The Place for Worship
12 These are the commands and laws you must carefully obey in the land the Lord your God is giving you. Obey them as long as you live in the land. 2 You will inherit the lands of these nations. You must completely destroy all the places where they serve their gods. These places are on high mountains and hills and under every green tree. 3 Tear down their altars. Smash their holy stone pillars. Burn their Asherah idols. Cut down their idols. Destroy their names from those places.
4 Don’t worship the Lord your God that way. 5 But look for the place the Lord your God will choose. He will choose a place among your tribes where he is to be worshiped. Go there. 6 Bring to that place your burnt offerings and sacrifices. Bring a tenth of what you gain and your special gifts. Bring what you have promised and the special gifts you want to give the Lord. And bring the first animals born to your herds and flocks.
7 There you will be together with the Lord your God. There you and your families will eat. And you will enjoy all the good things for which you have worked. The Lord your God has blessed you.
8 Do not worship the way we have been doing today. Each person does what he thinks is right. 9 You have not yet come to a resting place. The Lord your God will give you your own land. 10 But you will soon cross the Jordan River. And you will live in the land the Lord your God is giving you to own. And he will give you rest from all your enemies. You will live in safety. 11 Then the Lord your God will choose a place where he is to be worshiped. To that place you must bring everything I tell you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your offerings of a tenth of what you gain, your special gifts and all your best things you promised to the Lord. 12 There rejoice before the Lord your God. Everyone should rejoice: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns, who have no land of their own. 13 Be careful. Don’t sacrifice your burnt offerings just anywhere you please. 14 Offer them only in the place the Lord will choose. He will choose a place in one of your tribes. And there you must do everything I am commanding you.
15 But you may kill your animals in any of your towns. And you may eat as much of the meat as you want. Eat it as if it were a deer or a gazelle. This is the blessing the Lord your God is giving you. Anyone, clean or unclean, may eat this meat. 16 But do not eat the blood. Pour it out on the ground like water. 17 Do not eat in your own towns what belongs to the Lord: one-tenth of your grain, new wine or oil; the first animals born to your herds or flocks; whatever you have promised to give; the special gifts you want to give to the Lord, or any other gifts. 18 Eat these things when you are together with the Lord. Eat them in the place the Lord your God chooses to be worshiped. Everyone must do this: you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, and the Levites from your towns. Rejoice in the Lord’s presence about the things you have worked for. 19 Be careful not to forget the Levites as long as you live in the land.
20 The Lord your God will enlarge your country as he has promised. And you will want some meat. You will say, “I want some meat.” Eat as much meat as you want. 21 The Lord your God will choose a place where he is to be worshiped. But it may be too far away from you. If it is, you may kill animals from your herds and flocks. The Lord has given them to you. I have commanded that you may do this. You may eat as much of them as you want in your own towns. 22 Eat them as you would eat gazelle or deer meat. Both clean and unclean people may eat this meat. 23 But be sure you don’t eat the blood. The life is in the blood. Don’t eat the life with the meat. 24 Don’t eat the blood. Pour it out on the ground like water. 25 Don’t eat it. Then things will go well for you and your children. You will be doing what the Lord says is right.
26 Take your holy things and the things you have promised to give. And go to the place the Lord will choose. 27 Present your burnt offerings on the altar of the Lord your God. Offer both the meat and the blood. The blood of your sacrifices should be poured beside the altar. But you may eat the meat. 28 Be careful to obey all the rules I am giving you. Then things will always go well for you and your children. You will be doing what the Lord your God says is good and right.
29 You will enter the land and take it away from the nations there. The Lord your God will destroy those nations ahead of you. You will force them out and live in their land. 30 They will be destroyed for you. Be careful not to be trapped by asking about their gods. Don’t say, “How do these nations worship? I will do the same.” 31 Don’t worship the Lord your God that way. The Lord hates the evil ways they worship their gods. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods!
32 Be sure to do everything I have commanded you. Do not add anything to it. And do not take anything away from it.