Deuteronomy 12
1 “(I will now tell you again/These, [again], are) the rules and regulations that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped], is giving to you to occupy. You must obey these laws all the time that you are alive.
“Esiawoe nye se siwo dzi wòle be miawɔ tegbetegbe ne mieva ɖo anyigba si Yehowa, mia fofowo ƒe Mawu la na mi la dzi.
2 You must destroy all the places where the people-groups that you will expel worship their gods, on the tops of mountains and hills and under big green trees.
“Ele be miagbã trɔ̃wo ƒe vɔsamlekpuiwo le afi sia afi si miakpɔ wo le, le towo dzi loo, le togbɛwo tame loo, alo le ati damawo te.
3 You must tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Completely burn the statues of their goddess Asherah in fires, and chop down their wooden idols, in order that no one will ever worship them [MTY] in those places again.
Migbã woƒe vɔsamlekpuiwo kple woƒe legbawo. Mitɔ dzo woƒe aƒeliwo. Mimu woƒe legba siwo wotsɔ ga tu la ƒu anyi. Migagblẽ naneke si aɖo ŋku woƒe trɔ̃wo dzi na mi la ɖi o.
4 “Do not worship Yahweh like [the people in Canaan worship their gods].
Miekpɔ mɔ asa vɔ na Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la le afi sia afi ko abe ale si trɔ̃subɔlawo sãa vɔe na woƒe mawuwo ene o,
5 Instead, you must go to the place that Yahweh will choose. It will be in the area where one of your tribes will live. That is where you must go to worship Yahweh.
ke boŋ mitu kɔkɔeƒe aɖe ɖe afi si Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu ŋutɔ afia asii na mi abe eƒe aƒe ene le miawo ŋutɔ mia dome.
6 That is the place where you must bring your sacrifices that will be completely burned on the altar, and your other sacrifices, (your tithes/ten percent of all of your crops), other offerings that you decide to give, and the firstborn animals from your cattle and sheep.
Afi mae miatsɔ miaƒe numevɔsawo kple vɔsa bubuawo, miaƒe nukpɔkpɔ ƒe akpa ewolia, miaƒe vɔsa siwo woatsɔ ana Mawu to wo nyenye le yame le vɔsamlekpui la ŋgɔ me, miaƒe adzɔgbeɖefewo, lɔlɔ̃nununanawo kple miaƒe lãwo ƒe ŋgɔgbeviwo ayi.
7 There, in the presence of Yahweh our God, who has [greatly] blessed you, you and your families will eat the good things that you have worked to produce, and you will be happy.
Afi mae miawo kple miaƒe ƒometɔwo miaɖo kplɔ̃ ɖo le Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la ŋkume, eye miatso aseye le nu siwo katã wòwɔ na mi la ta.
8 “[When you are in that land], you must not do some of the things that we have been doing. Until now, you have all been worshiping [Yahweh] the way you wanted to,
“Azɔ la, migalé miaƒe mɔwo atsɔ abe ale si miele wɔwɔm fifia ene, eye ame sia ame le nu si wòbu be enyo la wɔm o,
9 because you have not yet arrived in the land which Yahweh is giving to you, where you will be able to live peacefully.
elabena se siawo mebla mi haɖe o va se ɖe esime miaɖo dzudzɔƒe si Yehowa miaƒe Mawu ana mi.
10 But when you cross the Jordan [River], you will start to live in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. He will protect you from all your enemies that will surround you, and you will live peacefully/safely.
Ke ne mietso Yɔdan tɔsisi la heɖo ŋugbedodonyigba la dzi, eye Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu na dzudzɔ mi, eye wòna mievo tso miaƒe futɔwo katã ƒe asi me la,
11 “Yahweh will choose one place where he wants you to worship him. That is the place to which you must bring all the offerings that I command you to bring: The sacrifices that must be completely burned [on the altar], your other sacrifices, other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, (your tithes/ten percent of all your crops), and all the special offerings that you will solemnly promise to give to Yahweh.
ekema ele be miatsɔ miaƒe numevɔsawo kple vɔsa bubuawo katã ayi kɔkɔeƒe la, afi si eya ŋutɔ atia abe eƒe nɔƒe ene.
