The One Place of Worship

12 These are the decrees^(A) and laws you must be careful to follow in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given you to possess—as long as you live in the land.^{(B) 2} Destroy completely all the places on the high mountains,^(C) on the hills and under every spreading tree,^(D) where the nations you are dispossessing worship their gods. ³ Break down their altars, smash^(E) their sacred stones and burn^(F) their Asherah^(G) poles in the fire; cut down the idols of their gods and wipe out their names^(H) from those places.

⁴ You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.^{(I) 5} But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name^(J) there for his dwelling.^(K) To that place you must go; ⁶ there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes^(L) and special gifts, what you have vowed^(M) to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.^{(N) 7} There, in the presence^(O) of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice^(P) in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

⁸ You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit,^{(Q) 9} since you have not yet reached the resting place^(R) and the inheritance^(S) the Lord your God is giving you. ¹⁰ But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving^(T) you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest^(U) from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. ¹¹ Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name^(V)—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord.^{(W) 12} And there rejoice^(X) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites^(Y) from your towns who have no allotment or inheritance^(Z) of their own. ¹³ Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please.^{(AA) 14} Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose^(AB) in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.

¹⁵ Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer,^(AC) according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. ¹⁶ But you must not eat the blood;^(AD) pour^(AE) it out on the ground like water.^{(AF) 17} You must not eat in your own towns the tithe^(AG) of your grain and new wine and olive oil,^(AH) or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give,^(AI) or your freewill offerings or special gifts.^{(AJ) 18} Instead, you are to eat^(AK) them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose^(AL)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoice^(AM) before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. ¹⁹ Be careful not to neglect the Levites^(AN) as long as you live in your land.^(AO)

²⁰ When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory^(AP) as he promised^(AQ) you, and you crave meat^(AR) and say, “I would like some meat,” then you may eat as much of it as you want. ²¹ If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his Name^(AS) is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want.^{(AT) 22} Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.^(AU) Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. ²³ But be sure you do not eat the blood,^(AV) because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.^{(AW) 24} You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.^{(AX) 25} Do not eat it, so that it may go well^(AY) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right^(AZ) in the eyes of the Lord.

²⁶ But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give,^(BA) and go to the place the Lord will choose. ²⁷ Present your burnt offerings^(BB) on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat^(BC) the meat. ²⁸ Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well^(BD) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

Jesus and John the Baptist^(A)

11 After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples,^(B) he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.^[a]

² When John,^(C) who was in prison,^(D) heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples ³ to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come,^(E) or should we expect someone else?”

⁴ Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: ⁵ The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy^[b] are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor.^{(F) 6} Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”^(G)

⁷ As John’s^(H) disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness^(I) to see? A reed swayed by the wind? ⁸ If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. ⁹ Then what did you go out to see? A prophet?^(J) Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written:

¹¹ Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. ¹² From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence,^[d] and violent people have been raiding it. ¹³ For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.^{(M) 14} And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.^{(N) 15} Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(O)

¹⁶ “To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:

¹⁸ For John came neither eating^(P) nor drinking,^(Q) and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’^(R) But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”