Deuteronomy 12

1 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.

These are the rules and regulations you must make sure to follow the whole time you live in the land that the Lord, the God of your forefathers, has given you to own.

2 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:

You are to completely destroy all the pagan shrines where the nations you're driving out worshiped their gods: on the top of high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

3 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.

Tear down their altars, knock down their idolatrous pillars, burn down their Asherah poles, and cut down the idols of their gods. Remove any trace of them from everywhere.

4 You shall not do so to YHWH your God.

You are not to worship the Lord your God in the way that they did.

5 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;

No, you must go to the place the Lord your God will choose from the territory of all your tribes to set up a place where he will live with you. That's where you must go.

6 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:

You'll take there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and all your offerings—your freewill offerings and offerings to fulfill a promise, along with the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

7 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.

That's where, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families will eat and celebrate everything you've worked for, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

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

You're not to do like we're doing here today. At the moment everyone does what they think is right,

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

because you haven't arrived in the land you will own that the Lord your God is giving you and where you will be at peace.

10 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;

After you cross the Jordan and settle down in the country that the Lord your God is giving you to possess, and he lets you rest from fighting all your enemies and you live in safety,

11 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.

then the Lord your God will choose a place where he will live with you. That's where you are to bring everything I've order you to do—your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and freewill offerings, and all the special gifts you promise to give to the Lord.

12 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.

You will celebrate there in the presence of the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levites living in your towns, because they don't have any share in the allotment of land.

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

Make sure you don't present your burnt offerings just anywhere you want.

14 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.

You are to offer them only in the place the Lord will choose in the territory of one of your tribes. That's where you are to do everything that I order you to do.

15 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.

Of course you can slaughter and eat meat wherever you are, anytime you want, depending on how much the Lord your God has blessed you. All of you, whether you're ceremonially clean or not, can it eat it just like you would a gazelle or a deer,

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

but you are not to eat the blood—pour that out on the ground.

17 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;

In your towns you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or olive oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you give to fulfill a promise, your freewill offerings, or your special gifts.

18 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.

No, 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 male and female slaves, and the Levites living in your towns. Celebrate in the presence of the Lord your God in everything you do,

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

and make sure you don't forget about the Levites as the whole time you live in your land.

20 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.

When the Lord your God gives you more land as he promised, and you feel like some meat, and say, “I want to have some meat,” you may can it whenever you want.

21 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.

If the place where the Lord your God chooses to live with you is a long way away, then you can slaughter any animal from the herd or flock he has given you, following the regulations I have given you, and you can eat it in your town whenever you want.

22 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.

In fact you can eat it like you would eat a gazelle or deer—whether you're ceremonially clean or not, you can eat it.

23 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.

Just make sure you don't eat the blood, because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

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

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

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 eyes of YHWH.

Don't eat it, so that all will go well with you and your children, because you will be doing what is right in the Lord's sight.

26 Only your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go to the place which YHWH shall choose,

Take your holy sacrifices and the offerings to fulfill your vows and go to the place the Lord will choose.

27 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.

Present your burnt offerings, the meat and blood, on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you are allowed to eat the meat.

28 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.

Make sure you obey everything I'm commanding you, so that it may always go well with you and your children, because you will be following what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

29 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;

When the Lord your God destroys the nations ahead of you as you enter the country to possess, and you drive them out and settle down in their land,

30 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."

make sure you don't fall into the trap of following their ways after they have been destroyed right in front of you. Don't try and find out about their gods, asking, “I wonder how these people worship their gods? I'll do like they did.”

31 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.

You must not worship the Lord your God like this, because when they worship their gods they do every kind of abominable thing that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods!

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

Be careful to do everything I order you to do. Don't add or take away anything from these instructions.