Deuteronomy 12
Laws of the Sanctuary
1“These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully observe in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess ▼▼ Lit all the days
,
bas long as you live on the ▼▼ Lit ground
earth. 2“You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess serve their gods, on the dhigh mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3 e“You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their ▼▼ I.e. wooden symbols of a female deity
Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and gobliterate their name from that place. 4“You shall not act like this toward the Lord your God. 5 h“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 there you shall come. 6“There you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, iyour tithes, the ▼▼ Or heave offering
contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7“There also you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and krejoice in all ▼▼ Lit the putting forth of your hand
your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you. 8“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9for you have not as yet come to mthe resting place and the ninheritance 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 to inherit, and oHe gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 11 pthen it shall come about that the place in which the Lord your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the ▼▼ Or heave offering
contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to the Lord. 12“And you shall rrejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the sLevite who is within your gates, since the has no portion or inheritance with you. 13 u“Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see, 14but in the place which the Lord chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you. 15 v“However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, ▼▼ Lit in every desire of your soul
whatever you desire, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of xthe gazelle and the deer. 16 y“Only you shall not eat the blood; zyou are to pour it out on the ground like water. 17 aa“You are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the ▼▼ Lit heave offering
contribution of your hand. 18“But acyou shall eat them before the Lord your God in adthe place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female servants, and the aeLevite who is within your gates; and you shall afrejoice before the Lord your God in all ▼▼ Lit the putting forth of your hand
your undertakings. 19 ah“Be careful that you do not forsake the Levite ▼▼ Lit all your days upon your land
as long as you live in your land. 20“When the Lord your God extends your border ajas He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because ▼▼ Lit your soul desires
you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, ▼▼ Lit in every desire of your soul
whatever you desire. 21“If the place which the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herd and flock which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates ▼▼ Lit in every desire of your soul
whatever you desire. 22“Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you will eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. 23“Only be sure annot to eat the blood, for the blood is the ▼▼ Lit soul
life, and you shall not eat the ▼▼ Lit soul
life with the flesh. 24“You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. 25“You shall not eat it, so that aqit may be well with you and your sons after you, for aryou will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 as“Only your holy things which you may have and your votive offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. 27“And atyou shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God; and the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, and auyou shall eat the flesh. 28“Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that avit may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God. 29“When awthe Lord your God cuts off before you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30beware that you are not ensnared ▼▼ Lit after them
to follow them, after they are destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’ 31 ay“You shall not behave thus toward the Lord your God, for every abominable act which the Lord hates they have done for their gods; for azthey even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32 ▼▼ Lit Everything that
,
bb“Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; bcyou shall not add to nor take away from it.
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