申命记 12
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
敬拜 神的地方
12 “你们活在地上的一切日子,在耶和华你列祖的 神赐给你作产业的地上,要谨守遵行的律例和典章,就是这些: 2 你们要把你们赶走的列国的人事奉神的地方,无论是在高山上,在山冈上,或是在各青翠树下,都要完全毁坏; 3 也要拆毁他们的祭坛,打碎他们的神柱;用火焚烧他们的亚舍拉,砍倒他们的神的雕像,并且把他们的名字从这地方除灭。 4 你们不可像他们那样事奉耶和华你的 神。 5 耶和华你们的 神从你们各支派中,选择了甚么地方作立他名的居所,你们就当到那里求问他; 6 把你们的燔祭和其他的祭物、十分之一的礼物和手中的贡献、还愿祭和甘心祭,以及牛群羊群中头生的,都要带到那里去; 7 在那里,就是在耶和华你们的 神面前,你们和你们的家人都可以吃;并且要因你们手所作的一切事,都蒙耶和华你的 神赐福而欢乐。 8 我们今日在这里所行的,是行各人看为正的事,你们将来不可以这样行; 9 因为你们现在还没有到耶和华你的 神赐给你的安息地和产业。 10 但是你们过了约旦河,住在耶和华你们的 神使你们承受为业的地,又使你们太平,脱离你们周围的所有仇敌,安居乐业, 11 那时,你要把我吩咐你们的燔祭和其他的祭物、十分之一的礼物和手中的贡献,以及你们向耶和华许愿要献的最美的一切还愿祭,都要带到耶和华你们的 神选择作为立他名的地方。 12 你们和你们的儿女、仆婢,以及住在你们城里的利未人,都要在耶和华你们的 神面前欢乐,因为利未人在你们中间无分无业。 13 你要自己谨慎,不可在你看见的任何地方献上你的燔祭; 14 只要在耶和华从你的一个支派中拣选的地方,在那里献上你的燔祭,在那里行我吩咐你的一切事。
宰牲吃肉的条例
15 “不过在你的各城里,你都可以照着耶和华你的 神赐给你的福分,随意杀牲吃肉。不洁净的人和洁净的人都可以吃,像吃羚羊和鹿的肉一样。 16 只有血,你们不可吃;要倒在地上,像倒水一样。 17 你的五谷、新酒和新油的十分之一,你牛群羊群中头生的和你所许一切还愿的祭、你甘心献的祭和你手中的贡献,都不可在你的城里吃; 18 你只要在耶和华你的 神面前,和在耶和华你的 神选择的地方吃,你和你的儿女、仆婢,以及在你城里的利未人,都可以吃;你也要因你手所作的一切事在耶和华你的 神面前欢乐。 19 你要自己谨慎,你在你那地上的日子,永不可丢弃利未人。
20 “耶和华你的 神,照着他应许你的,扩张了你的境界的时候,如果你因心里渴想吃肉,说:‘我想吃肉。’那么,你就可以随意吃肉。 21 耶和华你的 神选择作立他名的地方,如果离开你太远,你就可以照着我吩咐你的,把耶和华赐给你的牛羊取些宰杀了,可以在你的城里随意地吃。 22 你吃那肉,好象人吃羚羊和鹿的肉一样;不洁净的人和洁净的人都可以一起吃。 23 只是你要心意坚定,不可吃血,因为血就是生命;你不可把生命和肉一起吃。 24 你不可吃血,要倒在地上,像倒水一样。 25 你不可吃血,好使你和你的子子孙孙得享福乐,因为你行了耶和华看为正的事。 26 只是你要把你应有的圣物和你的还愿祭,都带到耶和华选择的地方去, 27 把你的燔祭、肉和血,都献在耶和华你的 神的祭坛上;其他的祭的血,要倒在耶和华你的 神的祭坛上;至于那肉,你却可以吃。 28 你要谨慎听从我吩咐你的这一切话,好使你和你的子子孙孙永远得享福乐,因为你行了耶和华看为好为正的事。
禁行异族宗教的礼仪
29 “耶和华你的 神把你将要进去赶走的列国的民,从你的面前除灭以后,你就得着他们的地,住在那里。 30 那时,你要自己谨慎,不可在他们从你的面前被消灭以后,随从他们的恶俗而陷入网罗,也不可求问他们的神,说:‘这些国的人怎样事奉他们的神,我也要这样行。’ 31 你不可向耶和华你的 神这样行,因为耶和华恨恶的一切可厌恶的事,他们都向他们的神行了,甚至把自己的儿女用火焚烧,献给他们的神。
32 “我吩咐你们的一切话,你们都要谨守遵行,不可加添,也不可减少。”(本节在《马索拉文本》为13:1)
Deuteronomy 12
New English Translation
The Central Sanctuary
12 These are the statutes and ordinances you must be careful to obey as long as you live in the land the Lord, the God of your ancestors,[a] has given you to possess.[b] 2 You must by all means destroy[c] all the places where the nations you are about to dispossess worship their gods—on the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree.[d] 3 You must tear down their altars, shatter their sacred pillars,[e] burn up their sacred Asherah poles,[f] and cut down the images of their gods; you must eliminate their very memory from that place. 4 You must not worship the Lord your God the way they worship. 5 But you must seek only the place he[g] chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence,[h] and you must go there. 6 And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared,[i] your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 Both you and your families[j] must feast there before the Lord your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he[k] has blessed you. 8 You must not do as we are doing here today, with everyone[l] doing what seems best to him, 9 for you have not yet come to the final stop[m] and inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you do go across the Jordan River[n] and settle in the land he[o] is granting you as an inheritance and you find relief from all the enemies who surround you, you will live in safety.[p] 11 Then you must come to the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to reside, bringing[q] everything I am commanding you—your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared,[r] and all your choice votive offerings that you devote to him.[s] 12 You shall rejoice in the presence of the Lord your God, along with your sons, daughters, male and female servants, and the Levites in your villages[t] (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you).[u] 13 Make sure you do not offer burnt offerings in any place you wish, 14 for you may do so[v] only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribal areas—there you may do everything I am commanding you.[w]
