Instead, you must turn to the place Yahweh your God chooses from all your tribes to put His name for His dwelling and go there. You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions,[a] your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. You will eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do,[b] because the Lord your God has blessed you.

“You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own eyes. Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place(A) and the inheritance(B) the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit,(C) and He gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security, 11 then Yahweh your God will choose the place to have His name dwell.(D) Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions,[c] and all your choice offerings you vow to the Lord. 12 You will rejoice(E) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.(F) 13 Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the sacred places you see. 14 You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 12:6 Lit and the contributions from your hands
  2. Deuteronomy 12:7 Lit you put your hand to
  3. Deuteronomy 12:11 Lit tenth, the contributions from your hands

Instead, you must search for the location the Lord your God will select from all your tribes to put his name there, as his residence, and you must go there. You must bring your entirely burned offerings, your sacrifices, your tenth-part gifts, your contributions,[a] your payments for solemn promises, your spontaneous gifts, and the oldest offspring of your herds and flocks to that place. You will have a feast there, each of you and your families, in the Lord your God’s presence, and you will celebrate all you have done because the Lord your God has blessed you. Don’t act like we’ve been acting here lately—everyone doing what seems right to them— because up to this point you haven’t yet reached the place of rest or the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But you are about to cross the Jordan River and will settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your inheritance. Then he will give you rest from all your enemies on every side so that you live safely and securely. 11 At that point, you must bring all that I am commanding you, your entirely burned offerings, your sacrifices, your tenth-part gifts, your contributions, and all your best payments that you solemnly promised to the Lord, to the location the Lord your God selects for his name to reside. 12 Then you will rejoice in the Lord your God’s presence: each of you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites who dwell in your cities because they have no designated inheritance.

13 But watch yourself! Make sure you don’t offer up your entirely burned offerings in just any place you see. 14 No, only at the location the Lord selects from one of your tribal areas—that’s where you must offer up your entirely burned offerings and that’s where you must perform everything I’m telling you.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 12:6 Or the contribution of your hands; also in 12:11, 17