sons, and all of Israel. Tell them: This is what Yahweh has commanded—
Any person from Israel's household who an ox, a lamb, or a goat inside the camp — or outside the camp —
and does not bring it to the entrance of the to present it as an to Yahweh in front of Yahweh's dwelling — that person will be held accountable for bloodshed. They have shed blood and must be from their people.
This is so that the Israelites will bring their sacrificial animals — the ones they've been slaughtering out in the open fields — and bring them to Yahweh, to the entrance of the Meeting Tent, to the priest. They must offer them as to Yahweh.
The priest will the against Yahweh's altar at the entrance of the Meeting Tent and burn the fat as a to Yahweh.
They must no longer offer their sacrifices to the they've been This will be a permanent rule for them throughout their generations."
"Tell them: Any person from Israel's household — or any you — who offers a or any other sacrifice
and does not bring it to the entrance of the Meeting Tent to offer it to Yahweh—that person must be cut off from their people.
"Any person from Israel's household — or any foreigner living among you — who eats any blood: I will my that person who eats blood, and I will cut them off from their people.
Because the of any creature is in its blood. I myself have given it to you on the altar to for your lives — because it is the blood, representing that makes
That is why I've told the Israelites: No person among you may eat blood—and no foreigner living among you may eat blood.
"Any person from Israel's household — or any foreigner living among you — who hunts down an animal or bird that may be eaten, must drain its blood and it with
Because the of every creature — its blood is its That's why I told the Israelites: You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the of every creature is its blood. Anyone who eats it must be cut off.
"Any person — whether native or foreigner — who eats an animal found dead or torn apart by wild animals must wash their clothes, bathe in water, and will be considered until evening. After that, they'll be considered
But if they don't wash their clothes and bathe their body, they will the of their