Deuteronomy 12:2-32

2You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations whom you are going to dispossess serve their gods, on the 1high mountains, on the hills, and under every leafy tree. 3And 2you shall tear down their altars and smash their memorial stones to pieces, and burn their 3Asherim in the fire, and cut to pieces the carved images of their gods; and you shall 4eliminate their name from that place. 4You shall not act this way toward the Lord your God. 55But 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, 6your tithes, the 7contribution of your hand, your vowed offerings, your 8voluntary offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7There you and your households shall eat before the Lord your God, and 9rejoice in all 10your undertakings in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

8“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, 11everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes; 9for you have not as yet come to 12the resting place and the 13inheritance 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 14He gives you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security, 1115then 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 16contribution of your hand, and all your choice vowed offerings which you will vow to the Lord. 12And you shall 17rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the 18Levite who is within your gates, since 19he has no portion or inheritance with you.

13“20Be 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“21However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your gates, 22whatever 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 23the gazelle and the deer. 1624Only you shall not eat the blood; 25you are to pour it out on the ground like water. 1726You 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 27voluntary offerings, or the 28contribution of your hand. 18But 29you shall eat them before the Lord your God in 30the place which the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the 31Levite who is within your gates; and you shall 32rejoice before the Lord your God in all 33your undertakings. 1934Be careful that you do not abandon the Levite 35as long as you live in your land.

20“When the Lord your God extends your border 36as He has 37promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because 38you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, 39whatever 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 40whatever 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 41not to eat the blood, for the blood is the 42life, and you shall not eat the 43life 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 44it may go well for you and your sons after you, since 45you will be doing what is right in the sight of the Lord. 2646Only your holy things which you may have and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses. 27And 47you 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 48you shall eat the flesh.

28“Be careful and listen to all these words which I am commanding you, so that 49it 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 50the 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 51to 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?’ 3152You 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 53they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods.

32“5455Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; 56you shall not add to nor take anything away from it.