Deuteronomii 12
1 Hæc sunt præcepta atque iudicia, quæ facere debetis in Terra, quam Dominus Deus patrum tuorum daturus est tibi, ut possideas eam cunctis diebus, quibus super humum gradieris.
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 Subvertite omnia loca, in quibus coluerunt gentes, quas possessuri estis, deos suos super montes excelsos, et colles, et subter omne lignum frondosum.
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 Dissipate aras eorum, et confringite statuas, lucos igne comburite, et idola comminuite: disperdite nomina eorum de locis illis.
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 Non facietis ita Domino Deo vestro:
You are not to worship the Lord your God in the way that they did.
5 sed ad locum, quem elegerit Dominus Deus vester de cunctis tribubus vestris, ut ponat nomen suum ibi, et habitet in eo, venietis:
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 et offeretis in loco illo holocausta et victimas vestras, decimas et primitias manuum vestrarum, et vota atque donaria, primogenita boum et ovium.
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 Et comedetis ibi in conspectu Domini Dei vestri: ac lætabimini in cunctis, ad quæ miseritis manum vos et domus vestræ, in quibus benedixerit vobis Dominus Deus vester.
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 Non facietis ibi quæ nos hic facimus hodie, singuli quod sibi rectum videtur.
You're not to do like we're doing here today. At the moment everyone does what they think is right,
9 Neque enim usque in præsens tempus venistis ad requiem, et possessionem, quam Dominus Deus vester daturus est vobis.
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 Transibitis Iordanem, et habitabitis in Terra, quam Dominus Deus vester daturus est vobis, ut requiescatis a cunctis hostibus per circuitum: et absque ullo timore habitetis
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 in loco, quem elegerit Dominus Deus vester, ut sit nomen eius in eo. illuc omnia, quæ præcipio, conferetis, holocausta, et hostias, ac decimas, et primitias manuum vestrarum: et quidquid præcipuum est in muneribus, quæ vovebitis Domino.
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 Ibi epulabimini coram Domino Deo vestro, vos et filii ac filiæ vestræ, famuli et famulæ atque Levites, qui in urbibus vestris commoratur. neque enim habet aliam partem et possessionem inter vos.
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 Cave ne offeras holocausta tua in omni loco, quem videris:
Make sure you don't present your burnt offerings just anywhere you want.
14 sed in eo, quem elegerit Dominus, in una tribuum tuarum offeres hostias, et facies quæcumque præcipio tibi.
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 Sin autem comedere volueris, et te esus carnium delectaverit, occide, comede iuxta benedictionem Domini Dei tui, quam dedit tibi in urbibus tuis: sive immundum fuerit, hoc est, maculatum et debile: sive mundum, hoc est, integrum et sine macula, quod offerri licet, sicut capream et cervum, comedes,
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 absque esu dumtaxat sanguinis, quem super terram quasi aquam effundes.
but you are not to eat the blood—pour that out on the ground.
17 Non poteris comedere in oppidis tuis decimam frumenti, et vini, et olei tui, primogenita armentorum et pecorum, et omnia quæ voveris, et sponte offerre volueris, et primitias manuum tuarum:
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 sed coram Domino Deo tuo comedes ea in loco, quem elegerit Dominus Deus tuus, tu et filius tuus et filia tua, et servus et famula, atque Levites, qui manet in urbibus tuis: et lætaberis et reficieris coram Domino Deo tuo in cunctis, ad quæ extenderis manum tuam.
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 Cave ne derelinquas Levitem in omni tempore quo versaris in terra.
and make sure you don't forget about the Levites as the whole time you live in your land.
20 Quando dilataverit Dominus Deus tuus terminos tuos, sicut locutus est tibi, et volueris vesci carnibus, quas desiderat anima tua:
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 locus autem, quem elegerit Dominus Deus tuus ut sit nomen eius ibi, si procul fuerit, occides de armentis et pecoribus, quæ habueris, sicut præcepi tibi, et comedes in oppidis tuis, ut tibi placet.
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 Sicut comeditur caprea et cervus, ita vesceris eis: et mundus et immundus in commune vescentur.
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 Hoc solum cave, ne sanguinem comedas. sanguis enim eorum pro anima est: et idcirco non debes animam comedere cum carnibus:
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 sed super terram fundes quasi aquam,
You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground.
25 ut bene sit tibi et filiis tuis post te, cum feceris quod placet in conspectu Domini.
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 Quæ autem sanctificaveris, et voveris Domino, tolles, et venies ad locum, quem elegerit Dominus:
Take your holy sacrifices and the offerings to fulfill your vows and go to the place the Lord will choose.
27 et offeres oblationes tuas carnem et sanguinem super altare Domini Dei tui: sanguinem hostiarum fundes in altari: carnibus autem ipse vesceris.
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 Observa et audi omnia quæ ego præcipio tibi, ut bene sit tibi et filiis tuis post te in sempiternum, cum feceris quod bonum est et placitum in conspectu Domini Dei tui.
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 Quando disperdiderit Dominus Deus tuus ante faciem tuam gentes, ad quas ingredieris possidendas, et possederis eas, atque habitaveris in terra earum:
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 cave ne imiteris eas, postquam te fuerint introeunte subversæ, et requiras ceremonias earum, dicens: Sicut coluerunt gentes istæ deos suos, ita et ego colam.
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 Non facies similiter Domino Deo tuo. Omnes enim abominationes, quas aversatur Dominus, fecerunt diis suis, offerentes filios et filias, et comburentes igni.
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 Quod præcipio tibi, hoc tantum facito Domino: nec addas quidquam, nec minuas.
Be careful to do everything I order you to do. Don't add or take away anything from these instructions.
