Deuteronomy 12:17-32 ▼

17 You must not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain, or your new wine, or your oil, or of the firstborn of your herd or your flock, or of any of your offerings that you vow, or of your freewill offerings, or of the contribution of your hand.

18 Indeed rather, before the face of YHWH your God you must eat them in the place that YHWH your God in it chooses—you, and your son, and your daughter, and your manservant, and your maidservant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the face of YHWH your God in all to which you put your hands.

19 Take heed to yourself that you do not forsake the Levite as long as you live in your land.

20 When YHWH your God enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, “Let me eat flesh,” because you long to eat flesh, you may eat flesh of all the desire of your soul.

21 If the place is too far from you where YHWH your God chooses to put His Name, you may slaughter from your herd and from your flock that which YHWH has given to you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your gates all the desire of your heart.

22 Indeed, as the gazelle and the deer are eaten, so you may eat them. The unclean and the clean alike may eat them.

23 Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you may not eat the life with the flesh.

24 You shall not eat it; you shall pour it on the earth like water.

25 You shall not eat it, that it may go well with you and with your sons after you when you do what is right in the eyes of YHWH.

26 Only the holy things that are to you, and your vowed offerings, you shall take and go to the place that YHWH chooses.

27 And you shall offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of YHWH your God. And the blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of YHWH your God, and you shall eat the flesh.

28 Observe and obey all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and with your sons after you, even to forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of YHWH your God.

29 When YHWH your God cuts off the nations that you go to dispossess from before you, and you displace them and dwell in their land,

30 take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them after they are destroyed from before you, that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, “How did these nations serve their gods, and I also will do likewise?”

31 You shall not do thus to YHWH your God, for every abomination to YHWH, which He hates, they have done to their gods. For even their sons and daughters they burn in the fire to their gods.

32 The whole thing, whatever I command you?, be careful to observe it. You shall not add to it, nor take away from it.