12 Rejoice there in the presence of Yahweh, along with your children, your male and female servants, and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns. Do not forget that the descendants of Levi will not have their own land, like you will have.
Miawo kple mia viŋutsuwo kple mia vinyɔnuwo kple miaƒe dɔlaŋutsuwo kple dɔlanyɔnuwo miatso aseye le afi ma le Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu ŋkume. Miɖo ŋku edzi miakpe Levitɔwo be woaɖu nu kpli mi, elabena anyigba aɖeke mele woawo ya si o.
13 Be sure that you do not offer sacrifices anywhere you want to.
“Mele be miasa miaƒe numevɔwo le afi sia afi ko o;
14 You must offer them only in the place that Yahweh will choose for you, in an area that belongs to one of your tribes. That is the only place where he wants you to offer sacrifices that will be completely burned [on the altar], and to do the other things that I am commanding you to do [when you worship him].
misa wo le teƒe si Yehowa ŋutɔ atia ko. Atia teƒe aɖe tso afi si woma na toawo dometɔ ɖeka la me. Afi ma ko miasa vɔ le, eye miatsɔ miaƒe nunanawo ayi.
15 “However, you will be permitted to kill and eat the meat of your animals in the places where you live. As often as you want to, you may eat the meat of the animals that Yahweh our God will bless you by giving them to you. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done things like that may all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
Aleke wòle hã la, miate ŋu awu lãwo le miaƒe du ɖe sia ɖe me, aɖu lã si sinu mielɔ̃, abe ahlɔ̃e alo zi ene, le yayra si Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la na mi la nu. Ame siwo ŋuti kɔ kple ame siwo ŋuti mekɔ o la siaa ate ŋu aɖui faa.
16 But you must not eat the blood [of any animals]; you must let the blood drain onto the ground [before you cook the meat].
Ʋu la koe miaɖu o; mina wòatsyɔ ɖe anyigba abe tsi ene.
17 In the places where you live, you must not eat the things that you are offering [to Yahweh]: You must not eat the (tithes/ten percent) of your grain or of your wine, or of your [olive] oil, or the firstborn of your cattle and sheep, or the offerings that you yourselves decide to give to Yahweh, or any other offerings.
“Migaɖu miaƒe bli, ano wain yeye, alo ami ƒe ewolia o, miaƒe alẽha alo nyiha ƒe ŋgɔgbeviwo kple nu sia nu si mieɖe adzɔgbe be miana, lɔlɔ̃nununana loo alo nunana tɔxɛwo le mia ŋutɔwo ƒe du me o.
18 Instead, you and your children and your male and female servants and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns must go to the place that he has chosen and eat those things there in the presence of Yahweh. And you should rejoice in the presence of Yahweh about everything that you do.
Woatsɔ nu siawo katã va vɔsamlekpui la gbɔ, afi si miawo, mia viŋutsuwo kple vinyɔnuwo, miaƒe dɔlaŋutsuwo kple dɔlanyɔnuwo kple Levitɔwo tso miaƒe duwo me, miaɖu wo le, le Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la ŋkume. Yehowa agblɔ afi si vɔsamlekpui la anɔ la na mi. Mitso aseye le Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la ŋkume le nu sia nu si miawɔ la me.
19 Be sure that you take care of the descendants of Levi all during the time that you live in your land.
Mikpɔ nyuie be miagaŋlɔ Levitɔwo be o, zi ale si mienɔ miaƒe anyigba dzi.
20 “When Yahweh our God gives you much more land [than you will have when you first occupy it], which is what he has promised to do, and you say ‘I would like some meat to eat’ because you are craving/wanting some meat, you will be permitted to eat meat whenever you want to.
“Ne Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la keke miaƒe liƒowo ɖe edzi abe ale si wòdo ŋugbee ene la, miate ŋu aɖu lã ɣe sia ɣi si mielɔ̃.
21 If the place that Yahweh our God chooses to be the place for you to worship him is far [from where you live], you are permitted to kill some of your cattle or sheep that Yahweh has given to you, and you may eat that meat at the places where you live, just like I have told you to do.
Ne teƒe si miesubɔa Mawu le didi akpa la, ekema ɣe sia ɣi si mielɔ̃ la, miate ŋu awu nyi alo alẽ si Yehowa tsɔ na mi, eye miaɖu lã la le aƒe me abe ale si mede se na mi la ene.
