Deu 12 | NASB2020 | STEP | “These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully follow in the land which the Lord , the God of your fathers , has given you to possess as long as you live on the earth .

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. 2 You 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. 3 And ^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. 4 You 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. 6 You 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. 7 There 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; 9 for you have not as yet come to ^pthe resting place and the ^qinheritance 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 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. 12 And 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.

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

15 “ ^yHowever, 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. 18 But ^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. 21 If 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. 22 Just as a gazelle or a deer is eaten, so you may eat it; the unclean and the clean alike may eat it. 23 Only 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. 24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water. 25 You 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. 27 And ^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, 30 be 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.