Regulations for Eating Sacrificial and Non-Sacrificial Foods
15 On the other hand, you may slaughter and eat meat as you please when the Lord your God blesses you[x] in all your villages.[y] Both the ritually pure and impure may eat it, whether it is a gazelle or an ibex. 16 However, you must not eat blood—pour it out on the ground like water. 17 You will not be allowed to eat in your villages your tithe of grain, new wine, olive oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, any votive offerings you have vowed, or your freewill and personal offerings. 18 Only in the presence of the Lord your God may you eat these, in the place he[z] chooses. This applies to you, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, and the Levites[aa] in your villages. In that place you will rejoice before the Lord your God in all the output of your labor.[ab] 19 Be careful not to overlook the Levites as long as you live in the land.
The Sanctity of Blood
20 When the Lord your God extends your borders as he said he would do and you say, “I want to eat meat just as I please,”[ac] you may do so as you wish.[ad] 21 If the place he[ae] chooses to locate his name is too far for you, you may slaughter any of your herd and flock he[af] has given you just as I have stipulated; you may eat them in your villages[ag] just as you wish. 22 As you eat the gazelle or ibex, so you may eat these; the ritually impure and pure alike may eat them. 23 However, by no means eat the blood, for the blood is life itself[ah]—you must not eat the life with the meat. 24 You must not eat it! You must pour it out on the ground like water. 25 You must not eat it so that it may go well with you and your children after you; you will be doing what is right in the Lord’s sight.[ai] 26 But the holy things and votive offerings that belong to you, you must pick up and take to the place the Lord will choose.[aj] 27 You must offer your burnt offerings, both meat and blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; the blood of your other sacrifices[ak] you must pour out on his[al] altar while you eat the meat. 28 Pay careful attention to all these things I am commanding you so that it may always go well with you and your children after you when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
The Abomination of Pagan Gods
29 When the Lord your God eliminates the nations from the place where you are headed and you dispossess them, you will settle down in their land.[am] 30 After they have been destroyed from your presence, be careful not to be ensnared like they are; do not pursue their gods and say, “How do these nations serve their gods? I will do the same.” 31 You must not worship the Lord your God the way they do![an] For everything that is abhorrent[ao] to him,[ap] everything he hates, they have done when worshiping their gods. They even burn up their sons and daughters before their gods!
