And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Speak to Aaron, and to his sons, and to all the children of Israel, and say to them; This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, saying,
What man soever there be of the house of Israel, that kills an ox, or lamb, or goat, in the camp, or that kills it out of the camp,
And brings it not to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer an offering to the LORD before the tabernacle of the LORD; blood shall be imputed to that man; he has shed blood; and that man shall be cut off from among his people:
To the end that the children of Israel may bring their sacrifices, which they offer in the open field, even that they may bring them to the LORD, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to the priest, and offer them for peace offerings to the LORD.
And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and burn the fat for a sweet smell to the LORD.
And they shall no more offer their sacrifices to devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute for ever to them throughout their generations.
And you shall say to them, Whatever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers which sojourn among you, that offers a burnt offering or sacrifice,
And brings it not to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to offer it to the LORD; even that man shall be cut off from among his people.
And whatever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eats any manner of blood; I will even set my face against that soul that eats blood, and will cut him off from among his people.
For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes an atonement for the soul.
Therefore I said to the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojournes among you eat blood.
And whatever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunts and catches any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust.
For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said to the children of Israel, You shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whoever eats it shall be cut off.
And every soul that eats that which died of itself, or that which was torn with beasts, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger, he shall both wash his clothes, and bathe himself in water, and be unclean until the even: then shall he be clean.
But if he wash them not, nor bathe his flesh; then he shall bear his iniquity.
Canonical academic citations for Leviticus 17 (AKJV) — copy in your preferred format.
Leviticus 17 (AKJV). Prime Bible, accessed September 13, 2026. https://primebible.com/akjv/leviticus/17.
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All animal slaughter for sacrifice must occur at the Tabernacle; sacrificing to ‘goat demons’ is forbidden. Blood may never be eaten because ‘the life is in the blood’ and it makes atonement. Hunters must drain and cover blood; contact with carrion causes temporary uncleanness.
Religious laws and guidelines for worship.
Leviticus 17 is presented with the full Hebrew interlinear, Strong's numbers, and verse-by-verse cross-references on Prime Bible — a free, nonprofit Bible study platform.