قداسة الدم
1 وقالَ الرّبُّ لموسى: 2 «قُلْ لهرونَ وبَنيهِ وسائرِ بَني إِسرائيلَ: هذا ما أمرَ الرّبُّ بهِ: 3 كُلُّ إِسرائيليٍّ ذبَحَ بقَرا أو غنَما أو معَزا في المَحلَّةِ أو في خارجِ المَحلَّةِ 4 ولم يَجِـئْ بِهِ إلى بابِ خَيمةِ الاجتِماعِ ليُقدِّمَهُ قُربانا للرّبِّ أمامَ مَسكِنِهِ، أُحاسِبُهُ كَمَنْ سفَكَ دَما وأقطعُهُ مِنْ بَينِ شعبِهِ. 5 فعلَى بَني إِسرائيلَ مِنَ الآنَ فصاعِدا أنْ يَجيئوا بِذبَائحِهِمِ الّتي كانوا يذبحونَها في الصَّحراءِ، يَجيئونَ بها إلى الرّبِّ إلى الكاهنِ عِندَ بابِ خَيمةِ الاجتِماعِ، ويذبَحونَها ذبائحَ سلامةٍ للرّبِّ. 6 فيَرُشُّ الكاهنُ دَمَها على مذبَحِ الرّبِّ عِندَ بابِ خَيمةِ الاجتِماعِ ويَحرُقُ الشَّحْمَ، فتُرضي رائِحَتُهُ الرّبَّ. 7 ولا يذبَحوا بَعدَ الآنَ ذبائِحَهُم للآلهةِ التُّيوسِ ويَخونوا الرّبَّ بعبادتِها. تلكَ فريضةٌ أبديَّةٌ لهُم مدَى أجيالِهِم.
8 «وقُلْ لهُم: وأيُّ رَجُلٍ مِنْ بَني إِسرائيلَ والغُرباءِ النُّزَلاءِ فيما بَينَهُم أصعدَ مُحرَقةً أو ذبـيحةً 9 ولم يَجـئْ بها إلى بابِ خَيمةِ الاجتِماعِ لِـيُقرِّبَها للرّبِّ أقطَعُهُ مِنْ بَينِ شعبِهِ، 10 وإذا أكلَ دَما أُواجِهُهُ وأقطَعُهُ مِنْ بَينِ شعبِهِ. 11 فنَفْسُ الجسَدِ هيَ في الدَّمِ، ولِذلِكَ جعَلتُهُ لكُم على المذبَحِ لِتُكفِّروا بهِ عَنْ نُفوسِكُم، لأنَّ الدَّمَ يُكفِّرُ عَنِ النَّفْسِ. 12 لِهذا قُلتُ لِبَني إِسرائيلَ ولِكُلِّ غريـبٍ نزيلٍ فيما بَينَهمُ: لا تأكلوا دَما. 13 وكُلُّ مَنْ صادفَ مِنهُم صَيدا مِنَ الوَحشِ أو الطَّيرِ اللَّذَينِ يُؤكَلانِ، فليَسفُكْ دَمَهُ ويُغطِّهِ بالتُّرابِ. 14 فنَفْسُ كُلِّ جسَدٍ هيَ في دَمِهِ، ولذلِكَ قُلتُ لبَني إِسرائيلَ: لا تأكلوا دَمَ جسَدٍ ما، لأنَّ نفْسَ كُلِّ جسَدٍ هيَ دَمُهُ. فكُلُّ مَنْ أكلَهُ أقطعُهُ مِنْ بَينِ شعبهِ.
15 «وكُلُّ مَنْ أكلَ جُثَّةً أو فريسةً، أصيلا كانَ أم دخيلا، فليَغسِلْ ثيابَهُ ويَستحمَّ بالماءِ، ويكونَ نَجِسا إلى المَغيـبِ، ثُمَّ يَطهُرُ. 16 فإنْ رفضَ تَحمَّلَ عاقبةَ إثْمِهِ».
The Sacredness of Blood
1 The Lord commanded Moses 2 to give Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel the following regulations. 3-4 Any Israelites who kill a cow or a sheep or a goat as an offering to the Lord anywhere except at the entrance of the Tent of the Lord's presence have broken the Law. They have shed blood and shall no longer be considered God's people. 5 The meaning of this command is that the people of Israel shall now bring to the Lord the animals which they used to kill in the open country. They shall now bring them to the priest at the entrance of the Tent and kill them as fellowship offerings. 6 The priest shall throw the blood against the sides of the altar at the entrance of the Tent and burn the fat to produce an odor that is pleasing to the Lord. 7 The people of Israel must no longer be unfaithful to the Lord by killing their animals in the fields as sacrifices to the goat demons. The people of Israel must keep this regulation for all time to come.
8 Any Israelites or any foreigners living in the community who offer a burnt offering or any other sacrifice 9 as an offering to the Lord anywhere except at the entrance of the Tent shall no longer be considered God's people.
10 If any Israelites or any foreigners living in the community eat meat with blood still in it, the Lord will turn against them and no longer consider them his people. 11 The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why the Lord has commanded that all blood be poured out on the altar to take away the people's sins. Blood, which is life, takes away sins. 12 That is why the Lord has told the people of Israel that neither they nor any foreigner living among them shall eat any meat with blood still in it.
13 If any Israelites or any foreigners living in the community catch an animal or a bird which is ritually clean, they must pour its blood out on the ground and cover it with dirt. 14 The life of every living thing is in the blood, and that is why the Lord has told the people of Israel that they shall not eat any meat with blood still in it and that anyone who does so will no longer be considered one of his people.
15 Any people, Israelites or foreigners, who eat meat from an animal that has died a natural death or has been killed by wild animals must wash their clothes, take a bath, and wait until evening before they are ritually clean. 16 If they do not, they must suffer the consequences.