Deuteronomy 12

1 These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to follow all the days you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess.

2 Destroy completely all the places where the nations you are dispossessing have served their gods—atop the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

3 Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn up their Asherah poles, cut down the idols of their gods, and wipe out their names from every place.

4 You shall not worship the LORD your God in this way.

5 Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go.

6 To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

8 You are not to do as we are doing here today, where everyone does what seems right in his own eyes.

9 For you have not yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that the LORD your God is giving you.

10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you dwell securely,

11 then the LORD your God will choose a dwelling for His Name. And there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice offerings you vow to the LORD.

12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

13 Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in just any place you see;

14 you must offer them only in the place the LORD will choose in one of your tribal territories, and there you shall do all that I command you.

15 But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, according to the blessing the LORD your God has given you. Both the ceremonially clean and unclean may eat it as they would a gazelle or deer,

16 but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

17 Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts.

18 Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do,

19 and be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

20 When the LORD your God expands your territory as He has promised, and you crave meat and say, “I want to eat meat,” you may eat it whenever you want.

21 If the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of the herd or flock He has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your gates whenever you want.

22 Indeed, you may eat it as you would eat a gazelle or deer; both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it.

23 Only be sure not to eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

24 You must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.

25 Do not eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right in the eyes of the LORD.

26 But you are to take your holy things and your vow offerings and go to the place the LORD will choose.

27 Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out beside the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.

28 Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

29 When the LORD your God cuts off before you the nations you are entering to dispossess, and you drive them out and live in their land,

30 be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.”

31 You must not worship the LORD your God in this way, because they practice for their gods every abomination which the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire as sacrifices to their gods.

32 See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.

1 ¶ These [are] the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth.

2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:

3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

4 Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God.

5 ¶ But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, [even] unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:

6 And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee.

8 Ye shall not do after all [the things] that we do here this day, every man whatsoever [is] right in his own eyes.

9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God giveth you.

10 But [when] ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God giveth you to inherit, and [when] he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

11 Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD:

12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that [is] within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:

14 But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

16 Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:

18 But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that [is] within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.

20 When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

21 If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

22 Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat [of] them alike.

23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood [is] the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.

25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do [that which is] right in the sight of the LORD.

26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:

27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.

28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest [that which is] good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.

29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.

31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

1 These are the commandments and the statutes which ye shall keep, to do them in the land which the LORD God of thy fathers hath given thee to possess all the days that ye shall live upon the earth.

2 Cast out all the places where the heathen which ye shall take have served their gods, whether on high mountains, or on hills, or under green trees;

3 And destroy their altars, and break down their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and take away the idols of their gods, and destroy their name out of the same place.

4 Ye shall not do so unto the LORD your God,

5 But in the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, ye shall search, and come thither.

6 And your burnt offerings, and your other sacrifices, and your tithes, and the offerings of your hands, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your oxen and of your sheep, bring ye thither.

7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and be glad in all that ye bring, and in all that your house bring, wherein the LORD your God hath blessed you.

8 Ye shall do none of those things which we do here this day, every man whatsoever he thinketh good.

9 For ye are not yet come to the rest, nor to the inheritance which the LORD thy God shall give thee.

10 And ye shall pass over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God shall give you for an inheritance, and shall give you rest from all your enemies round about you, and shall dwell safely.

11 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God shall choose a place for his name to dwell there, that ye shall bring there all that I command you, your burnt offerings, and your other sacrifices, and your tithes, and the offering of your hands, and all your free vows, which ye shall vow unto the LORD.

12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levites that are within your gates: for they have no part nor inheritance with you.

13 Beware lest thou offer thy burnt offerings in all the places which thou seest,

14 But in the place which the LORD shall name in any of thy tribes, there shalt thou offer thy burnt offering, and do all that I command thee.

15 But thou mayest slay, and eat flesh in all thy gates, according to all the pleasure of thy soul, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God, which he hath given thee: both the clean and the unclean may eat it, as the deer, or as the hart.

16 Without the blood thou shalt not eat, but shalt pour it upon the earth as water.

17 But thou shalt not eat within thy gates of the tenth of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thine oil, or of the firstborn of thy oxen, or of thy sheep, or of any of thy vows which thou hast vowed, or of thy freewill offerings, or of the heave of thine hand;

18 But thou shalt eat these things before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen, thou, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and thy menservants, and thy maidservants, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God over all that thou bringest.

19 And beware lest thou trust the Levites all the days of thy life upon the earth.

20 And if the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath said unto thee, saying, I will eat flesh, because thy soul lusteth to eat flesh; then eat flesh according to all the desire of thy soul.

21 And if the place be far from thee, which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there, then kill of thy oxen or of thy sheep, which the LORD hath given thee, as I commanded thee, and eat within thy gates according to all the pleasure of thy soul.

22 As one eateth a deer or a hart, so mayest thou eat it: both the clean and the unclean may eat it at the same time.

23 Only take heed that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the soul: therefore shalt thou not eat the soul with the flesh,

24 But thou shalt pour it upon the earth, as water.

25 And thou shalt not eat it, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, because thou hast done that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

26 But if thou wilt sanctify any of thine own, or vow, thou shalt load it, and bring it into the place which the LORD hath mentioned,

27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offering of flesh and blood upon the altar of the LORD thy God. The blood of thy sacrifice thou shalt pour upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and shalt eat the flesh thereof.

28 Observe, and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may be well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, that thou hast done that which is right and acceptable in the sight of the LORD thy God.

29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the heathen from before thee, and thou shalt come to possess them, and shalt possess them, and shalt dwell in their land,

30 Take heed lest thou fall into the snare after them, after they are destroyed from before thee, and ask not after their gods, saying, As these nations have served their gods, so will I do.

31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for they have done unto their gods all that is abomination to the LORD, and that he hateth: for they have burned their sons and their daughters with fire unto their gods.

32 All things whatsoever I command you, that shall ye observe to do. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it.