Deuteronomy 12

Laws of the Sanctuary

1“These are the statutes and the judgments which you shall carefully 1follow in the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess 23as long as you live on the 4earth. 2You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you are going to dispossess serve their gods, on the 5high mountains, on the hills, and under every leafy tree. 3And 6you shall tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones to pieces, and burn their 7Asherim in the fire, and cut to pieces the carved images of their gods; and you shall 8eliminate their name from that place. 4You shall not act this way toward the Lord your God. 59But 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, 10your tithes, the 11contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your 12voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7There you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and 13rejoice in all 14your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

8“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, 15everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9for you have not as yet come to 16the resting place and the 17inheritance 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 18He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 1119then 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 20contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings which you will vow to the Lord. 12And you shall 21rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the 22Levite who is within your gates, since 23he has no portion or inheritance with you.

13“24Be 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.

15“25However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, 26whatever 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 27the gazelle and the deer. 1628Only you shall not eat the blood; 29you are to pour it out on the ground like water. 1730You 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 31voluntary offerings, or the 32contribution of your hand. 18But 33you shall eat them before the Lord your God in 34the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the 35Levite who is within your gates; and you shall 36rejoice before the Lord your God in all 37your undertakings. 1938Be careful that you do not abandon the Levite 39as long as you live in your land.

20“When the Lord your God extends your border 40as He has 41promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because 42you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, 43whatever 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 44whatever 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 45not to eat the blood, for the blood is the 46life, and you shall not eat the 47life 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 48it may go well for you and your sons after you, since 49you will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. 2650Only your holy things which you may have and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. 27And 51you 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 52you shall eat the flesh.

28“Be careful and listen to all these words which I am commanding you, so that 53it 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 54the 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 55to 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?’ 3156You 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 57they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods.

32“5859Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; 60you shall not add to nor take anything away from it.