Deuteronomy 12:5-21 — Legacy Standard Bible

⁵“^aBut you shall seek Yahweh at the place which Yahweh your God will choose from all your tribes, to establish His name there for His dwelling, and there you shall come. ⁶“And there you shall bring your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, ^ayour tithes, the ¹contribution of your hand, your votive offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herd and of your flock. ⁷“There also you and your households shall eat before Yahweh your God, and ^abe glad in all that you send forth your hand to do, in which Yahweh your God has blessed you.

⁸“You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, ^aevery man doing whatever is right in his own eyes; ⁹for you have not as yet come to ^athe resting place and the ^binheritance which Yahweh your God is giving you. ¹⁰“Now you will cross the Jordan and live in the land which Yahweh your God is giving you to inherit. And ^aHe will give you rest from all your enemies around you so that you live in security. ¹¹^aThen it will be that the place in which Yahweh your God will choose for His name to dwell, there you shall bring all that I am commanding you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the ¹contribution of your hand, and all your choice votive offerings which you will vow to Yahweh. ¹²“And you shall ^abe glad before Yahweh your God, you and your sons and daughters, your male and female slaves, and the ^bLevite who is within your gates, since ^che has no portion or inheritance with you.

¹³“^aBeware, lest you offer your burnt offerings in every cultic place you see, ¹⁴but in the place which Yahweh chooses in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I am commanding you.

¹⁵“^aHowever, you may sacrifice and eat meat within any of your gates, ¹whatever you desire, according to the blessing of Yahweh your God which He has given you; the unclean and the clean may eat of it, as of ^bthe gazelle and the deer. ¹⁶“^aOnly you shall not eat the blood; ^byou are to pour it out on the ground like water. ¹⁷“^aYou are not allowed to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or new wine or oil, or the firstborn of your herd or flock, or any of your votive offerings which you vow, or your freewill offerings, or the ¹contribution of your hand. ¹⁸“But ^ayou shall eat them before Yahweh your God in ^bthe place which Yahweh your God will choose, you and your son and daughter, and your male and female slaves, and the ^cLevite who is within your gates; and you shall ^dbe glad before Yahweh your God in all that you send forth your hand to do. ¹⁹“^aBeware lest you forsake the Levite all your days upon your land.

²⁰“When Yahweh your God enlarges your territory ^aas He has promised you, and you say, ‘I will eat meat,’ because ¹you desire to eat meat, then you may eat meat, ²whatever you desire. ²¹“If the place where Yahweh your God chooses to set His name is too far away from you, then you may sacrifice of your herd and flock which Yahweh has given you, as I have commanded you; and you may eat within your gates ¹whatever you desire.