Devarim 12
Orthodox Jewish Bible
12 These are the chukkim and mishpatim over which ye shall be shomer to do in ha’aretz, which Hashem Elohei Avoteicha giveth thee to possess it, kol hayamim that ye live upon ha’adamah.
2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the Goyim which ye shall possess served their elohim, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree;
3 And ye shall overthrow their mizbechot, and break their matzeivot, and burn their Asherim with eish; and ye shall hew down peselim of their elohim, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
4 Ye shall not do so unto Hashem Eloheichem.
5 But unto the place which Hashem Eloheichem shall choose out of all your shevatim to put Shmo there, even unto His habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come:
6 And thither ye shall bring your olot, and your zevakhim, and your ma’aseros (tithes), and terumot (heave offerings) of your hand, and your nedarim (vows), and your nedavot (freewill offerings), and the bekhorot (firstlings) of your herds and of your flocks;
7 And there ye shall eat before Hashem Eloheichem, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein Hashem Eloheicha hath blessed thee.
8 Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here today, ish koh hayashar be’einav (every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes).
9 For ye are not as yet come to the menuchah (resting place) and to the nachalah, which Hashem Eloheicha giveth you.
10 But when ye go over Yarden, and dwell in ha’aretz which Hashem Eloheichem giveth you to inherit, and when He giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;
11 Then there shall be a place which Hashem Eloheichem shall choose to cause Shmo to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your olot, and your zevakhim, your ma’aseros (tithes), and the terumah (heave offering) of your hand, and all your choice nedarim (vows) which ye vow unto Hashem;
12 And ye shall rejoice before Hashem Eloheichem, ye, and your banim, and your banot, and your avadim, and your maidservants, and the Levi that is within your she’arim; forasmuch as he hath no chelek nor nachalah with you.
13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy olot in every place that thou seest;
14 But in the place which Hashem shall choose in one of thy shevatim, there thou shalt offer thy olot, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.
15 Notwithstanding, thou mayest kill and eat basar in all thy she’arim, whatsoever thy nefesh desireth, according to the birkat Hashem Eloheicha which He hath given thee; hatameh (the unclean) and hatahor (the clean) may eat thereof, as if it were gazelle or deer.
16 Only ye shall not eat the dahm; ye shall pour it upon ha’aretz as mayim.
17 Thou mayest not eat within thy she’arim the ma’aser (tithe) of thy dagan (grain), or of thy tirosh (new wine), or of thy yitzhar (fresh oil), or the bekhorot (firstlings) of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy nedarim (vows) which thou vowest, nor thy nedavot (freewill offerings), or terumah (heave offering) of thine hand;
18 But thou must eat them before Hashem Eloheicha in the place which Hashem Eloheicha shall choose, thou, and thy ben, and thy bat, and thy eved, and thy amah, and the Levi that is within thy she’arim; and thou shalt rejoice before Hashem Eloheicha in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.
19 Be shomer to thyself that thou forsake not the Levi as long as thou livest upon ha’aretz.
20 When Hashem Eloheicha shall enlarge thy border, as He hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat basar, because thy nefesh longeth to eat basar; thou mayest eat basar, whatsoever thy nefesh desireth after.
21 If the place which Hashem Eloheicha hath chosen to put Shmo there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which Hashem hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy she’arim whatsoever thy nefesh desireth after.
22 Even as the gazelle and the deer is eaten, so thou shalt eat them; the tameh (unclean) and the tahor (clean) shall eat of them alike.
23 Only be sure that thou eat not the dahm; for the dahm is the nefesh; and thou mayest not eat the nefesh with the basar.
24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon ha’aretz as mayim.
25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy banim after thee, when thou shalt do that which is yashar in the sight of Hashem.
26 Only thy kadashim (holy things) which thou hast, and thy nedarim (vows), thou shalt take, and go unto the place which Hashem shall choose;
27 And thou shalt offer thy olot, the basar and the dahm, upon the Mizbe’ach of Hashem Eloheicha; and the dahm of thy zevakhim (sacrifices) shall be poured out upon the mizbe’ach of Hashem Eloheicha, and thou shalt eat the basar.
28 Be shomer and heed all these devarim which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy banim after thee ad olam, when thou doest that which is tov and yashar in the sight of Hashem Eloheicha.
