Deuteronomy 15:20
New International Version
Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose.

New Living Translation
Instead, you and your family must eat these animals in the presence of the LORD your God each year at the place he chooses.

English Standard Version
You shall eat it, you and your household, before the LORD your God year by year at the place that the LORD will choose.

Berean Standard Bible
Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.

King James Bible
Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.

New King James Version
You and your household shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD chooses.

New American Standard Bible
You and your household shall eat it every year before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses.

NASB 1995
“You and your household shall eat it every year before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses.

NASB 1977
“You and your household shall eat it every year before the LORD your God in the place which the LORD chooses.

Legacy Standard Bible
You and your household shall eat it every year before Yahweh your God in the place which Yahweh chooses.

Amplified Bible
You and your household shall eat it every year before the LORD your God in the place [for worship] which the LORD chooses.

Christian Standard Bible
Each year you and your family are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD chooses.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Each year you and your family are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD chooses.

American Standard Version
Thou shalt eat it before Jehovah thy God year by year in the place which Jehovah shall choose, thou and thy household.

Contemporary English Version
Instead, each year you must take the first-born of these animals to the place where the LORD your God chooses to be worshiped. You and your family will sacrifice them to the LORD and then eat them as part of a sacred meal.

English Revised Version
Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Every year you and your family must eat these animals in the presence of the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.

Good News Translation
Each year you and your family are to eat them in the LORD's presence at the one place of worship.

International Standard Version
Then in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your household must eat them every year at the place the LORD will choose.

Majority Standard Bible
Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose.

NET Bible
You and your household must eat them annually before the LORD your God in the place he chooses.

New Heart English Bible
You shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, you and your household.

Webster's Bible Translation
Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.

World English Bible
You shall eat it before Yahweh your God year by year in the place which Yahweh shall choose, you and your household.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
you eat it before your God YHWH year by year, in the place which YHWH chooses, you and your house.

Young's Literal Translation
before Jehovah thy God thou dost eat it year by year, in the place which Jehovah doth choose, thou and thy house.

Smith's Literal Translation
Before Jehovah thy God thou shalt eat it year by year, in the place which Jehovah shall choose, thou, and thy house.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
In the sight of the Lord thy God shalt thou eat them every year, in the place that the Lord shall choose, thou and thy house.

Catholic Public Domain Version
In the sight of the Lord your God, you shall eat these, each year, in the place which the Lord will choose, you and your household.

New American Bible
In the presence of the LORD, your God, you shall eat them year after year, you and your household, in the place that the LORD will choose.

New Revised Standard Version
You shall eat it, you together with your household, in the presence of the LORD your God year by year at the place that the LORD will choose.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
You shall eat a firstling before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, you and your household;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
But eat it before LORD JEHOVAH your God from year to year in the place that LORD JEHOVAH has chosen, you and your household.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou shalt eat it before the LORD thy God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, thou and thy household.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou shalt eat it before the Lord year by year in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou and thy house.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Firstborn Animals
19You must set apart to the LORD your God every firstborn male produced by your herds and flocks. You are not to put the firstborn of your oxen to work, nor are you to shear the firstborn of your flock. 20Each year you and your household are to eat it before the LORD your God in the place the LORD will choose. 21But if an animal has a defect, is lame or blind, or has any serious flaw, you must not sacrifice it to the LORD your God.…

Cross References
Exodus 13:12
you are to present to the LORD the firstborn male of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD.

Exodus 23:19
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

Exodus 34:26
Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.”

Leviticus 23:10-11
“Speak to the Israelites and say, ‘When you enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its harvest, you are to bring to the priest a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest. / And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath.

Numbers 18:17-18
But you must not redeem the firstborn of an ox, a sheep, or a goat; they are holy. You are to splatter their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD. / And their meat belongs to you, just as the breast and right thigh of the wave offering belong to you.

Deuteronomy 12:5-7
Instead, you must seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish as a dwelling for His Name, and there you must go. / To that place you are to bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and heave offerings, your vow offerings and freewill offerings, as well as the firstborn of your herds and flocks. / There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

Deuteronomy 12:17-18
Within your gates you must not eat the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, the firstborn of your herds or flocks, any of the offerings that you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. / Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the LORD your God in all you do,

Deuteronomy 14:23
And you are to eat a tenth of your grain, new wine, and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, in the presence of the LORD your God at the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name, so that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.

1 Samuel 1:24-25
Once she had weaned him, Hannah took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. / And when they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli.

2 Chronicles 31:6
And the Israelites and Judahites who lived in the cities of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things consecrated to the LORD their God, and they laid them in large heaps.

Nehemiah 10:35-37
We will also bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the house of the LORD year by year. / And we will bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as it is written in the Law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God. / Moreover, we will bring to the priests at the storerooms of the house of our God the firstfruits of our dough, of our grain offerings, of the fruit of all our trees, and of our new wine and oil. A tenth of our produce belongs to the Levites, so that they shall receive tithes in all the towns where we labor.

