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Deuteronomy 12:5-14
New English Translation

5 But you must seek only the place he[a] chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence,[b] and you must go there. 6 And there you must take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared,[c] your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 Both you and your families[d] must feast there before the Lord your God and rejoice in all the output of your labor with which he[e] has blessed you. 8 You must not do as we are doing here today, with everyone[f] doing what seems best to him, 9 for you have not yet come to the final stop[g] and inheritance the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you do go across the Jordan River[h] and settle in the land he[i] is granting you as an inheritance and you find relief from all the enemies who surround you, you will live in safety.[j] 11 Then you must come to the place the Lord your God chooses for his name to reside, bringing[k] everything I am commanding you—your burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, the personal offerings you have prepared,[l] and all your choice votive offerings that you devote to him.[m] 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[n] (since they have no allotment or inheritance with you).[o] 13 Make sure you do not offer burnt offerings in any place you wish, 14 for you may do so[p] only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribal areas—there you may do everything I am commanding you.[q]

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Footnotes

  1. Deuteronomy 12:5 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” The pronoun has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  2. 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.
  3. Deuteronomy 12:6 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
  4. Deuteronomy 12:7 tn Heb “and your houses,” referring to entire households. The pronouns “you” and “your” are plural in the Hebrew text.
  5. Deuteronomy 12:7 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
  6. Deuteronomy 12:8 tn Heb “a man.”
  7. Deuteronomy 12:9 tn Heb “rest.”
  8. Deuteronomy 12:10 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  9. Deuteronomy 12:10 tn Heb “the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.”
  12. Deuteronomy 12:11 tn Heb “heave offerings of your hand.”
  13. Deuteronomy 12:11 tn Heb “the Lord.” See note on “he” in 12:5.
  14. Deuteronomy 12:12 tn Heb “within your gates” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “who belongs to your community.”
  15. Deuteronomy 12:12 sn They have no allotment or inheritance with you. See note on the word “inheritance” in Deut 10:9.
  16. Deuteronomy 12:14 tn Heb “offer burnt offerings.” The expression “do so” has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons to avoid redundancy.
  17. 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).
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