Deuteronomy 12

1 “These are the statutes and ordinances that you must carefully observe in the land that the LORD God of your ancestors has given you to possess every day that you live on the earth.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:1

2 Be sure you destroy there all the places where the nations that you’re going to dispossess serve their gods—upon the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:2

3 Tear down their altars, cut down their sacred poles, ^{a12:3 Lit. their Ashram; i.e. cultic pillars} and burn them. Cut down the carved images of their gods to erase their memory ^{b12:3 Lit. to destroy their names} from that place.”ISV — Deuteronomy 12:3

4 “You must not act like this with respect to the LORD your God.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:4

5 Instead, you must seek to enter only the place that the LORD your God will choose among your tribes. There he will establish his name and live.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:5

6 Bring your burnt offerings there, along with your sacrifices, your tithes, your hand-carried gifts, your offerings in fulfillment of promises, your freely given offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:6

7 Then you and your household will eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice with all the works of your hand with which he ^{c12:7 Lit. the LORD} blessed you.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:7

8 “You must not act as we have been doing here today, where everyone acts as they see fit,ISV — Deuteronomy 12:8

9 for you haven’t arrived yet to your allotted place ^{d12:9 Lit. allotted resting place and inheritance} that the LORD your God is about to give you.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:9

10 But after you have crossed the Jordan River and settled in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and after you have received relief from the enemies around you and are living securely,ISV — Deuteronomy 12:10

11 then bring to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling place—where he will establish his name—everything that I’m commanding you: your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your hand-carried gifts, and all your best offerings in fulfillment of promises that you pledged to the LORD.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:11

12 “Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your city—for there is no territorial allotment ^{e12:12 Lit. no portion and possession} for him as you have.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:12

13 Be careful not to offer burnt offerings at any location you happen to see ^{f12:13 Lit. you see}ISV — Deuteronomy 12:13

14 instead of at the place the LORD will choose in one of the tribal areas. There you may offer burnt offerings, and there you may do everything that I’m commanding you.”ISV — Deuteronomy 12:14

15 “You may slaughter and eat as much meat as you desire, ^{g12:15 Lit. with all the desire of your soul} according to the blessing of the LORD your God, when he provides for you in all your cities. ^{h12:15 Lit. gates} Both ritually unqualified and qualified people ^{i12:15 Lit. unclean and clean; and so throughout the book} may eat it as they would gazelle and deer.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:15

16 Only, you must not consume the blood; ^{j12:16 Cf. Acts 15:20, 29} instead, pour it out on the ground as you would water.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:16

17 “You won’t be allowed to eat your tithe of grain, new wine, oil, the firstborn of your herd and flock, your voluntary offerings that you pledged, your free-will offerings, and the works of your hands in your own cities.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:17

18 You’ll eat only in the presence of the LORD your God at the place that he ^{k12:18 Lit. that the LORD your God} will choose—you, your sons and your daughters, your male and female servants, and the descendant of Levi who is in your cities. ^{l12:18 Lit. gates} Rejoice in the presence of the LORD your God in everything you undertake. ^{m12:18 Lit. in every work of your hand}ISV — Deuteronomy 12:18

19 Be careful not to forget the descendant of Levi while you live ^{n12:19 Lit. all your days in the land} in the land.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:19

20 When the LORD your God enlarges your territory—just as he told you—and you say ‘I want to eat meat’ since you desire to eat it, ^{o12:20 Lit. meat} you may do so as much as you please. ^{p12:20 Lit. may eat flesh with all the desire of your soul}ISV — Deuteronomy 12:20

21 “If the place where the LORD your God chooses to establish his name is distant from you, then you may slaughter from your herd and your flock what the LORD has provided for you, as he instructed you. You may consume them in your cities ^{q12:21 Lit. gates} as much as you please.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:21

22 You may eat them, just as you would gazelle and deer. Ritually unqualified and qualified people may eat them.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:22

23 Only be sure to refrain from eating blood, because blood is the source of ^{r12:23 The Heb. lacks source of} life and you must not consume blood with the meat.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:23

24 You must not consume it; instead, pour it on the ground as you would water.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:24

25 You must not eat it, so that life will go well for you and for your children after you. Then you’ll do what is right in the eyes of the LORD.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:25

26 “You may carry and bring only your consecrated gifts and offerings in fulfillment of promises to the place that the LORD will choose.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:26

27 You must offer your burnt offerings, both the meat and the blood, on the altar of the LORD your God. You must offer the blood by pouring it on the altar of the LORD your God while you consume the meat.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:27

28 Be sure to observe all these words that I’m commanding you, in order that life may go well for you and your children after you forever, for this is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.”ISV — Deuteronomy 12:28

29 “When the LORD your God eliminates the nations that you are about to dispossess so you can live in their land,ISV — Deuteronomy 12:29

30 after they have been destroyed in your sight, be careful not to be ensnared as they were. Otherwise, you will seek their gods and ask yourselves, ‘How do these nations serve their gods? I will do likewise.’ISV — Deuteronomy 12:30

31 You must not do the same to the LORD your God, because they practiced in the presence of their gods every sort of abomination that the LORD hates. Moreover, they sacrificed ^{s12:31 Lit. they burned in fire} their sons and daughters to their gods.ISV — Deuteronomy 12:31

32 ^{t12:32 This v. is 13:1 in MT} Now as to everything I’m commanding you, you must be careful to observe it. Don’t add to or subtract from it.”ISV — Deuteronomy 12:32