Proverbs 3:9-10
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops; / then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Isaiah 1:11
“What good to Me is your multitude of sacrifices?” says the LORD. “I am full from the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed cattle; I take no delight in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.

Malachi 1:8
When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is it not wrong? And when you present the lame and sick ones, is it not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.

Matthew 5:17
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.


Treasury of Scripture

You shall eat it before the LORD your God year by year in the place which the LORD shall choose, you and your household.

Deuteronomy 12:5-7,17
But unto the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes to put his name there, even unto his habitation shall ye seek, and thither thou shalt come: …

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Deuteronomy 15
1. The seventh year a year of release for the poor
7. one must be generous in lending or giving
12. A Hebrew servant, except by choice, must be freed in the seventh year
19. All firstborn males of the cattle are to be sanctified unto the Lord.














Each year
This phrase emphasizes the regularity and consistency of the practice. In the Hebrew context, the word for "year" is "שָׁנָה" (shanah), which signifies a complete cycle of seasons. The annual observance underscores the importance of rhythm and routine in spiritual practices, reminding believers of the cyclical nature of life and the need for continual dedication to God.

you and your household
This phrase highlights the communal and familial aspect of worship. The Hebrew word for "household" is "בַּיִת" (bayit), which can refer to both the physical dwelling and the family unit. This inclusion of the household signifies the importance of shared faith experiences and the role of family in spiritual education and practice. It reflects the biblical principle that faith is not just an individual journey but a collective one, involving and impacting those closest to us.

are to eat it
The act of eating is central to this command, symbolizing participation and communion. In Hebrew, "אָכַל" (akal) means to consume or devour, indicating a physical act that has spiritual significance. Eating the sacrifice before the Lord is an act of fellowship and gratitude, a tangible expression of reliance on God's provision and a reminder of His sustenance.

before the LORD your God
This phrase denotes the presence and acknowledgment of God in the act of worship. The Hebrew word "פָּנִים" (panim) means "face" or "presence," suggesting a direct encounter with the divine. Worship is not merely a ritual but an intimate meeting with God, where His presence is recognized and revered. It calls believers to approach God with reverence and awe, acknowledging His sovereignty and holiness.

in the place the LORD will choose
This phrase points to the sovereignty and authority of God in determining the place of worship. The Hebrew word "מָקוֹם" (makom) means "place" or "location," and it signifies that God has a specific, chosen place for His people to gather and worship. Historically, this referred to the tabernacle and later the temple in Jerusalem. It underscores the idea that worship is not just about the act itself but also about obedience to God's directives and the sacredness of the designated place.

(20) Thou shalt eat it before the Lord thy God year by year.--This connects the eating of the firstlings with the "second" tithe (Deuteronomy 14:23), There is some difficulty in understanding the exact relation between this precept and that which assigns the firstlings to the priests (Numbers 18:15) with the first tithe. The practical solution is to be sought in the practice of the Jews. One suggestion is (that of Rashi), that "thou shalt eat" in this place refers to the priest; another is, that the firstlings without blemish were for the priest; those that were not fit for sacrifice were for the household of the owner. But it is perfectly conceivable that there was a collection of firstlings at one time of the year for the first tithe, and these were given to the priests. At the time of the collection of the second tithe, there might, and generally would, be other firstlings born since, and these, with the second tithe, would be disposed of in the manner indicated in these verses. And this, upon the whole, seems the most probable explanation. If two tithes were a regular institution, they must have been regularly collected at fixed times. And there might easily be firstlings in both of them; in fact, there almost certainly would be. At any rate, no contradiction can be maintained as between laws which were both observed in practice by the Jews. It appears from the Talmud, that tithes and offerings might be presented, more or less, at any of the three great feasts. They would not all be presented at one time. The tithes and first-fruits in some cases were liable to be delayed. The rule was, that everything due for three years last past must be cleared out of the establishment, and paid over to the proper authorities at the Feast of the Passover in the fourth and eighth years reckoned by the Sabbatical system. (See Deuteronomy 26:12-13, for more on this head.)



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Each year
שָׁנָ֣ה (šā·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8141: A year

you
אַתָּ֖ה (’at·tāh)
Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

and your household
וּבֵיתֶֽךָ׃ (ū·ḇê·ṯe·ḵā)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1004: A house

are to eat it
תֹאכֲלֶ֙נּוּ֙ (ṯō·ḵă·len·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

before
לִפְנֵי֩ (lip̄·nê)
Preposition-l | Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the LORD
יְהוָ֨ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

your God
אֱלֹהֶ֤יךָ (’ĕ·lō·he·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

in the place
בַּמָּק֖וֹם (bam·mā·qō·wm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4725: A standing, a spot, a condition

the LORD
יְהוָ֑ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

will choose.
יִבְחַ֣ר (yiḇ·ḥar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 977: To try, select


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OT Law: Deuteronomy 15:20 You shall eat it before Yahweh your (Deut. De Du)
Deuteronomy 15:19
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