‏ Deuteronomy 12

Laws of the Sanctuary

1 “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully
Lit perform
follow in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess
Lit all the days
cas long as you live on the
Lit ground
earth.
2You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you are going to dispossess serve their gods, on the ehigh mountains, on the hills, and under every leafy tree. 3And fyou shall tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones to pieces, and burn their
I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
Asherim in the fire, and cut to pieces the carved images of their gods; and you shall heliminate their name from that place.
4You shall not act this way toward the Lord your God. 5 iBut 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. 6You shall bring there your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, jyour tithes, the
Or uplifted offering
contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your
Or freewill offerings
voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.
7There you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and mrejoice 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, oeveryone doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9for you have not as yet come to pthe resting place and the qinheritance which the Lord your God is giving you. 10When you cross the Jordan and live in the land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance, and rHe gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 11 sthen 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
Or uplifted offering
contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings which you will vow to the Lord.
12And you shall urejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the vLevite who is within your gates, since whe has no portion or inheritance with you.

13xBe careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any cultic place that you see, 14but 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.

15yHowever, 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 alike may eat it, as aathe gazelle and the deer.
16 abOnly you shall not eat the blood; acyou are to pour it out on the ground like water. 17 adYou are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, new wine, or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your vowed offerings which you vow, or your
Or freewill offerings
voluntary offerings, or the
Or uplifted offering
contribution of your hand.
18But agyou shall eat them before the Lord your God in ahthe place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the aiLevite who is within your gates; and you shall ajrejoice before the Lord your God in all
Lit the putting forth of your hand
your undertakings.
19 alBe careful that you do not abandon 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 anas He has
Lit spoken to
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.
21If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then you may slaughter animals from 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.
22Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you may eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it. 23Only be sure asnot to eat the blood, for the blood is the
Lit soul
life, and you shall not eat the
Lit soul
life with the flesh.
24You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. 25You shall not eat it, so that avit may go well for you and your sons after you, since awyou will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26 axOnly your holy things which you may have and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. 27And ayyou 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 azyou shall eat the flesh.

28 “Be careful and listen to all these words which I am commanding you, so that bait may go well for 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 bbthe Lord your God cuts off from you the nations which you are going in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and live in their land, 30be careful that you are not ensnared
Lit after them
to follow them, after they are destroyed from your presence, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods, that I also may do likewise?’
31 bdYou shall not behave this way toward the Lord your God, because every abominable act which the Lord hates, they have done for their gods; for bethey even burn their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods.

32
Lit Everything that
bgWhatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; bhyou shall not add to nor take anything away from it.
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