Deuteronomy 12

1 These are the statutes and the decrees that you will keep in the land that Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, all the days that you live on the earth.

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.

2 You will surely destroy all the places where the nations that you will dispossess worshiped their gods, on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.

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:

3 You must break down their altars, dash in pieces their stone pillars, and burn their Asherah poles. You must cut down the carved figures of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.

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.

4 You will not worship Yahweh your God like that.

Ye shall not do so unto YHWH your Elohim.

5 But to the place that Yahweh your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name, that will be the place where he lives, and it is there that you will go.

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:

6 It is there that you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, your offerings for vows, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.

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:

7 It is there that you will eat before Yahweh your God and rejoice about everything that you have put your hand to, you and your households, where Yahweh your God has blessed you.

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.

8 You will not do all the things that we are doing here today; now everyone is doing whatever is right in his own eyes;

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

9 for you have not yet come to the rest, to the inheritance that Yahweh your God is giving you.

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

10 But when you go over the Jordan and live in the land that Yahweh your God is causing you to inherit, and he will give you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you live in safety.

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;

11 Then to the place where Yahweh your God will choose to cause his name to live there—there you will bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, and the offerings presented by your hand, and all your choice offerings for vows that you will vow to Yahweh.

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:

12 You will rejoice before Yahweh your God—you, your sons, your daughters, your male servants, your female servants, and the Levites who are within your gate, because he has no portion or inheritance among you.

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.

13 Pay attention to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings at every place that you see;

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

14 but it is at the place that Yahweh will choose among one of your tribes that you will offer your burnt offerings, and there you will do everything that I command you.

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.

15 However, you may kill and eat animals within all your gates, as you wish, receiving the blessing of Yahweh your God for all that he has given you; the unclean and the clean persons both may eat of it, animals such as the gazelle and the deer.

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.

16 But you will not eat the blood; you will pour it out on the earth like water.

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

17 You may not eat within your gates from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock; and you may not eat any of the meat you sacrifice along with any of your vows that you make, nor that of your freewill offerings, nor that of the offering you present with your hand.

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:

18 Instead, you will eat them before Yahweh your God in the place that Yahweh your God will choose—you, your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; you will rejoice before Yahweh your God about everything to which you put your hand.

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.

19 Pay attention to yourself so that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live on your land.

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

20 When Yahweh your God enlarges your borders, as he has promised you, and you say, 'I will eat flesh,' because of your desire to eat meat, you may eat meat, as your soul desires.

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.

21 If the place that Yahweh your God chooses to put his name is too far from you, then you will kill some of your herd and your flock that Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; you may eat within your gates, as your soul desires.

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.

22 Like the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you will eat of it; the unclean and the clean persons may eat of it alike.

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

23 Only be sure that you do not consume the blood, for the blood is the life; you will not eat the life with the meat.

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.

24 You will not eat it; you will pour it out on the earth like water.

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

25 You will not eat it, so that it may go well with you, and with your children after you, when you will do what is right in the eyes of Yahweh.

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.

26 But the things that belong to Yahweh that you have and the offerings for your vows—you will take these and go to the place that Yahweh chooses.

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

27 There you will offer your burnt offerings, the meat and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; the blood of your sacrifices will be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God, and you will eat the flesh.

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.

28 Observe and listen to all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of Yahweh your God.

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.

29 When Yahweh your God cuts off the nations from before you, when you go in to dispossess them, and you dispossess them, and live in their land,

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;

30 pay attention to yourself that you are not trapped into following them, after they are destroyed from before you—trapped into investigating their gods, into asking, 'How do these nations worship their gods? I will do the same.'

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.

31 You must not worship Yahweh your God in that way, for everything that is an abomination to Yahweh, things that he hates—they have done these with their gods; they even burn their sons and their daughters in fire for their gods.

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.

32 Whatever I command you, observe it. Do not add to it or take away from it.

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