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12
The Proper Place to Worship
1 Here are the laws and rules you must faithfully obey in the land that the Lord God of your ancestors is giving you as your own. You must obey them as long as you live in the land.
2 Completely destroy all the worship sites on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every large tree. The people you’re forcing out worship their gods in these places. 3 Tear down their altars, crush their sacred stones, burn their poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah, cut down their idols, and wipe out the names of their gods from those places.
4 Never worship the Lord your God in the way they worship their gods. 5 The Lord your God will choose a place out of all your tribes to live and put his name. Go there and worship him. 6 Bring him your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, the offerings you vow to bring, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, and goats. 7 There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families will eat and enjoy everything you’ve worked for, because the Lord your God has blessed you.
8 Never worship in the way that it’s being done here today, where everyone does whatever he considers right. 9 Up until now you haven’t come to your place of rest, the property the Lord your God is giving you. 10 But you will cross the Jordan River and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as your own property. He will give you peace from all your enemies around you so that you will live securely. 11 Then the Lord your God will choose a place where his name will live. You must bring everything I command you to that place. Bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, one-tenth of your income, your contributions, and all the best offerings you vow to bring to the Lord. 12 Enjoy yourselves in the presence of the Lord your God along with your sons, daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites. (The Levites live in your cities because they have no land of their own as you have.) 13 Be careful that you don’t sacrifice your burnt offerings wherever you want. 14 Instead, sacrifice them ⌞only⌟ at the place that the Lord will choose in one of your tribes. There you must do everything I command you.
15 In whatever city you live, you may slaughter and eat as much meat as you want from what the Lord your God has blessed you with. Clean and unclean*“Clean” refers to anything that is presentable to God. “Unclean” refers to anything that is not presentable to God. people may eat it as if they were eating a gazelle or a deer. 16 But never eat the blood. Pour it on the ground like water. 17 You may not eat ⌞the Lord’s offerings⌟ in your cities. Those offerings are: one-tenth of your grain, new wine, and olive oil; the firstborn of your cattle, sheep, or goats; the offerings you vow to bring; your freewill offerings; and your contributions. 18 Instead, you, your sons and daughters, male and female slaves, and the Levites who live in your cities must eat these in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose. There in the presence of the Lord your God enjoy everything you’ve worked for. 19 Don’t forget to take care of the Levites as long as you live in your land.
20 The Lord your God will expand your ⌞country’s⌟ borders as he promised. You will say, “I’m hungry for meat.” Then eat as much meat as you want. 21 If the place the Lord your God chooses to put his name is too far away from you, you may slaughter an animal from the herds or flocks that the Lord has given you. Eat as much as you want in your city. I have commanded you to do this. 22 Eat it as you would eat a gazelle or a deer: Clean and unclean people may eat it together. 23 However, be sure you never eat blood, because blood contains life. Never eat the life with the meat. 24 Never eat blood. Pour it on the ground like water. 25 If you don’t eat blood, things will go well for you and your descendants. You will be doing what the Lord considers right.
26 Take the holy things and the offerings you have vowed to bring, and go to the place the Lord will choose. 27 Sacrifice the meat and the blood of your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your sacrifices is to be poured out beside the altar of the Lord your God, but you may eat the meat. 28 Be sure you obey all these instructions I’m giving you. Then things will always go well for you and your descendants because you will be doing what the Lord your God considers good and right.
29 The Lord your God will destroy the nations where you’re going and force them out of your way. You will take possession of their land and live there. 30 After they’ve been destroyed, be careful you aren’t tempted to follow their customs. Don’t even ask about their gods and say, “How did these people worship their gods? We want to do what they did.” 31 Never worship the Lord your God in the way they worship their gods, because everything they do for their gods is disgusting to the Lord. He hates it! They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.†Deuteronomy 12:32 in English Bibles is Deuteronomy 13:1 in the Hebrew Bible.
32 Be sure to do everything I command you. Never add anything to it or take anything away from it.

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*12:15 “Clean” refers to anything that is presentable to God. “Unclean” refers to anything that is not presentable to God.

†12:31 Deuteronomy 12:32 in English Bibles is Deuteronomy 13:1 in the Hebrew Bible.

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