(A)But you shall seek the Lord at the place which the Lord your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and you shall come there. You shall bring there your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, (B)your tithes, the [a]contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your [b]voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. There you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and (C)rejoice in all [c]your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, (D)everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes; for you have not as yet come to (E)the resting place and the (F)inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and (G)He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 11 (H)then it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring everything that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the [d]contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings which you will vow to the Lord. 12 And you shall (I)rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the (J)Levite who is within your gates, since (K)he has no portion or inheritance with you.

13 (L)Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any cultic place that you see, 14 but only in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes: there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do everything that I command you.

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 12:6 Or uplifted offering
  2. Deuteronomy 12:6 Or freewill offerings
  3. Deuteronomy 12:7 Lit the putting forth of your hand
  4. Deuteronomy 12:11 Or uplifted offering

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