Deuteronomii 12
1 haec sunt praecepta atque iudicia quae facere debetis in terra quam Dominus Deus patrum tuorum daturus est tibi ut possideas eam cunctis diebus quibus super humum gradieris
“(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.
2 subvertite omnia loca in quibus coluerunt gentes quas possessuri estis deos suos super montes excelsos et colles et subter omne lignum frondosum
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.
3 dissipate aras earum et confringite statuas lucos igne conburite et idola comminuite disperdite nomina eorum de locis illis
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.
4 non facietis ita Domino Deo vestro
“Do not worship Yahweh like [the people in Canaan worship their gods].
5 sed ad locum quem elegerit Dominus Deus vester de cunctis tribubus vestris ut ponat nomen suum ibi et habitet in eo venietis
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.
6 et offeretis in illo loco holocausta et victimas vestras decimas et primitias manuum vestrarum et vota atque donaria primogenita boum et ovium
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.
7 et comedetis ibi in conspectu Domini Dei vestri ac laetabimini in cunctis ad quae miseritis manum vos et domus vestrae in quibus benedixerit vobis Dominus Deus vester
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.
8 non facietis ibi quae nos hic facimus hodie singuli quod sibi rectum videtur
“[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,
9 neque enim usque in praesens tempus venistis ad requiem et possessionem quam Dominus Deus daturus est vobis
because you have not yet arrived in the land which Yahweh is giving to you, where you will be able to live peacefully.
10 transibitis Iordanem et habitabitis in terram quam Dominus Deus vester daturus est vobis ut requiescatis a cunctis hostibus per circuitum et absque ullo timore habitetis
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.
11 in loco quem elegerit Dominus Deus vester ut sit nomen eius in eo illuc omnia quae praecipio conferetis holocausta et hostias ac decimas et primitias manuum vestrarum et quicquid praecipuum est in muneribus quae vovistis Domino
“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.
12 ibi epulabimini coram Domino Deo vestro vos filii ac filiae vestrae famuli et famulae atque Levites qui in vestris urbibus commorantur neque enim habet aliam partem et possessionem inter vos
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.
13 cave ne offeras holocausta tua in omni loco quem videris
Be sure that you do not offer sacrifices anywhere you want to.
14 sed in eo quem elegerit Dominus in una tribuum tuarum offeres hostias et facies quaecumque praecipio tibi
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].
15 sin autem comedere volueris et te esus carnium delectarit occide et comede iuxta benedictionem Domini Dei tui quam dedit tibi in urbibus tuis sive inmundum fuerit hoc est maculatum et debile sive mundum hoc est integrum et sine macula quod offerri licet sicut capream et cervum comedes
“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.
16 absque esu dumtaxat sanguinis quod super terram quasi aquam effundes
But you must not eat the blood [of any animals]; you must let the blood drain onto the ground [before you cook the meat].
17 non poteris comedere in oppidis tuis decimam frumenti et vini et olei tui primogenita armentorum et pecorum et omnia quae voveris et sponte offerre volueris et primitias manuum tuarum
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.
18 sed coram Domino Deo tuo comedes ea in loco quem elegerit Dominus Deus tuus tu et filius tuus ac filia servus et famula atque Levites qui manet in urbibus tuis et laetaberis et reficieris coram Domino Deo tuo in cunctis ad quae extenderis manum tuam
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.
19 cave ne derelinquas Leviten omni tempore quo versaris in terra
Be sure that you take care of the descendants of Levi all during the time that 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 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.
21 locus autem quem elegerit Dominus Deus tuus ut sit nomen eius ibi si procul fuerit occides de armentis et pecoribus quae habueris sicut praecepi tibi et comedes in oppidis tuis ut tibi placet
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.
22 sicut comeditur caprea et cervus ita vesceris eis et mundus et inmundus in commune vescentur
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.
23 hoc solum cave ne sanguinem comedas sanguis enim eorum pro anima est et idcirco non debes animam comedere cum carnibus
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.
24 sed super terram fundes quasi aquam
Do not eat the blood; instead, let it drain onto the ground.
25 ut sit tibi bene et filiis tuis post te cum feceris quod placet in conspectu Domini
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.
26 quae autem sanctificaveris et voveris Domino tolles et venies ad locum quem elegerit Dominus
“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.
27 et offeres oblationes tuas carnem et sanguinem super altare Domini Dei tui sanguinem hostiarum fundes in altari carnibus autem ipse vesceris
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.
28 observa et audi omnia quae ego praecipio tibi ut bene sit tibi et filiis tuis post te in sempiternum cum feceris quod bonum est et placitum in conspectu Domini Dei tui
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.
29 quando disperderit Dominus Deus tuus ante faciem tuam gentes ad quas ingredieris possidendas et possederis eas atque habitaveris in terra earum
“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.
30 cave ne imiteris eas postquam te fuerint introeunte subversae et requiras caerimonias earum dicens sicut coluerunt gentes istae deos suos ita et ego colam
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.’
31 non facies similiter Domino Deo tuo omnes enim abominationes quas aversatur Dominus fecerunt diis suis offerentes filios et filias et conburentes igne
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].
32 quod praecipio tibi hoc tantum facito Domino nec addas quicquam nec minuas
“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.”
