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 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.

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.

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:

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 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.

4 You will not worship Yahweh your God like that.

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

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 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:

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 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:

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 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.

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;

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.

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

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

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 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:

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 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.

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

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

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 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.

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 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.

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

Only all of you shall not eat the blood; all of you 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.

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:

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 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.

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

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

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 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.

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 you shall 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 you eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and you may not eat the life with the flesh.

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

You shall not eat it; you shall 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.

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.

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 your holy things which you have, and your vows, you shall take, and go unto the place which the LORD 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 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.

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 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.

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 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;

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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