Deuteronomy 12
12
The Lord’s Chosen Place of Worship
1 # ch. 6:1 “These are the statutes and rules that you shall be careful to do in the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess, #ch. 4:10all the days that you live on the earth. 2#ch. 7:5; Ex. 34:13 You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, #1 Kgs. 14:23; 2 Kgs. 16:4; 17:10; Jer. 3:6on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. 3You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces #See ch. 16:22 their pillars and burn their #See ch. 16:21 Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and #[Zeph. 1:4; Zech. 13:2]destroy their name out of that place. 4#ver. 31You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way. 5But you shall seek #ch. 16:2; 26:2; 1 Kgs. 8:29; 2 Chr. 7:12; [Josh. 18:1]the place that the Lord your God will choose out of all your tribes to put his name and make his habitation#12:5 Or name as its habitation there. There you shall go, 6and there you shall bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, #ch. 14:22, 23; 15:19, 20 your tithes and the contribution that you present, your vow offerings, your freewill offerings, and the #ch. 14:23firstborn of your herd and of your flock. 7And #ch. 14:23, 26; 15:20 there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and #ch. 14:26; 16:11, 14, 15; 26:11; 27:7; 28:8; Lev. 23:40you shall rejoice, you and your households, in all that you undertake, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.
8“You shall not do according to all that we are doing here today, #Judg. 17:6; 21:25everyone doing whatever is right in his own eyes, 9for you have not as yet come to #1 Kgs. 8:56; Ps. 95:11; [Heb. 4:8]the rest and to the inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you. 10But when #See ch. 11:31 you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, #ch. 25:19; Josh. 23:1; [2 Sam. 7:1; 1 Kgs. 5:4]and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety, 11then to #[See ver. 5 above] the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, #[See ver. 6 above]your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the Lord. 12And #[See ver. 7 above] you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, you and your sons and your daughters, your male servants and your female servants, and the Levite that is within your towns, since #See Num. 18:20he has no portion or inheritance with you. 13#Lev. 17:3, 4; [1 Kgs. 12:28, 33]Take care that you do not offer your burnt offerings at any place that you see, 14but at #[See ver. 5 above]the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.
15“However, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your towns, as much as you desire, #ch. 16:17 according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you. #ch. 14:5; 15:22The unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of the gazelle and as of the deer. 16#See Lev. 3:17Only you shall not eat the blood; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. 17You may not eat within your towns #[See ver. 6 above]the tithe of your grain or of your wine or of your oil, or the firstborn of your herd or of your flock, or any of your vow offerings that you vow, or your freewill offerings or the contribution that you present, 18but #[See ver. 7 above] you shall eat them before the Lord your God in #[See ver. 5 above] the place that the Lord your God will choose, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your towns. And #[See ver. 7 above]you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you undertake. 19#ch. 14:27; [2 Chr. 31:4]Take care that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live in your land.
20“When the Lord your God #ch. 19:8 enlarges your territory, #ch. 11:24; 19:8, 9; Gen. 28:14; Ex. 34:24as he has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because you crave meat, you may eat meat whenever you desire. 21If #See ver. 5 the place that the Lord your God will choose to put his name there is too far from you, #ver. 15then you may kill any of your herd or your flock, which the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat within your towns whenever you desire. 22Just #ch. 14:5; 15:22as the gazelle or the deer is eaten, so you may eat of it. #ch. 14:5; 15:22The unclean and the clean alike may eat of it. 23#See Lev. 3:17 Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, #See Gen. 9:4for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. 24You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the earth like water. 25You shall not eat it, #ch. 4:40; [Eccles. 8:12; Isa. 3:10] that all may go well with you and with your children after you, #ch. 6:18; 13:18; Ex. 15:26; 1 Kgs. 11:38when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord. 26But the #[Num. 5:9, 10; 18:19] holy things that are due from you, and #[1 Sam. 1:21] your vow offerings, you shall take, and you shall go to #[See ver. 21 above]the place that the Lord will choose, 27and #Lev. 1:5, 9, 13; 17:11offer your burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your sacrifices shall be poured out on the altar of the Lord your God, but the flesh you may eat. 28Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, #[See ver. 25 above]that it may go well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
Warning Against Idolatry
29“When #ch. 19:1; Josh. 23:4, 5the Lord your God cuts off before you the nations whom you go in to dispossess, and you dispossess them and dwell in their land, 30take care #ch. 7:16that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ 31#ver. 4; Lev. 18:3, 26, 30; [2 Kgs. 17:15] You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every #ch. 7:25; 17:1; 18:12; 23:18; 25:16; 27:15 abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for #2 Kgs. 17:31; Jer. 7:31; 19:5they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
32 # 12:32 Ch 13:1 in Hebrew “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. #See ch. 4:2You shall not add to it or take from it.