22 Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God, and those who have not done things like that, are all permitted to all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.
Ame si ŋuti kɔ kple ame si ŋuti mekɔ o hã ate ŋu aɖu lã ma abe ale si wòaɖu zi alo ahlɔ̃e ƒe lã ene,
23 But be sure that you do not eat the blood [of any animal], because it is the blood that sustains life in living beings, and so you must not eat the life along with the meat.
gake migaɖu lã si me ʋu le la o, elabena lã ƒe agbe le eƒe ʋu me, eye mele be miaɖu agbe la kple lã la o.
24 Do not eat the blood; instead, let it drain onto the ground.
Migawɔ lã ƒe ʋu ŋu dɔ abe nuɖuɖu ene o, ke boŋ mitsyɔe ɖe anyigba abe tsi ene.
25 If you obey this command and do what Yahweh says is right [for you to do], things will go well for you and for your descendants.
Ne miewɔ se sia dzi la, miadze Yehowa ŋu, eye nu sia nu adze edzi na mi kple miaƒe dzidzimeviwo siaa.
26 “But the sacred offerings that Yahweh has told you to give and the other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, you must take to the place that Yahweh will choose.
Mitsɔ miaƒe vɔsawo kple nu siwo ŋugbe miedo na Yehowa la yi ɖe Mawusubɔƒe ɖeka ma.
27 You must offer there the sacrifices that will be completely burned [on Yahweh’s altar]. You must also offer there the sacrifices from which you may eat some of meat after you [kill the animals and] drain out the blood and some of it is thrown on the [sides of the] altar.
Mitsɔ vɔsa siwo woame, woafia keŋkeŋ la da ɖe Yehowa miaƒe Mawu ƒe vɔsamlekpui dzi. Mitsɔ vɔsa siwo ƒe lã miaɖu, eye miakɔ ʋu la ɖe vɔsamlekpui la dzi la hã yi afi ma ke.
28 Faithfully obey all these things that I have commanded you. If you do that, things will go well forever for you and your descendants, because you will be doing what Yahweh our God says is right [for you to do] and what pleases him.
Miwɔ se siwo katã mede na mi la dzi pɛpɛpɛ anukwaretɔe ekema nu sia nu adze edzi na mi kple miaƒe dzidzimeviwo nyuie tegbetegbe, elabena mianɔ nu si dzɔ, eye wòdzea Yehowa ŋu la wɔm.
29 “When you enter the land that you will occupy, as you advance, Yahweh our God will get rid of the people-groups that live there.
“Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la atsrɔ̃ dukɔwo ne miege ɖe woƒe anyigbawo dzi. Miaxɔ woƒe anyigba, eye mianɔ edzi.
30 After he does that, be sure that you do not [worship the gods] that they have been worshiping, because if you do that, you will be caught in the same trap [that they were caught in] [MET]. Do not ask anyone about those gods, saying, ‘Tell me how they worshiped their gods, in order that I can [worship them] also.’
Ne Yehowa tsrɔ̃ dukɔ mawo vɔ la, mikpɔ nyuie be miewɔ ɖe woƒe mawusubɔsubɔ ƒe kɔnyinyiwo dzi o, elabena wo dzi wɔwɔ ahe ku vɛ na mi. Migadze agbagba be yewoanya ale si wosubɔa woƒe mawuwo, ale be yewo hã yewoasubɔ le mɔ ma dzi o.
31 Do not try to worship Yahweh our God like they have worshiped their gods, because when they worship them, they do disgusting things, things that Yahweh hates. [The worst thing that they do is] that they sacrifice their own children and burn them [on their altars].
Migasubɔ Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la le mɔ si dzi wosubɔa woƒe mawuwo le la o, elabena le woƒe mawusubɔsubɔ me la, wowɔa nu dziŋɔ siwo Yehowa lé fue. Wotsɔa wo viwo gɔ̃ hã sãa vɔe le dzo si le woƒe vɔsamlekpui dzi la me.
32 “Be sure to do everything that I have commanded you to do. Do not add anything to these commands, and do not take anything away from them.”
“Miwɔ se ɖe sia ɖe si mede na mi la dzi. Migakpe naneke ɖe wo ŋu o, eye migaɖe naneke le wo me hã o.”
