Deuteronomy 12 The only place of worship is the one chosen by the Lord.

Deuteronomy 12

The only place of worship is the one chosen by the Lord.

1 These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall be careful to do in the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you, to possess it all the days that you live on the earth.

2 Ye shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree;

3 And ye shall break down their altars, and break their statues, and burn their forests with fire, and cut down the graven images of their gods, and cut off their name from that place.

4 Thus shall ye not do unto the LORD your God;

5 But the place which the LORD your God shall choose out of all your tribes, to put his name there, ye shall seek their dwelling, and there ye shall come.

6 And there ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the high offering of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your kine, and of your sheep.

7 And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and be glad in all that ye shall put your hand, both you and your houses, in which the LORD your God shall bless you.

8 You shall not do according to all that we do here today, each of which is good in his sight.

9 For you have not hitherto entered into the rest and inheritance which the LORD your God gives you.

10 But you shall pass over the Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God shall inherit from you: and he shall give you rest from all your enemies round about, and dwell in safety.

11 Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose, to make his name dwell there; There you will bring all that I command you. your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all the choice of your vows, that you vote for the Lord.

12 And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you, and your sons, and your daughters, and your servants, and your handmaids, and the Levite that is within your gates; for with you there is no part or inheritance.

13 Take heed that you do not offer your burnt offerings wherever you come;

14 But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

15 But according to all the desires of your soul you shall cut off and eat meat according to the blessing of the LORD your God, who gives you in all your gates: the unclean and the clean shall eat it; As of buck and deer:

16 Only blood shall ye not eat: and ye shall pour it out upon the earth as water.

17 I shall not be able to eat the tithe of thy grain, nor of thy wine, nor of thy oil, nor the firstborn of thy cows, nor of thy sheep; neither of your vows, which you have voted, nor your freewill offerings, nor the heave offering of your hand;

18 But thou shalt eat it before Jehovah thy God, in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, thou and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy servant, and thy handmaid, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and before the LORD your God you will rejoice in all that you put your hand on.

19 Take heed that you do not forsake the Levite all your days on earth.

20 When the LORD your God has enlarged your borders as I said to you, and you say, I will eat flesh; For your soul has a desire to eat flesh. according to all the desire of your soul you shall eat flesh.

21 If the place which the Lord thy God shall choose to put his name there is far from thee, then thou shalt kill the cows and thy sheep, which the Lord hath given thee, as I have commanded thee; and thou shalt eat within thy gates, according to all the desire of thy soul.

22 But as the buck and the deer are eaten, so shall you eat: the unclean and the clean shall eat them together.

23 Only strive not to eat the blood: for the blood is the life: therefore thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh.

24 Thou shalt not eat it: thou shalt pour it into the earth as water.

25 Thou shalt not eat it; that it may be good for you and your children after you when you do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

26 But your holy things which you have, and your vows, shall take, and come to the place which the LORD shall choose.

27 And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings and flesh and blood upon the altar of the LORD thy God; and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be shed upon the altar of the LORD thy God; but you shall eat the flesh.

28 Keep and hear all these words which I command you, that it may be well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God.

29 When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou shalt possess them, and possess them, and dwell in his land;

30 Take heed that they be not after them after they are destroyed before you; and ask not them concerning their gods, saying, As these nations shall be their gods, so will I do.

31 Thou shalt not do unto the LORD thy God: for all that is abhorrent to the Lord, and which he hates, they did to their gods: for even their sons and daughters burned their gods with fire.

32 Whatever I command you, you shall observe; Thou shalt add them nothing, nor diminish them.