Idolatry and False Prophets
32 (13:1)[aq] You[ar] must be careful to do everything I am commanding you. Do not add to it or subtract from it![as]
Footnotes
- Deuteronomy 12:1 tn Heb “fathers.”
- Deuteronomy 12:1 tn Heb “you must be careful to obey in the land the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess all the days which you live in the land.” This adverbial statement modifies “to obey,” not “to possess,” so the order in the translation has been rearranged to make this clear.
- Deuteronomy 12:2 tn Heb “destroying you must destroy”; KJV “Ye shall utterly (surely ASV) destroy”; NRSV “must demolish completely.” The Hebrew infinitive absolute precedes the verb for emphasis, which is reflected in the translation by the words “by all means.”
- Deuteronomy 12:2 sn Every leafy tree. This expression refers to evergreens which, because they keep their foliage throughout the year, provided apt symbolism for nature cults such as those practiced in Canaan. The deity particularly in view is Asherah, wife of the great god El, who was considered the goddess of fertility and whose worship frequently took place at shrines near or among clusters (groves) of such trees (see also Deut 7:5). See J. Hadley, NIDOTTE 1:569-70; J. DeMoor, TDOT 1:438-44.
- Deuteronomy 12:3 sn Sacred pillars. These are the stelae (stone pillars; the Hebrew term is מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) associated with Baal worship, perhaps to mark a spot hallowed by an alleged visitation of the gods. See also Deut 7:5.
- Deuteronomy 12:3 sn Sacred Asherah poles. The Hebrew term (plural) is אֲשֵׁרִים (ʾasherim). See note on the word “(leafy) tree” in v. 2, and also Deut 7:5.
- Deuteronomy 12:5 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 12:5 tc Some scholars, on the basis of v. 11, emend the MT reading שִׁכְנוֹ (shikhno, “his residence”) to the infinitive construct לְשַׁכֵּן (leshakken, “to make [his name] to dwell”), perhaps with the third person masculine singular sf לְשַׁכְּנוֹ (leshakkeno, “to cause it to dwell”). Though the presupposed noun שֵׁכֶן (shekhen) is nowhere else attested, the parallel here with שַׁמָּה (shammah, “there”) favors retaining the MT as it stands.
- Deuteronomy 12:6 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
- Deuteronomy 12:7 tn Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.
- Deuteronomy 12:7 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
- Deuteronomy 12:8 tn Heb “a man.”
- Deuteronomy 12:9 tn Heb “rest.”
- Deuteronomy 12:10 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
- Deuteronomy 12:10 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
- Deuteronomy 12:10 tn In the Hebrew text vv. 10-11 are one long, complex sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides this into two sentences.
- Deuteronomy 12:11 tn Heb “and it will be (to) the place where the Lord your God chooses to cause his name to dwell you will bring.”
- Deuteronomy 12:11 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
- Deuteronomy 12:11 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
- Deuteronomy 12:12 tn Heb “within your gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “who belongs to your community.”
- Deuteronomy 12:12 sn They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in Deut 10:9.
- Deuteronomy 12:14 tn Heb “offer burnt offerings.” The expression “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 12:14 sn This injunction to worship in a single and central sanctuary—one limited and appropriate to the thrice-annual festival celebrations (see Exod 23:14-17; 34:22-24; Lev 23:4-36; Deut 16:16-17)—marks a departure from previous times when worship was carried out at local shrines (cf. Gen 8:20; 12:7; 13:18; 22:9; 26:25; 35:1, 3, 7; Exod 17:15). Apart from the corporate worship of the whole theocratic community, however, worship at local altars would still be permitted as in the past (Deut 16:21; Judg 6:24-27; 13:19-20; 1 Sam 7:17; 10:5, 13; 2 Sam 24:18-25; 1 Kgs 18:30).
