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.