Deuteronomy 12

The Lord’s Chosen Place for Worship

12"These are the decrees and regulations you must be careful to obey when you live in the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must obey them as long as you live.H2706H4941H8104H6213H776H3068H430H1H5414H3423H3117H2416H127 2"When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods—high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree.H6H6H4725H1471H834H3423H5647H430H7311H2022H1389H7488H6086 3Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods!H5422H4196H7665H4676H8313H842H784H1438H6456H430H6H8034H4725 4"Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.H6213H3068H430 5Rather, you must seek the LORD your God at the place of worship he himself will choose from among all the tribes—the place where his name will be honored.H4725H3068H430H977H7626H7760H8034H7933H1875H935 6There you will bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, your offerings to fulfill a vow, your voluntary offerings, and your offerings of the firstborn animals of your herds and flocks.H935H5930H2077H4643H8641H3027H5088H5071H1062H1241H6629 7There you and your families will feast in the presence of the LORD your God, and you will rejoice in all you have accomplished because the LORD your God has blessed you.H398H6440H3068H430H8055H4916H3027H1004H3068H430H1288 8"Your pattern of worship will change. Today all of you are doing as you please,H6213H6213H3117H376H3477H5869 9because you have not yet arrived at the place of rest, the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession.H935H4496H5159H3068H430H5414 10But you will soon cross the Jordan River and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you. When he gives you rest from all your enemies and you're living safely in the land,H5674H3383H3427H776H3068H430H5157H5117H341H5439H3427H983 11you must bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, your sacred offerings, and your offerings to fulfill a vow—to the designated place of worship, the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored.H4725H3068H430H977H8034H7931H935H6680H5930H2077H4643H8641H3027H4005H5088H5087H3068 12"You must celebrate there in the presence of the LORD your God with your sons and daughters and all your servants. And remember to include the Levites who live in your towns, for they will receive no allotment of land among you.H8055H6440H3068H430H1121H1323H5650H519H3881H8179H3588H2506H5159 13Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you like.H8104H5927H5930H4725H7200 14You may do so only at the place the LORD will choose within one of your tribal territories. There you must offer your burnt offerings and do everything I command you.H4725H3068H977H259H7626H5927H5930H6213H6680 15"But you may butcher your animals and eat their meat in any town whenever you want. You may freely eat the animals with which the LORD your God blesses you. All of you, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you now eat gazelle and deer.H2076H398H1320H8179H5315H185H1293H3068H430H5414H2931H2889H398H6643H354 16But you must not consume the blood. You must pour it out on the ground like water.H398H1818H8210H776H4325 17"But you may not eat your offerings in your hometown—neither the tithe of your grain and new wine and olive oil, nor the firstborn of your flocks and herds, nor any offering to fulfill a vow, nor your voluntary offerings, nor your sacred offerings.H3201H398H8179H4643H1715H8492H3323H1062H1241H6629H5088H5087H5071H8641H3027 18You must eat these in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose. Eat them there with your children, your servants, and the Levites who live in your towns, celebrating in the presence of the LORD your God in all you do.H398H6440H3068H430H4725H3068H430H977H1121H1323H5650H519H3881H8179H8055H6440H3068H430H4916H3027 19And be very careful never to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.H8104H5800H3881H3117H127 20"When the LORD your God expands your territory as he has promised, and you have the urge to eat meat, you may freely eat meat whenever you want.H3068H430H7337H1366H1696H559H398H1320H5315H183H398H1320H398H1320H5315H185 21It might happen that the designated place of worship—the place the LORD your God chooses for his name to be honored—is a long way from your home. If so, you may butcher any of the cattle, sheep, or goats the LORD has given you, and you may freely eat the meat in your hometown, as I have commanded you.H4725H3068H430H977H7760H8034H7368H2076H1241H6629H3068H5414H6680H398H8179H5315H185 22Anyone, whether ceremonially clean or unclean, may eat that meat, just as you do now with gazelle and deer.H6643H354H398H398H2931H2889H398H3162 23But never consume the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the lifeblood with the meat.H2388H398H1818H1818H5315H398H5315H1320 24Instead, pour out the blood on the ground like water.H398H8210H776H4325 25Do not consume the blood, so that all may go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what pleases the LORD.H398H3190H1121H310H6213H3477H5869H3068 26"Take your sacred gifts and your offerings given to fulfill a vow to the place the LORD chooses.H6944H5088H5375H935H4725H3068H977 27You must offer the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the LORD your God. The blood of your other sacrifices must be poured out on the altar of the LORD your God, but you may eat the meat.H6213H5930H1320H1818H4196H3068H430H1818H2077H8210H4196H3068H430H398H1320 28Be careful to obey all my commands, so that all will go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and pleasing to the LORD your God.H8104H8085H1697H6680H3190H1121H310H5704H5769H6213H2896H3477H5869H3068H430 29"When the LORD your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land,H3068H430H3772H1471H6440H935H3423H3423H3427H776 30do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, 'How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.'H8104H5367H310H310H8045H6440H1875H430H559H1471H5647H430H6213H1571 31You must not worship the LORD your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the LORD hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.H6213H3068H430H8441H3068H8130H6213H430H1121H1323H8313H784H430 32

"So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.H1697H6680H8104H6213H3254H1639