Deuteronomy 12

1 These are the statutes and judgments, which all of you shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of your fathers gives you to possess it, all the days that all of you live upon the earth.

And these [are] the ordinances and the judgments, which you shall observe to do in the land, which the Lord God of your fathers gives you for an inheritance, all the days which you live upon the land.

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

You shall utterly destroy all the places in which they served their gods, whose [land] you inherit, on the high mountains and on the hills, and under the thick tree.

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

And you shall destroy their altars, and break in pieces their pillars, and you shall cut down their groves, and you shall burn with fire the graven images of their gods, and you shall abolish their name out of that place.

4 All of you shall not do so unto the LORD your God.

You shall not do so to 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 all of you seek, and thither you shall come:

But in the place which the Lord your God shall choose in one of your cities to name his name there, and to be called upon, you shall even seek [him] out and go there.

6 And thither all of you 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:

And you shall carry there your whole burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your first fruits, and your vowed-offerings, and your free will offerings, and your offerings of thanksgiving, the firstborn of your herds, and of your flocks.

7 And there all of you shall eat before the LORD your God, and all of you shall rejoice in all that all of you put your hand unto, all of you and your households, wherein the LORD your God has blessed you.

And you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all the things on which you shall lay your hand, you and your houses, as the Lord your God has blessed you.

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

You shall not do altogether as we do here today, every man that which is pleasing in his own sight.

9 For all of you are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD your God gives you.

For hitherto you have not arrived at the rest and the inheritance, which the Lord our God gives you.

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

And you shall go over Jordan, and shall dwell in the land, which the Lord our God takes as an inheritance for you; and he shall give you rest from all your enemies round about, and you shall dwell safely.

11 Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall all of you 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 all of you vow unto the LORD:

And there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose for his name to be called there, there shall you bring all things that I order you today; your whole burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the first fruits of your hands, and every choice gift of yours, whatever you shall vow to the Lord your God.

12 And all of you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, all of you, and your sons, and your daughters, and your male servants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he has no part nor inheritance with you.

And you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants and your maidservants, and the Levite that is at your gates; because he has no portion or inheritance with you.

13 Take heed to yourself that you offer not your burnt offerings in every place that you see:

Take heed to yourself that you offer not your whole burnt offerings in any place which you shall see;

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

save in the place which the Lord your God shall choose, in one of your tribes, there shall you offer your whole burnt offerings, and there shall you do all things whatever I charge you this day.

15 Notwithstanding you may kill and eat flesh in all your gates, whatsoever your soul lusts after, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which he has given you: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

But you shall kill according to all your desire, and shall eat flesh according to the blessing of the Lord your God, which he has given you in every city; the unclean that is within you and the clean shall eat it on equal terms, as the doe or the stag.

16 Only all of you shall not eat the blood; all of you shall pour it upon the earth as water.

Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the ground as water.

17 You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your corn, or of your wine, or of your oil, or the firstlings of your herds or of your flock, nor any of your vows which you vow, nor your freewill offerings, or heave offering of your hand:

You shall not be able to eat in your cities the tithe of your corn, and of your wine, and of your oil, the firstborn of your herd and of your flock, and all [your] vows as many as you shall have vowed, and your thank-offerings, and the first fruits of your hands.

18 But you must eat them before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD your God shall choose, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite that is within your gates: and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that you put your hands unto.

But before the Lord your God you shall eat it, in the place which the Lord your God shall choose for himself, you, and your son, and your daughter, your man-servant, and your maidservant, and the stranger that is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, on whatever you shall lay your hand.

19 Take heed to yourself that you forsake not the Levite as long as you live upon the earth.

Take heed to yourself that you do not desert the Levite all the time that you live upon the earth.

20 When the LORD your God shall enlarge your border, as he has promised you, and you shall say, I will eat flesh, because your soul longs to eat flesh; you may eat flesh, whatsoever your soul lusts after.

And if the Lord your God shall enlarge your borders, as he said to you, and you shall say, I will eat flesh; if your soul should desire to eat flesh, you shall eat flesh according to all the desire of your soul.

21 If the place which the LORD your God has chosen to put his name there be too far from you, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock, which the LORD has given you, as I have commanded you, and you shall eat in your gates whatsoever your soul lusts after.

And if the place be far from you, which the Lord your God shall choose for himself, that his name be called upon it, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock which God shall have given you, even as I commanded you, and you shall eat in your cities according to the desire of your soul.

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

As the doe and the stag are eaten, so shall you eat it; the unclean in you and the clean shall eat it in like manner.

23 Only be sure that you eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and you may not eat the life with the flesh.

Take diligent heed that you eat no blood, for blood [is] the life of it; the life shall not be eaten with the flesh.

24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it upon the earth as water.

You shall not eat [it]; you shall pour it out on the ground as water.

25 You shall not eat it; that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you shall do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.

You shall not eat it, that it may be well with you and with your sons after you, if you shall do that which is good and pleasing before the Lord your God.

26 Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:

But you shall take your holy things, if you have any, and your vowed-offerings, and come to the place which the Lord your God shall choose to have his name named upon it.

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

And you shall sacrifice your whole burnt offerings, you shall offer the flesh upon the altar of the Lord your God; but the blood of your sacrifices you shall pour out at the foot of the altar of the Lord your God, but the flesh you shall eat.

28 Observe and hear all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you for ever, when you do that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

Beware and listen, and you shall do all the commands which I charge you, that it may be well with you and with your sons for ever, if you shall do that which is pleasing and good before the Lord your God.

29 When the LORD your God shall cut off the nations from before you, where you go to possess them, and you succeed them, and dwell in their land;

And if the Lord your God shall utterly destroy the nations, to whom you go in there to inherit their land, from before you, and you shall inherit it, and dwell in their land;

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

take heed to yourself that you seek not to follow them after they are destroyed before you, saying, How do these nations act towards their gods? I will do likewise.

31 You shall not do so unto the LORD your God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hates, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.

You shall not do so to your God; for they have sacrificed to their gods the abominations of the Lord which he hates, for they burn their sons and their daughters in fire to their gods.

32 Whatsoever I command you, observe to do it: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.

Every word that I command you this day, it shall you observe to do: you shall not add to it, nor diminish from it.