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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Deuteronomy 12
12
The Chosen Place of Worship
1“Be careful to follow these statutes and ordinances in the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors,#Ex 3:13,15–16; Dt 1:11,21; 4:1; 6:3; 27:3; Jos 18:3; Ezr 10:11; Ac 7:32 has given you to possess all the days you live on the earth. 2Destroy completely all the places where the nations that you are driving out worship their gods#Ex 23:23–26; 34:13; Dt 7:1–5 — on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.#1Kg 14:23; 2Kg 16:4; 17:10; 2Ch 28:4; Is 57:5; Jr 2:20; 3:6,13; Ezk 6:13 3Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from every#12:3 Lit that place.#Ex 34:13; Dt 7:5; 2Kg 23:14; 2Ch 14:3; 31:1; 34:4,7; Is 27:9 4Don’t worship the Lord your God this way. 5Instead, turn to the place the Lord your God chooses#Dt 14:23–25; 15:20; 16:2,7,11,15–16; 17:8,10; 18:6; 26:2; 31:11; Jos 9:27 from all your tribes to put his name for his dwelling and go there. 6You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions,#12:6 Lit and the contributions from your hands your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7You will eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do,#12:7 Lit you put your hand to, also in v. 18 because the Lord your God has blessed you.
8“You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own sight.#Ex 15:26; Jdg 17:6; 21:25 9Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place#Dt 3:20; 5:14; 25:19; 28:65 and the inheritance#Dt 15:4 the Lord your God is giving you. 10When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit,#Dt 15:4 and he gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security, 11then the Lord your God will choose the place to have his name dwell.#Dt 14:23; 16:2,6,11; 26:2 Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions,#12:11 Lit tenth, the contributions from your hands and all your choice offerings you vow to the Lord. 12You will rejoice#Lv 23:40; Dt 14:26; 16:11–15; 26:11; 27:7 before the Lord your God — you, your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the Levite who is within your city gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.#Ex 20:10; Nm 18:20; Dt 5:14; 12:18; 14:21,27,29; 16:11,14; 23:16 13Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the sacred places you see. 14You must offer your burnt offerings only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribes, and there you must do everything I command you.
Slaughtering Animals to Eat
15“But whenever you want, you may slaughter and eat meat within any of your city gates,#Dt 15:22–23 according to the blessing the Lord your God has given you. Those who are clean or unclean may eat it, as they would a gazelle or deer, 16but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.#Lv 17:10–14 17Within your city gates you may not eat the tenth of your grain, new wine, or fresh oil; the firstborn of your herd or flock; any of your vow offerings that you pledge; your freewill offerings; or your personal contributions.#12:17 Lit or the contributions from your hands 18You are to eat them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God chooses — you, your son and daughter, your male and female slave, and the Levite who is within your city gates. Rejoice before the Lord your God in everything you do, 19and be careful not to neglect the Levite, as long as you live in your land.
20“When the Lord your God enlarges your territory as he has promised you,#Ex 34:24 and you say, ‘I want to eat meat’ because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want. 21If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far from you, you may slaughter any of your herd or flock he has given you, as I have commanded you, and you may eat it within your city gates whenever you want. 22Indeed, you may eat it as the gazelle and deer are eaten; both the clean and the unclean may eat it. 23But don’t eat the blood, since the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.#Lv 17:11,14 24Do not eat blood; pour it on the ground like water.#Lv 3:17; 7:26; 17:14; 19:26; Dt 15:23; 1Sm 14:34; Ezk 33:25 25Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in the Lord’s sight.
26“But you are to take the holy offerings you have and your vow offerings and go to the place the Lord chooses. 27Present the meat and blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your other sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. 28Be careful to obey all these things I command you, so that you and your children after you may prosper forever, because you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.
29“When the Lord your God annihilates the nations before you,#Dt 19:1 which you are entering to take possession of,#Dt 3:12 and you drive them out and live in their land, 30be careful not to be ensnared by their ways#Ex 23:33; 34:12; Dt 7:16,25; Jos 23:13; Jdg 8:27; Ps 106:36; Heb 12:1 after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I’ll also do the same.’ 31You must not do the same to the Lord your God, because they practice every detestable act, which the Lord hates, for their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. 32Be careful to do everything I command you; do not add anything to it or take anything away from it.#Dt 4:2; Rv 22:18–19
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