Deuteronomy 12

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

These are the statutes and the ordinances which you shall observe to do in the land which YHWH, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess it, all the days that you live on the earth.

2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places whereon the nations which ye are about to drive out served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree;

You shall surely destroy all the places in which the nations that you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains, and on the hills, and under every green tree:

3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their statues, and their groves shall ye burn with fire; and the graven images of their gods shall ye hew down; and ye shall destroy their name out of the same place.

and you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods; and you shall destroy their name out of that place.

4 Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God;

You shall not do so to YHWH your God.

5 But unto the place which the Lord your God may choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye repair, and thither shalt thou come;

But to the place which YHWH your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, even to his habitation you shall seek, and there you shall come;

6 And ye shall bring thither your burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill-offerings, and the first-born of your herds and of your flocks;

and there you shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the wave offering of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock:

7 And ye shall eat there before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice with all the acquisition of your hand, ye and your households, wherewith the Lord thy God may have blessed thee.

and there you shall eat before YHWH your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you put your hand to, you and your households, in which YHWH your God has blessed you.

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

You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatever is right in his own eyes;

9 For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

for you haven't yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which YHWH your God gives you.

10 But ye will go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God causeth you to inherit, and he will give you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye may dwell in safety.

But when you go over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which YHWH your God causes you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all your enemies around you, so that you dwell in safety;

11 And then shall it be, that the place which the Lord your God will choose to cause his name to dwell there, —[even] 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 may vow unto the Lord;

then it shall happen that to the place which YHWH your God shall choose, to cause his name to dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the wave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which you vow to your God.

12 And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your men-servants, and your maid-servants, and the Levite who is within your gates; because he hath not any portion nor inheritance with you.

You shall rejoice before YHWH your God, you, and your sons, and your daughters, and your male servants, and your female servants, and the Levite who is within your gates, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you.

13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in every place which thou mayest see;

Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see;

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

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

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

Notwithstanding, you may kill and eat flesh within all your gates, after all the desire of your soul, according to the blessing of YHWH your God which he has given you: the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle, and as of the deer.

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

Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on 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, nor the first-born of thy herds or of thy flocks, nor any of thy vows which thou mayest vow, nor thy freewill-offerings, and the heave-offering of thy hand;

You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or of your new wine, or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, nor any of your vows which you vow, nor your freewill offerings, nor the wave offering of your hand;

18 But before the Lord thy God must thou eat them in the place which the Lord thy God may choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite who is within thy gates; and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God with all the acquisition of thy hand.

but you shall eat them before YHWH your God in the place which YHWH your God shall choose, you, and your son, and your daughter, and your male servant, and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates: and you shall rejoice before YHWH your God in all that you put your hand to.

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

Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

20 When the Lord thy God will enlarge thy border, as he hath spoken unto thee, and thou dost say, I wish to eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh: then mayest thou, according to all the longing of thy soul, eat flesh.

When YHWH your God shall enlarge your border, as he has promised you, and you shall say, "I want to eat meat," because your soul desires to eat meat; you may eat meat, after all the desire of your soul.

21 If the place which the Lord thy God may choose to put his name there be too far for thee: then mayest thou kill of thy herds and of thy flocks, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have commanded thee; and thou shalt eat in thy gates according to all the longing of thy soul.

If the place which YHWH your God shall choose to put his name there is too far from you, then you shall kill of your herd and of your flock, which God has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates, after all the desire of your soul.

22 But as the roebuck and the hart are eaten, so shalt thou eat the same: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof together.

Even as the gazelle and as the deer is eaten, so you shall eat of it: the unclean and the clean may eat of it alike.

23 Only be firm so as not to eat the blood; for the blood is the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh.

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

24 Thou shalt not eat it: upon the earth shalt thou pour it out like water.

You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth as water.

25 Thou shalt not eat it; in order that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou wilt do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

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 eyes of YHWH.

26 Nevertheless thy holy things which thou mayest have, and thy vows, shalt thou take, and go unto the place which the Lord may choose:

Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go to the place which YHWH 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 the flesh shalt thou eat.

and you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of YHWH your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of YHWH your God; and you shall eat the flesh.

28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee; in order that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou wilt do what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord thy God.

Observe and hear and do all these words which I command you, that it may go well with you, and with your children after you forever, when you do that which is good and right in the eyes of YHWH your God.

29 When the Lord thy God will cut off the nations, whither thou goest to drive them out from before thee, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land:

When YHWH your God shall cut off the nations from before you, where you go in to dispossess them, and you dispossess them, and dwell in their land;

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

take heed to yourself that you not be ensnared to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before you; and that you not inquire after their gods, saying, "How do these nations serve their gods? I will 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 have they burnt in the fire to their gods.

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

32 What thing soever I command you, even that shall ye observe to do: thou shalt not add thereto, and thou shalt not diminish therefrom.

Whatever thing I command you, that you shall observe to do: you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it.