Deuteronomy 12:1-21 ▼

1 THESE are the statutes and judgments which you shall observe to do in the land which the LORD God of your fathers gives you to possess all the days that you live upon the earth.

2 You must destroy all the places wherein the nations whom you are to possess worshipped, and all their gods upon high mountains and upon the hills and under every green tree;

3 And you shall tear down their altars and break their statues and burn their graven images with fire; and break the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.

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, his habitation shall you seek, and thither you shall go;

6 And thither you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices and your tithes and your gift offerings of your hands and your vows and your freewill offerings and the firstlings 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 to, you and your households, in which the LORD your God has blessed you.

8 You shall not do according to all the things that we are doing here this day, every man whatever is right in his own eyes.

9 For you are not as yet come to the dwelling place and to the inheritance which the LORD your God gives you.

10 But when you cross 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 round about you, so that you shall dwell in safety;

11 Then to the place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there, thither you shall bring all the things that I command you, your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the gift offerings of your hands and all your choice things of your vows which you vow to the LORD.

12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your sons and your daughters and your men-servants and your maidservants and the Levites that are living within your towns; because they have no portion nor inheritance with you.

13 Take heed to yourselves that you do not offer your burnt offerings in every place that you please;

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.

15 Notwithstanding you may slaughter and eat meat in all your towns, whatever your soul may desire, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which he has given you; the unclean and the clean may be eaten, such as of the gazelle, and as of the hart.

16 Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out upon the earth like water.

17 It is unlawful to eat within your towns the tithes of your grain, or of your wine, or of your oil, or the firstlings of your herds, or of your flock, or any of things which you vow, nor your freewill offerings, nor gift offerings of your hands;

18 But you must eat them before the LORD your God yearly at the place which the LORD your God shall choose, you and your son and your daughter and your manservant and your maidservant and the Levite that is within your towns; and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in all that you put your hand to.

19 Take heed to yourselves that you do not forsake the Levites as long as you live upon the earth.

20 When the LORD your God shall enlarge your territory, as he has promised you, and you shall say, I will eat meat, because your soul longs to eat meat; you shall eat meat, whatever your soul may desire.

21 And if the place where the LORD your God shall choose to put his name is too far from you, then you may slaughter of your herds and of your flocks, which the LORD your God has given you, as I have commanded you, and you shall eat in your towns whatever your soul may desire.