29 When Hashem Eloheicha shall cut off the Goyim from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou displace them, and dwellest in their land;
30 Be shomer to thyself that thou be not ensnared to follow them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their elohim, saying, How did these Goyim serve their elohim? Even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto Hashem Eloheicha; for kol to’avat Hashem (every abomination to Hashem), which He hateth, have they done unto their elohim; for even their banim and their banot they have burned in the eish to their elohim.
32 (13:1) What thing soever I command you, be shomer to do it; thou shalt not add thereto, nor take away or diminish from it.
Deuteronomy 12
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh’s Chosen Place of Worship
12 “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall be careful to do in the land which Yahweh, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess (A)all the days you live on the [a]earth. 2 You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the (B)high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 (C)And you shall tear down their altars and shatter their sacred pillars and burn their [b]Asherim with fire, and you shall cut the graven images of their gods in pieces and (D)destroy their name from that place. 4 You shall not do thus toward Yahweh your God. 5 (E)But you shall seek Yahweh at the place which Yahweh your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. 6 And there you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, (F)your tithes, the [c]contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7 There also you and your households shall eat before Yahweh your God, and (G)be glad in all that you send forth your hand to do, in which Yahweh your God has blessed you.
8 “You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, (H)every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9 for you have not as yet come to (I)the resting place and the (J)inheritance which Yahweh your God is giving you. 10 Now you will cross the Jordan and live in the land which Yahweh your God is giving you to inherit. And (K)He will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security. 11 (L)Then it will be that the place in which Yahweh your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I am commanding you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the [d]contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to Yahweh. 12 And you shall (M)be glad before Yahweh your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the (N)Levite who is within your gates, since (O)he has no portion or inheritance with you.
13 “(P)Beware, lest you offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see, 14 but in the place which Yahweh chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.
15 “(Q)However, you may sacrifice and eat meat within any of your gates, [e]whatever you desire, according to the blessing of Yahweh your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of (R)the gazelle and the deer. 16 (S)Only you shall not eat the blood; (T)you are to pour it out on the ground like water. 17 (U)You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the [f]contribution of your hand. 18 But (V)you shall eat them before Yahweh your God in (W)the place which Yahweh your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the (X)Levite who is within your gates; and you shall (Y)be glad before Yahweh your God in all that you send forth your hand to do. 19 (Z)Beware lest you forsake the Levite all your days upon your land.
20 “When Yahweh your God enlarges your territory (AA)as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because [g]you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, [h]whatever you desire. 21 If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you, then you may sacrifice of your herd and flock which Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates [i]whatever you desire. 22 Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. 23 Only be strong in yourselves (AB)not to eat the blood, for the blood is the [j]life, and you shall not eat the [k]life with the flesh. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. 25 You shall not eat it, so that (AC)it may be well with you and your sons after you, for (AD)you will be doing what is right in the sight of Yahweh. 26 (AE)Only your holy things which you may have and your votive offerings, you shall take and go to the place which Yahweh chooses. 27 And (AF)you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of Yahweh your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of Yahweh your God, and (AG)you shall eat the flesh.
28 “Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that (AH)it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of Yahweh your God.
29 “When (AI)Yahweh your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and inhabit their land, 30 beware lest you be ensnared [l]to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and lest you inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31 (AJ)You shall not do thus toward Yahweh your God, for every abominable act which Yahweh hates they have done for their gods; for (AK)they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
32 “[m](AL)Whatever I am commanding you, you shall be careful to do; (AM)you shall not add to nor take away from it.
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 12:1 Lit ground
- Deuteronomy 12:3 Wooden symbols of a female deity
- Deuteronomy 12:6 Or heave offering
- Deuteronomy 12:11 Or heave offering
- Deuteronomy 12:15 Lit in every desire of your soul
- Deuteronomy 12:17 Lit heave offering
- Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit your soul desires
- Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit in every desire of your soul
- Deuteronomy 12:21 Lit in every desire of your soul
- Deuteronomy 12:23 Lit soul
- Deuteronomy 12:23 Lit soul
- Deuteronomy 12:30 Lit after them
- Deuteronomy 12:32 Lit Everything that
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