Deuteronomy 12

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

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

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 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 elohim, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

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 Ye shall not do so unto YHWH your Elohim.

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

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

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 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:

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 And there ye shall eat before YHWH your Elohim, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein YHWH thy Elohim hath blessed thee.

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

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

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

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

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

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 there shall be a place which YHWH your Elohim 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 YHWH:

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 ye shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like 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:

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 But thou must eat them before YHWH thy Elohim in the place which YHWH thy Elohim 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 YHWH thy Elohim in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

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

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

20 When YHWH thy Elohim 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.

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

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

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 that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 YHWH thy Elohim.

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 YHWH thy Elohim shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;

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 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 elohim, saying, How did these nations serve their elohim? even so will I do likewise.

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

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

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