- Deuteronomy 12:15 tn Heb “only in all the desire of your soul you may sacrifice and eat flesh according to the blessing of the Lord your God which he has given to you.”
- Deuteronomy 12:15 tn Heb “gates” (so KJV, NASB; likewise in vv. 17, 18).
- Deuteronomy 12:18 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
- Deuteronomy 12:18 tn See note at Deut 12:12.
- Deuteronomy 12:18 tn Heb “in all the sending forth of your hands.”
- Deuteronomy 12:20 tn Heb “for my soul desires to eat meat.”
- Deuteronomy 12:20 tn Heb “according to all the desire of your soul you may eat meat.”
- Deuteronomy 12:21 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
- Deuteronomy 12:21 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
- Deuteronomy 12:21 tn Heb “gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “in your own community.”
- Deuteronomy 12:23 sn The blood is life itself. This is a figure of speech (metonymy) in which the cause or means (the blood) stands for the result or effect (life). That is, life depends upon the existence and circulation of blood, a truth known empirically but not scientifically tested and proved until the 17th century a.d. (cf. Lev 17:11).
- Deuteronomy 12:25 tc Heb “in the eyes of the Lord.” The LXX adds “your God” to create the common formula, “the Lord your God.” The MT is preferred precisely because it does not include the stereotyped formula; thus it more likely preserves the original text.
- Deuteronomy 12:26 tc Again, to complete a commonly attested wording the LXX adds after “choose” the phrase “to place his name there.” This shows insensitivity to deliberate departures from literary stereotypes. The MT reading is to be preferred.
- Deuteronomy 12:27 sn These other sacrifices would be so-called peace or fellowship offerings whose ritual required a different use of the blood from that of burnt (sin and trespass) offerings (cf. Lev 3; 7:11-14, 19-21).
- Deuteronomy 12:27 tn Heb “on the altar of the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
- Deuteronomy 12:29 tn Heb “dwell in their land” (so NASB). In the Hebrew text vv. 29-30 are one long sentence. For stylistic reasons the translation divides it into two.
- Deuteronomy 12:31 tn Heb “you must not do thus to/for the Lord your God.”
- Deuteronomy 12:31 tn See note on this term at Deut 7:25.
- Deuteronomy 12:31 tn Heb “every abomination of the Lord.” See note on the word “his” in v. 27.
- Deuteronomy 12:32 sn Beginning with 12:32, the verse numbers through 13:18 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 12:32 ET = 13:1 HT, 13:1 ET = 13:2 HT, 13:2 ET = 13:3 HT, etc., through 13:18 ET = 13:19 HT. With 14:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.
- Deuteronomy 12:32 tn This verse highlights a phenomenon found throughout Deuteronomy, but most especially in chap. 12, namely, the alternation of grammatical singular and plural forms of the pronoun (known as Numeruswechsel in German scholarship). Critical scholarship in general resolves the “problem” by suggesting varying literary traditions—one favorable to the singular pronoun and the other to the plural—which appear in the (obviously rough) redacted text at hand. Even the ancient versions were troubled by the lack of harmony of grammatical number and in this verse, for example, offered a number of alternate readings. The MT reads “Everything I am commanding you (plural) you (plural) must be careful to do; you (singular) must not add to it nor should you (singular) subtract form it.” Smr, LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate suggest singular for the first two pronouns but a few Smr mss propose plural for the last two. What both ancient and modern scholars tend to overlook, however, is the covenantal theological tone of the Book of Deuteronomy, one that views Israel as a collective body (singular) made up of many individuals (plural). See M. Weinfeld, Deuteronomy 1-11 (AB), 15-16; J. A. Thompson, Deuteronomy (TOTC), 21-23.
- Deuteronomy 12:32 sn Do not add to it or subtract from it. This prohibition makes at least two profound theological points: (1) This work by Moses is of divine origination (i.e., it is inspired) and therefore can tolerate no human alteration; and (2) the work is complete as it stands (i.e., it is canonical).
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