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 Place He Chooses
1“These are the statutes and ordinances that you are to make sure to do in the land that Adonai, the God of your fathers, has given you to possess—all the days that you live on the earth.
2You must utterly destroy all the places where the nations that you will dispossess served their gods—on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree.
3You are to tear down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their Asherah poles in the fire and cut down the carved images of their gods, and you are to obliterate their name from that place.
4“You are not to act like this toward Adonai your God.
5Rather you are to seek only the place Adonai your God chooses from all your tribes to put His Name to dwell—there you will come.
6There you are to bring your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes, the offering of your hand, your vow and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock.
7There you and your households will eat before Adonai your God and rejoice in every undertaking of your hand, as Adonai your God has blessed you.
8You will not do all the things as we are doing here today—everyone doing what is right in his own eyes.
9For you have not yet come to the resting place and the inheritance that Adonai your God is giving you.
10But when you cross over the Jordan and settle in the land that Adonai your God enables you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies around you, you will dwell in safety.
11“Then the place Adonai your God chooses to make His Name dwell, there you are to bring all that I command you—your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes, the offering of your hand, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to Adonai.
12Then you will rejoice before Adonai your God—you and your sons and daughters, your slaves and maids, and the Levite in your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance among you.
13Be careful that you do not offer your burnt offerings in any place you see.
14Rather do so only in the place Adonai chooses in one of your tribes—there you are to offer your burnt offerings, and there you are to do all I am commanding you.
15“However, you may slaughter and eat meat within all your gates—whatever your soul’s desire, according to the blessing Adonai your God has given you. Either the unclean or clean may eat of it, as they would a gazelle and or deer.
16But you are not to eat the blood—you are to pour it out on the ground like water.
17You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or 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 offering of your hand.
18Rather you are to eat them before Adonai your God in the place Adonai your God chooses—you, your son and daughter, your slave and maid, and the Levite within your gates—and you will rejoice before Adonai your God in every undertaking of your hand.
19Be careful that you do not neglect the Levite as long as you live on the earth.
20“When Adonai your God enlarges your territory as He has promised you, and you say, ‘I want to eat meat,’ because your soul craves meat, then you may eat meat—all your soul’s desire.
21If the place Adonai your God chooses to put His Name is too far from you, then you may slaughter any of your herd and flock that Adonai has given you—as I have commanded you—and you may eat within your gates, all your soul’s desire.
22Just as the gazelle or hart is eaten, so you may eat it—the unclean and clean alike may eat it.
23Only be sure that you do not eat the blood—for the blood is the life, and you are not to eat the life with the meat.
24You are not to eat it—you are to pour it out on the ground like water.
25You are not to eat it, so that it may go well with you and your children after you, when you do what is right in Adonai’s eyes.
26“Only the holy things and vow offerings that are yours are you to take and go to the place that Adonai chooses.
27You are to offer your burnt offerings—the flesh and the blood—on the altar of Adonai your God. The blood of your sacrifices is to be poured out on the altar of Adonai your God, but the meat you are to eat.
28Take care and listen to all these words that I am commanding you, so that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of Adonai your God.
29“When Adonai your God cuts off before you the nations that you are going in to dispossess, when you have dispossessed them and settled in their land,
30be careful not to be trapped into imitating them after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations serve their gods? I will do the same.’
31You are not to act like this toward Adonai your God! For every abomination of Adonai, which He hates, they have done to their gods—they even burn their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods.
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