Don’t worship the Lord your God this way. Instead, turn to the place the Lord your God chooses(A) from all your tribes to put his name for his dwelling and go there. You are to bring there your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tenths and personal contributions,[a] your vow offerings and freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. You will eat there in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice with your household in everything you do,[b] because the Lord your God has blessed you.

“You are not to do as we are doing here today; everyone is doing whatever seems right in his own sight.(B) Indeed, you have not yet come into the resting place(C) and the inheritance(D) the Lord your God is giving you. 10 When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the Lord your God is giving you to inherit,(E) and he gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security, 11 then the Lord your God will choose the place to have his name dwell.(F) Bring there everything I command you: your burnt offerings, sacrifices, offerings of the tenth, personal contributions,[c] and all your choice offerings you vow to the Lord. 12 You will rejoice(G) 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.(H) 13 Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in all the sacred places you see. 14 You 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,(I) 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, 16 but you must not eat the blood; pour it on the ground like water.(J) 17 Within 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.[d] 18 You 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, 19 and 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,(K) and you say, ‘I want to eat meat’ because you have a strong desire to eat meat, you may eat it whenever you want. 21 If 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. 22 Indeed, you may eat it as the gazelle and deer are eaten; both the clean and the unclean may eat it. 23 But don’t eat the blood, since the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.(L) 24 Do not eat blood; pour it on the ground like water.(M) 25 Do 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. 27 Present 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. 28 Be 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.

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Footnotes

  1. 12:6 Lit and the contributions from your hands
  2. 12:7 Lit you put your hand to, also in v. 18
  3. 12:11 Lit tenth, the contributions from your hands
  4. 12:17 Lit or the contributions from your hands

You must not worship the Lord your God in their way.(A) But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name(B) there for his dwelling.(C) To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes(D) and special gifts, what you have vowed(E) to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks.(F) There, in the presence(G) of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice(H) in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

You are not to do as we do here today, everyone doing as they see fit,(I) since you have not yet reached the resting place(J) and the inheritance(K) the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But you will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving(L) you as an inheritance, and he will give you rest(M) from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. 11 Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name(N)—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord.(O) 12 And there rejoice(P) before the Lord your God—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites(Q) from your towns who have no allotment or inheritance(R) of their own. 13 Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please.(S) 14 Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose(T) in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.

15 Nevertheless, you may slaughter your animals in any of your towns and eat as much of the meat as you want, as if it were gazelle or deer,(U) according to the blessing the Lord your God gives you. Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat it. 16 But you must not eat the blood;(V) pour(W) it out on the ground like water.(X) 17 You must not eat in your own towns the tithe(Y) of your grain and new wine and olive oil,(Z) or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give,(AA) or your freewill offerings or special gifts.(AB) 18 Instead, you are to eat(AC) them in the presence of the Lord your God at the place the Lord your God will choose(AD)—you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoice(AE) before the Lord your God in everything you put your hand to. 19 Be careful not to neglect the Levites(AF) as long as you live in your land.(AG)

20 When the Lord your God has enlarged your territory(AH) as he promised(AI) you, and you crave meat(AJ) and say, “I would like some meat,” then you may eat as much of it as you want. 21 If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put his Name(AK) is too far away from you, you may slaughter animals from the herds and flocks the Lord has given you, as I have commanded you, and in your own towns you may eat as much of them as you want.(AL) 22 Eat them as you would gazelle or deer.(AM) Both the ceremonially unclean and the clean may eat. 23 But be sure you do not eat the blood,(AN) because the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.(AO) 24 You must not eat the blood; pour it out on the ground like water.(AP) 25 Do not eat it, so that it may go well(AQ) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is right(AR) in the eyes of the Lord.

26 But take your consecrated things and whatever you have vowed to give,(AS) and go to the place the Lord will choose. 27 Present your burnt offerings(AT) on the altar of the Lord your God, both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices must be poured beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat(AU) the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well(AV) with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.

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Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God.

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:

And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:

And there ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee.

Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.

For ye are not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord your God giveth you.

10 But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and when he giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety;

11 Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord:

12 And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you.

13 Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that thou seest:

14 But in the place which the Lord shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.

15 Notwithstanding thou mayest kill and eat flesh in all thy gates, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the roebuck, and as of the hart.

16 Only ye shall not eat the blood; ye shall pour it upon the earth as water.

17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:

18 But thou must eat them before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.

20 When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

21 If the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have commanded thee, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after.

22 Even as the roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them: the unclean and the clean shall eat of them alike.

23 Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh.

24 Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water.

25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord.

26 Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which the Lord shall choose:

27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of the Lord thy God: and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God, and thou shalt eat the flesh.

28 Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the Lord thy God.

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13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?(A)

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13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
    or drink the blood of goats?

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13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

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13 Though they offer sacrificial gifts[a](A)
and eat the flesh,(B)
the Lord does not accept them.
Now he will remember their guilt(C)
and punish their sins;(D)
they will return to Egypt.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 8:13 Hb obscure

13 Though they offer sacrifices as gifts to me,
    and though they eat(A) the meat,
    the Lord is not pleased with them.(B)
Now he will remember(C) their wickedness
    and punish their sins:(D)
    They will return to Egypt.(E)

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13 They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings, and eat it; but the Lord accepteth them not; now will he remember their iniquity, and visit their sins: they shall return to Egypt.

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