◀- Deuteronomy 12
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One Place for Worship
(1) "These are the statutes and judgments, which YOU shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of your fathers has given you to possess it, all the days that YOU live on the earth.
(2) YOU shall utterly destroy all the places, where the nations which YOU shall drive out served their gods, on the high mountains, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
(3) And YOU shall destroy their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and YOU shall cut down the carved images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
The Place of God’s Service to be Kept
(4) YOU shall not do so to the LORD YOUR God.
(5) But to the place which the LORD YOUR God shall choose out of all YOUR tribes to put his name there, to his habitation shall YOU seek, and there you shall come;
(6) There YOU shall bring YOUR burnt offerings, and YOUR sacrifices, and YOUR tithes, and heave offerings of YOUR hand, and YOUR vows, and YOUR freewill offerings, and the firstborn of YOUR herds and of YOUR flocks.
(7) And there YOU shall eat before the LORD YOUR God, and YOU shall rejoice in all that YOU put YOUR hand on, YOU and YOUR households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.
(8) YOU shall not do according to all that we do here this day, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes,
(9) for YOU have not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the LORD YOUR God gives YOU.
(10) But when YOU cross over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD YOUR God gives YOU to inherit, and when he gives YOU rest from all YOUR enemies around, so that YOU dwell in safety,
(11) then there shall be a place which the LORD YOUR God shall choose to cause his name to dwell; there YOU shall bring all that I command YOU: YOUR burnt offerings, and YOUR sacrifices, YOUR tithes, and the heave offering of YOUR hand, and all YOUR choice vows which YOU vowed to the LORD.
(12) And YOU shall rejoice before the LORD YOUR God, YOU, and YOUR sons, and YOUR daughters, and YOUR male servants, and YOUR female servants, and the Levite that is within YOUR gates; since he has no part nor inheritance with YOU.
(13) Take heed to yourself that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you see,
(14) but in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.
Blood is Forbidden
(15) However you may kill and eat flesh in all your gates, whatever your heart desires after, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which he has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.
(16) Only YOU shall not eat the blood; YOU shall pour it on the earth as water.
Holy Things Must be Eaten in The Holy Place
17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:
18 But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.
The Levite is not to be forsaken
19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.
20 When the LORD thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
21 If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.
22 Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.
23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.
24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.
25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the LORD.
26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the LORD shall choose:
27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the LORD thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the LORD thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.
28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God.
Warning against Idolatry
29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and dwellest in their land;
30 Take heed to thyself that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and that thou enquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
31 Thou shalt not do so unto the LORD thy God: for every abomination to the LORD, which he hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods.
32 What thing soever I command YOU, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it.