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Deuteronomy 12
New Living Translation

The Lord’s Chosen Place for Worship

12 “These are the decrees and regulations you must be careful to obey when you live in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must obey them as long as you live.

2 “When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods—high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree. 3 Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods!

4 “Do not worship the Lord your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods. 5 Rather, you must seek the Lord your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored. 6 There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks. 7 There you and your families will feast in the presence of the Lord your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the Lord your God has blessed you.

8 “Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please, 9 because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land the Lord your God is giving you as your special possession. 10 But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you’re living safely in the land, 11 you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored.

12 “You must celebrate there in the presence of the Lord your God with your sons and daughters and all your servants. And remember to include the Levites who live in your towns, for they will receive no allotment of land among you. 13 Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you like. 14 You may do so only at the place the Lord will choose within one of your tribal territories. There you must offer your burnt offerings and do everything I command you.

15 “But you may butcher your animals and eat their meat in any town whenever you want. You may freely eat the animals with which the Lord your God blesses you. All of you, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you now eat gazelle and deer. 16 But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.

17 “But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown—neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings. 18 You must eat these in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. Eat them there with your children, your servants, and the Levites who live in your towns, celebrating in the presence of the Lord your God in all you do. 19 And be very careful never to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

20 “When the Lord your God expands your territory as he has promised, and you have the urge to eat meat, you may freely eat meat whenever you want. 21 It might happen that the designated place of worship—the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to be honored—is a long way from your home. If so, you may butcher any of the cattle, sheep, or goats the Lord has given you, and you may freely eat the meat in your hometown, as I have commanded you. 22 Anyone, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you do now with gazelle and deer. 23 But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat. 24 Instead, pour out the blood on the ground like water. 25 Do not consume the blood, so that all may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what pleases the Lord.

26 “Take your sacred gifts and your offerings given to fulfill a vow to the place the Lord chooses. 27 You must offer the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all my commands, so that all will go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and pleasing to the Lord your God.

29 “When the Lord your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land, 30 do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’ 31 You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.

32 [a]“So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.

Footnotes

  1. 12:32 Verse 12:32 is numbered 13:1 in Hebrew text.
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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

  1. Deuteronomy 12:1 Lit ground
  2. Deuteronomy 12:3 Wooden symbols of a female deity
  3. Deuteronomy 12:6 Or heave offering
  4. Deuteronomy 12:11 Or heave offering
  5. Deuteronomy 12:15 Lit in every desire of your soul
  6. Deuteronomy 12:17 Lit heave offering
  7. Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit your soul desires
  8. Deuteronomy 12:20 Lit in every desire of your soul
  9. Deuteronomy 12:21 Lit in every desire of your soul
  10. Deuteronomy 12:23 Lit soul
  11. Deuteronomy 12:23 Lit soul
  12. Deuteronomy 12:30 Lit after them
  13. Deuteronomy 12:32 Lit Everything that
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Deuteronomy 11
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Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

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